Balboa Park’s urban forest got a boost Friday from a host of volunteers who planted new trees. The volunteers were celebrating Arbor Day.
Members of the Balboa Park Conservancy and the city’s Park and Recreation Department combined their energies to plant trees in the park’s West Mesa of Balboa Park, off of Balboa Drive and Quince Street, at Cypress Grove.
San Diego City Council Member Jen Campbell took part in the planting and said she wants to see that forest continue to thrive.
“Since Kate Sessions, the mother of Balboa Park planted the first 100 trees in this park in the 1890s, San Diego has put an emphasis on adding trees to our canopy,” Campbell said. “We continue her legacy today by planting over 100 trees here in Balboa Park.”
Balboa Park boasts San Diego’s most robust urban forest.
The park’s tree canopy is about 30% of the total area of the park. The rest of the city has a canopy of about 5%.
People are encouraged to plant trees on Arbor Day, which is usually celebrated on the last Friday of April.
