In collaboration with Tree San Diego, the City of San Diego hosted a community event at Sherman Elementary School to celebrate Kate Sessions Day and recognize the start of the tree planting season. More than 40 San Diegans joined the event to help plant tree species that included pink trumpet, tipu, brisbane box, englemann oak and coast live oak trees. 

November to May is considered the optimal time for tree planting in San Diego as these months bring more rain to the region and less chance of damage from the scorching sun, key benefits for newly planted trees. 

The City aims to plant 100,000 more trees by 2035, with 40,000 being planted in Communities of Concern, as identified through the City’s Climate Equity Index. The City of San Diego recently secured a $10 million grant from U.S. Forest Service to plant thousands of new trees in parks and on City streets. 

Kate Sessions was a botanist, horticulturalist and landscape architect who lived and worked in San Diego in the early 20th century. She was known as the “Mother of Balboa Park” and introduced hundreds of trees to the San Diego region, including the popular Jacaranda tree. Her legacy is celebrated every year on Kate Sessions Day, her birthday.

San Diegans can join the effort to grow the City’s urban canopy by planting trees on their properties. Residents can also request a tree be planted in the public right of way near their properties through the City’s Free Tree SD program, which offers resources, including tree maintenance schedules and information about the health benefits of trees.