Urban Greening and Community Gardens

Tree planting

Currently, the Parks Foundation is working with the City of San Diego on a citywide tree project with the goal to ensure a safe, inviting, and sustainable urban forest. We work with the City of San Diego Parks & Rec Arborist for tree planting and irrigation crews to assure the right tree is planted in the right place and track the health of the trees on an ongoing basis. Research has shown that increased tree canopy has a wide variety of benefits for communities, including improving residents’ physical and mental health, reducing stress, and lowering rates of certain types of crime.
The Tree Planting Project is aligned with the City’s Climate Action Plan. In 2015, the City of San Diego adopted its current Climate Action Plan with an overriding goal to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) by 2035. One of the ways this is being accomplished is through the City’s Urban Tree Planting Program.

To date, the San Diego Parks Foundation has planted 352 trees in community parks! For a full list of planted trees, see below or visit TreePlotter to see our trees.

2020

Bay Terraces Park – 46 trees

Bay Terraces Park – 45 trees

2021

Willie Henderson Sports Complex – 40 trees

Southcrest Park – 32 trees

Mountain View Park – 21 trees

Montclair Park – 23 trees

2022

Linda Vista Park – 26 trees

Howard Lane Park – 21 trees

Parkside Park – 23 trees

Silver Wing Park – 24 trees

2023

Mesa Verde Park – 26 trees

Lomita Park – 25 trees

Montgomery-Waller - 24 trees in the near future

TreePlotter

In 2020, the San Diego Parks Foundation planted 91 trees in Bay Terraces Park!

The map shows the locations of all 91 trees, which are healthy and thriving today!

SDPF’s Urban Greening initiative is supported by donations from individuals, corporations, grants, and clubs. We would like to thank Hunter Industries, Jules Arthur & Family, SDG&E, and Village Garden Club of La Jolla for their generous donation for new trees in Mesa Verde and Lomita!

Community Gardens

Bayside Community Center, the first ever community garden in a public park. The new garden will increase equitable access to green space; create garden plots for residents; address food insecurities and increase the availability of fresh, healthy produce in the community; create a space for urban garden educational workshops for children, seniors, and residents; and provide a safe space for the diverse cultures in the community to spend recreational time together. Four plots are identified for educational purposes, and the remainder (approximately 20 garden plots) for residents, who may share one plot, to grow fresh food and plants. In addition, the garden will include: a greenhouse, 15 fruit trees, plants and vines, pollinator plants, a walking path, outdoor gathering space, picnic tables, benches, toolshed, compost area, ADA accessible garden plots, ADA pathway, perimeter fencing, lighting, and cameras for safety. Linda Vista is one of the six most socioeconomically distressed neighborhoods in San Diego due to high levels of poverty, poor access to quality education, crime, violence, and gang activity, food insecurity, being a HUD-defined food desert, and employment opportunities. Estimates of more than 27 dialects are spoken in the 49,000+-person neighborhood, and over 60% of the population is Asian, Latino, African American, or multiple ethnicities.

In 2022, SDPF implemented a formal partnership with Bayside for this project and is working with Schmidt Design on conceptual design. SDPF continues to work with community partners toward permitting, planning, funding and program design with plans to complete the project in 2023.