Urban Corps of San Diego County is pleased to announce that it has completed its CAL FIRE Urban Forest Expansion and Improvement grant by planting 2,000 trees in San Diego County. With these 2,000 trees, Urban Corps has planted more than 8,500 trees throughout the county over the last three years.

“We are really proud of our achievement,” said Kyle Kennedy, CEO, Urban Corps of San Diego County. “Not only are these trees good for the environment, but planting them has helped train hundreds of Corpsmembers about tree care and maintenance that could lead to a well-paying job in the green industry after they graduate from our program.”

Urban Corps of San Diego County is a certified local conservation corps and charter school that provides young adults ages 18-26 an opportunity to earn a high school diploma while they receive paid job training in environmental and conservation work for the community.

In 2019, Urban Corps received a grant from CAL FIRE to plant 2,000 trees across San Diego County. The funding was made possible by 2018’s Proposition 68 which authorized $4 billion in bonds for local environmental projects such as restoration intitiatives.  As part of the grant, Corpsmembers planted trees in La Mesa, Imperial Beach, Vista, Encinitas and San Diego. Tree San Diego, another local non-profit, worked with the Corpsmembers to teach them proper planting techniques as well as about tree care.

Kennedy added, “It is rewarding to know that Urban Corps can provide young adults the opportunity to learn new skills, a second chance to earn their diploma and receive a paycheck while they work to help our environment. We have two more CAL FIRE grants to plant 1,500 additional trees and look forward to training new Corpsmembers and increasing San Diego County’s tree canopy.”