THOUSAND OAKS : State Grant to Help Planting of Trees

More than 1,100 trees will be planted along five roads in Thousand Oaks this fall as part of a $160,000 project funded in part by the state.

The city received a $73,000 grant from the California Transportation Commission to begin planting trees along Borchard, Lynn, Reino and Ventu Park roads as well as Hillcrest Drive. The remainder of the costs will be paid by the city.

This is the second tree-planting grant awarded to Thousand Oaks since it adopted an urban forestry plan in 1988 to manage publicly owned trees. The plan charts the type and location of the city’s 50,000 street trees. In 1990, Thousand Oaks received a $37,000 grant from the federal government.

Officials said the city’s forestry plan has been used as a model in other communities nationwide and ranks high in funding competitions.

Assistant Planner Doug Nickles said the new trees will include drought-tolerant varieties of pine, oak and eucalyptus.

“The trees will actually use less water than leaving the soil exposed to the sun,” said Nickles, who has proposed a drip watering system to cut down on water usage.

The planting will begin in November and take about three months, Nickles said.