Foresting Surf City

Jenny Marder

Trees have been called the lungs of a city.

“Without our lungs, where are we?” asked Jean Nagy, president of

the Huntington Beach Tree Society.

That question has been one of the driving forces of the society,

whose goal is to transform Surf City, which is constantly losing

trees to development and disease, into a lush, urban forest.

“People need to realize how important an urban landscape is to all

our lives, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally too,”

Nagy said.

On Saturday, about 70 volunteers, mostly high school students,

gathered to plant 50 White Alders and California Sycamores at Edwards

Hill, which overlooks the Huntington Beach Equestrian Center, on

Ellis Avenue and Goldenwest Street, and by Ellis Creek.

A group of ninth-graders spent most of the morning planting their

two trees, which they affectionately named Suzanne and Jorge.

They started the morning by helping to wheel the trees down into a

river valley below the hill.

Collectively, the eager young volunteers explained the process.

“You’ve got to take the tree out and scrape dirt off the sides so

the roots will grow,” said Cory Helms, 15, holding up the black

bucket that the tree arrived in.

After the tree is placed in the hole, the hole is filled up,

padded down and covered in mulch, which, made of grass clippings and

tree bark, contains moisture and nutrients that the tree can feed on,

he said.

“Then we put the stakes in, so when the tree grows it won’t fall

over,” explained 14-year-old Adam Martinazzi.

Jack Orris, a landscaper for the city, oversaw the planting, and

taught the volunteers how to properly plant, stake and spread the

mulch.

“We try to make sure it’s planted at the right depth,” Orris said.

“If it’s too deep, it’ll die.”

Saturday’s planting was coordinated by 17-year-old Henry Grumet,

who is working to become an Eagle Scout. Henry organized the

volunteers, many of whom are fellow classmates, family members and

students that he works with as a teacher’s aide at his high school.

Several of the young trees scattered across the two-acre site are

named in his honor -- Henry the Great, Hank and a few simple Henrys

here and there.

“It’s definitely a good feeling, because a lot of stress went into

this,” Henry said. “It’s good to be here and to know that things are

getting done.”

The tree society tries to do a planting at least once a month. In

2003, more than 1,000 trees were planted, Project Coordinator Shirley

Knopf said.

Much of the funding came from a $25,000 grant from the state

Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Trees cost about $50

each.

“We’re reforesting the whole area,” Knopf said.

The students look forward to returning one day to see their trees

fully grown.

“When we come back to this park one day, we’re going to say, we

planted these trees,” said Chris Kegan, 15.

* JENNY MARDER covers City Hall. She can be reached at (714)

965-7173 or by e-mail at jenny.marder@latimes.com.