🌳 Goodbye asphalt. Hello trees, shade, and a greener schoolyard. A greener, cooler schoolyard is now open at Esperanza Elementary School. Esperanza is one of five Los Angeles-area campuses benefiting from improvements that replace asphalt with trees, permeable surfaces, outdoor classrooms, natural play features, and other nature-based features. Recently, CAL FIRE joined partners in celebrating the unveiling of this transformed campus, made possible through Green Schoolyard grant funding awarded to the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust. These investments help reduce playground temperatures while creating healthier, cleaner, and more welcoming spaces for students to learn, play, and connect with nature. Trees and vegetation also help improve air quality, filter stormwater, reduce pollutants entering local waterways, and support healthier soils by stabilizing the ground and improving its ability to absorb water. Read more at: #UrbanForestry# #GreenSchoolyards# #CommunityForestry# #LosAngeles#

Investing in greener schoolyards is an investment in California’s children. Through schoolyard greening grants, CAL FIRE helps schools and nonprofit childcare facilities add trees, gardens and natural spaces that create cooler, healthier places to learn and play. These projects increase shade, reduce temperatures, support habitat and give more children regular opportunities to connect with nature. CAL FIRE’s Urban and Community Forestry Program also provides expertise to help ensure trees and greenery are properly placed and established for long-term success. As students return to school, these projects create learning environments that support the whole child—and benefits that can last for generations. #BackToSchool# #SchoolyardGreening# #UrbanForestry# #CALFIRE#