- Author: Saoimanu Sope
Over 2,000 climate-ready trees have been planted in low-shade neighborhoods throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties thanks to the efforts of emerita advisor Janet Hartin.
Looking back at her 40 years as a UC Cooperative Extension environmental horticulture advisor, Hartin – who retired in July – is most proud of the “Trees for Tomorrow Start Today” program. She started it in 2019 with her colleague and friend, Mandy Parkes, Inland Empire Resource Conservation District manager.
About 10 years ago, when the project was just a fleeting thought, Hartin said wildfires and extreme heat were a growing concern in California. These natural occurrences – along with the reality of urban heat islands, a phenomenon where urban areas are significantly warmer than the surrounding rural areas – inspired Hartin to act because more people die from extreme heat than from wildfires.
The Trees for Tomorrow Start Today program recommends planting species of trees that are more resistant to drought, heat, pests, and the impacts of urban heat islands and climate change –all factors that traditionally planted tree species cannot always withstand, according to Hartin. Cooling urban areas with heat-tolerant trees can make a huge difference for the people and animals living in those communities.
“Surfaces such as asphalt parking lots can be more than 60 degrees hotter when they're unshaded,” Hartin said. “Trees not only cool urban areas by providing shade but also through transpiration, where water vapor is returned to the atmosphere through leaves, serving as a very effective and natural air conditioner.”
Becoming the go-to tree advocate and expert in the region
To reach neighborhoods that needed shade trees, Hartin identified grassroots organizations and partnered with the UC Master Gardener Program to recruit volunteers in communities that would benefit the most to launch the Trees for Tomorrow Start Today program. When selecting neighborhoods, Hartin and her team prioritized communities that experienced higher risks of pulmonary and/or cardiovascular disease – often exacerbated by poor air quality and extreme heat.
To ensure trees thrive, Hartin partnered with UC Master Gardener volunteers to educate residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties on tree planting and care before giving them free trees to plant.
“She is the tree advocate and expert in the region,” said Parkes. “The most important aspect of her work is that UC Master Gardeners, who are especially trained in this program, help ensure that each person goes home with the ‘right' tree to increase chances of success and realization of climate benefit, and can always contact the helpline if questions or problems arise later.”
Trees for Tomorrow Start Today relies on climate-ready and drought-, heat- and pest-resistant tree species that have been vetted in various ways. Some are performing well in research trials at UC Davis, UC Riverside and the UC South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine led by Hartin and her UC and U.S. Forest Service colleagues.
Other climate-ready trees have been identified in Hartin's independent research projects and by observing species' survival rates in even harsher climates than the climate zones the trees are now being planted in, with an eye on the future for their long-term success.
In partnership with the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Hartin was able to establish community bonds in San Bernardino and east Coachella Valley, areas that have benefitted significantly from the Trees for Tomorrow Start Today program.
“The truth is that the applied aspect of my work was needed to ensure the program's success. I needed the help from my arboriculture and non-commercial clientele to keep it real,” said Hartin.
Eager to listen and better understand the community, Hartin said her clientele educated her and played an integral role in the development of the program. She describes this relationship as a “two-way street” that has been incredibly rewarding for all involved.
“When we create a continuum of applied research that includes the end user, and follow their lead on problem-solving, we can help enable that clientele to enact long-term solutions,” Hartin said.
Husam Yousef, UC Master Gardener in San Bernardino County, said the continuity of this tree-planting project means ensuring a positive impact on the environment and the well-being of San Bernardino residents in the coming decades. “It's about time we give back what we have taken for years!" said Yousef.
Years of contribution recognized by industry organizations
Hartin has emerged as a statewide leader in landscape water management and sustainable landscaping, which have become critical issues during the lengthy and persistent California drought. In 2022, Hartin was inducted into the Green Industry Hall of Fame, which recognizes individuals with a minimum of 20 years in the landscape, nursery or floriculture industry and who have made significant contributions to the field.
“There is no doubt about the high quality and effective nature of Janet's contributions to the University of California and industry,” said Don Hodel, emeritus UCCE environmental horticulture for Los Angeles County. “Her knowledge, competence and professionalism are beyond question, and uphold the University's strong and high reputation for academic research, education and service.”
The California Association of Pest Control Advisers (CAPCA) recently recognized Hartin for several series of pest management seminars she organized for landscape clientele in San Bernardino, Riverside, and Los Angeles counties, and her contribution to the 2024 statewide CAPCA Conference.
“Janet is an excellent writer and contributor, and easily conveys information to clientele in a clear and precise manner,” Hodel added. “Her presentations are always timely, informative, lucid, interesting, well-illustrated and delivered in a professional manner and met with much audience enthusiasm.”
Thinking back to 1984 when she first joined UCCE as an environmental horticulture advisor fresh out of graduate school, Hartin remembers there was a focus on equity and ensuring that clientele of all ethnicities and races were served. How to do this, though, remained less clear back then.
Over the years, Hartin has learned to focus on listening, and working with and learning from colleagues and clientele with diverse backgrounds – as exemplified by her Trees for Tomorrow Start Today work.
Paving a path for rising environmental horticulturalists
Her leadership experience as the Chair of UC ANR's Associate Editors Board, and a member of the academic Peer Review Committee, statewide Master Gardener Steering Committee, and Water Strategic Initiative panel helped prepare her for a long-term role as an UC ANR Environmental Horticulture Program Team leader with colleagues Don Hodel and Heiner Lieth.
Together, they coordinated annual Program Team meetings and workgroup meetings and oversaw the authorship of a white paper describing the size and impact of the environmental horticulture industry. These efforts, coupled with support from county directors involved in the position identification process, were instrumental in the hiring of vital UCCE environmental horticulture advisor positions over the last five years.
“It's great to have fresh ideas and new skills in our cohort,” Hartin said. “We were down to bare bones, numbers-wise, before these hires.”
Hartin said that she would advise the younger generation of academics to recognize how important and rewarding cultural experiences and opportunities to work with diverse clientele can be. She also urges advisors to let clientele help define their programmatic vision and path forward.
“I love to see UC ANR and partners and collaborators that are so supportive of our mission and vision work closely together with clientele to identify and tackle tough issues, improving the quality of life for Californians,” Hartin said. “I know that ANR is in good hands moving forward.”
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
Eppele is a community development graduate student at UC Davis focusing on environmental education, STEAM, science communication and citizen/community science.
As a Reiss Fellow, she will work with Strategic Communications on communications campaigns to promote sustainable agriculture and food practices, writing blog posts, creating infographics, and contributing to social media campaigns.
“I am excited to connect the public with what is going on in the world of sustainable agriculture in order to help break the barrier between academia and the public,” she said. Eppele hopes to increase awareness of sustainable agricultural practices, helping California make greater progress towards mitigating climate change impacts.
“I am incredibly grateful to be a part of this fellowship and looks forward to the future of sustainable agriculture where there is a clear commitment to widespread education and community involvement,” Eppele added.
Black will work closely with the Nutrition Policy Institute's Farm to Corrections team. For his project, he will focus on food insecurity and access to sustainable food options for formerly incarcerated individuals in California as well as delving into the barriers that community-based organizations typically face around the issues of providing food assistance, alleviating food insecurity and encouraging sustainable consumption.
“It is pivotal that researchers have a clear understanding of how theories–specifically around these issues–influence policy and how they are implemented into practice, as it allows us to refine policies and better support our citizens,” Black said. “I am honored to be a part of a fellowship that emphasizes sustainable food options for marginalized populations as it is incredibly impactful though rare to find work.”
Black hopes that one day efforts like his will bring awareness for more sustainable food options, and that in doing so there will be new developments and initiatives recognized and supported on the federal level.
The UC President's Bonnie Reiss Climate Action Fellowship Program funds student-generated projects that support the UC system's climate action goals. It encompasses the former UC Global Food Initiative and Carbon Neutrality Initiative. All 10 UC campuses, five academic health centers, plus the UC Office of the President, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory participate in the program.
The program, which began in spring 2015, is open to both undergraduate and graduate students, and administered at each location to ensure that student efforts align with local needs.
- Author: Saoimanu Sope
In mid-October, the University of California Nursery and Floriculture Alliance (UCNFA) hosted their annual California Nursery Conference in Watsonville, an opportunity to share research, discuss challenges impacting nurseries and greenhouses, and network with industry leaders. It was their first gathering of this kind since 2019.
Organized by UCNFA and the Western Region of the International Plant Propagators' Society, and co-sponsored by the Plant California Alliance, the conference attracted nearly 100 attendees from across California.
As a statewide partnership of researchers and educators, growers, floriculture associations and allied industries, UCNFA coordinates and implements outreach for UC Agriculture and Natural Resources' Floriculture and Nursery Workgroup. UCNFA's main goal is to provide essential information to growers and educate them on how to use their knowledge effectively to maximize production, improve resource use efficiency and ensure regulatory compliance.
“This support for growers is essential given the diversity of California agriculture and the rapid changes in methods, technology and regulatory pressures,” said UCNFA co-director Loren Oki. Oki has been co-directing UCNFA alongside David Fujino, executive director of the California Center for Urban Horticulture, since 2009.
UCNFA relies heavily on the expertise of UC Cooperative Extension advisors, specialists and other academics to provide education and technical training for nursery and greenhouse growers in California.
Oki explained that UCNFA allows workgroup members to share information and support each other's programs. "More seasoned members can support newer members, but the newer members also contribute their expertise to the workgroup,” he added.
New advisors leverage networking opportunity to identify programmatic goals
Serving areas ranging from San Diego to Sacramento, UC Cooperative Extension academics in attendance at the conference included Grant Johnson, UCCE urban agriculture technology advisor for Orange and Los Angeles counties; Chris Shogren, UCCE environmental horticulture advisor for Orange and Los Angeles counties; Johanna del Castillo, UCCE assistant professor and plant pathologist at UC Davis; and Aparna Gazula, UCCE small farms advisor for Santa Clara, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties.
Haramrit Gill, who became UCCE environmental horticulture advisor for Tulare, Kings, Fresno and Madera counties this year, expressed gratitude for the guidance she's received from seasoned colleagues like Bruno Pitton, UCCE environmental horticulture advisor for Placer and Nevada counties; Gerardo “Gerry” Spinelli, UCCE production horticulture advisor for San Diego County; and Don Merhaut, UCCE specialist for nursery and floriculture crops based at UC Riverside.
“This kind of mentorship is really needed, because it's helpful to see how others manage their research programs and move forward in their career,” said Gill.
Unlike Gill's rural terrain, Jessie Godfrey is a UCCE environmental horticulture and water resources management advisor for Alameda, San Mateo, San Francisco, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties. Although her research program is still in its early development stages, Godfrey used the opportunity to present at the conference to discuss the connection between nurseries and urban tree planters.
“Particularly given that many of us are stepping into previously unfilled roles in our counties and there's a lot of unfamiliarity with urban clientele, I think regional events like this are a critical opportunity to introduce clients to their UCCE network and peers,” Godfrey said.
Attendees engage in live demos and tour of local nurseries
The conference also offered live demonstrations to teach attendees how to manage plant nutrition, irrigation, diseases and pests. At one table, Ana Pastrana, UCCE plant pathology advisor for Imperial, San Diego and Riverside counties, set up sanitation mats with disinfectant to demonstrate effective cleaning practices that prevent plant diseases.
On another table, Eric Middleton, UCCE integrated pest management advisor for San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties, placed leaves under magnifiers to demonstrate how insect identification apps work.
Other demonstrations included measuring container capacity and water content in different substrates, electrical conductivity (EC) contribution of fertilizers, estimating nitrogen in liquid feed from EC measurements and more.
“I learned a lot from the talks and demonstrations, and the opportunity to present my work led to valuable conversations with nursery growers. The insights I gained will inform my program planning and outreach to nurseries in my counties,” said Joanna Solins, UCCE environmental horticulture advisor for Sacramento, Solano and Yolo counties, who presented on California's recent urban water conservation legislation and the need for more climate-ready landscape trees.
To conclude the conference, participants toured nurseries in Watsonville, including Driscoll's, Griggs, Los Arroyos and Four Winds Growers. Each nursery welcomed the group and focused on highlighting unique aspects of their operation.
At Driscoll's, participants learned about plant tissue culture and clean stock procedures as part of a larger effort to produce virus-free plants. Four Wind Growers showcased their greenhouse, where the mother plants of their citrus trees remain planted in the ground. They shared their need for USDA-certified pest exclusion facilities to protect plants from Asian citrus psyllid, which vectors huanglongbing (citrus greening) disease.
Considering participant feedback, UCNFA's administrative committee is looking forward to planning next year's conference and leveraging the new generation of advisors. “It's wonderful that we have so many new people who are young and energetic,” said Merhaut. “We need them. They're going to carry the torch when us old people can't anymore,” he said jokingly.
Learn more about UC NFA here: https://ucnfa.ucdavis.edu/
- Author: Saoimanu Sope
Staff Assembly Council is calling all ANR staff to participate in a questionnaire created and supported by the Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA) and Staff Engagement Workgroup to understand the impact of new policies and procedures on your daily work. This initiative seeks to gather insights on the additional tasks and workload that recent changes may have introduced to staff locally and systemwide.
Here is the questionnaire: How Laws are Increasing the Administrative Load for UC Staff.
This approach stems from CUCSA's discussion with Government Relations, where we recognized the growing need for examples of government mandates that have added to the administrative workload. The objective is to encourage greater consideration while creating new policies, ensuring that they do not contribute to the expectation that employees can continue to take on more tasks without relief.
Your anonymous responses are of utmost importance. They will help identify areas where administrative strain has increased, contributing to ongoing discussions about how new policies affect our work. Your privacy and comfort in sharing your feedback are our top priorities.
Please take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire by Thursday, November 7, 2024. Your input is vital as CUCSA assesses the broader impact of these changes.
If you have questions, please contact ANR's CUCSA representatives: Christine Davidson at cdavidson@ucanr.edu or Shirley Salado at scsalado@ucanr.edu.
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
You are invited to Lindcove Research and Extension Center for its annual fruit display and tasting on Dec. 13 and 14.
On Friday, Dec. 13, from 9 a.m. to noon, growers are invited to meet UC researchers to discuss low-seeded citrus varieties, new varieties, pest and disease management issues and horticultural issues. They may also take tours of Lindcove REC facilities and fields.
On Saturday, Dec. 14, Lindcove REC opens the free event to the public from 9 a.m. to noon to taste and see more than 100 citrus varieties grown at the center. Citrus enthusiasts can have their citrus horticulture and pest management questions answered at the UC Master Gardener booth as well as by UC Cooperative Extension scientists.
“We will have bagsof freshly picked citrus for sale for $10,” said Jasmin Del Toro, Lindcove Research and Extension Center business officer.
Fruit display tables will be set up outdoors for both days.
Lindcove REC fosters research, education and outreach programs focused primarily on citrus crops, but also has projects on avocado, olive and pomegranate. The staff support research projects by University of California academics as well as local and regional partners' projects that address critical needs in horticulture, pests and diseases and breeding new crop varieties.
Lindcove REC is located at 22963 Carson Avenue in Exeter.
For more information, contact Del Toro at zdeltoro@ucanr.edu.
