Our panel of speakers for April’s program will tell us why it’s important to address the urban heat island effect from the point of view of our health, how trees can help, and how to protect the trees that we already have.

This program is a sequel to the article on the Urban Heat Island Effect in our Fall/Winter 2018 newsletter. It is funded in part by Southern California Edison.

Our speakers

Dr. Elizabeth Rhoades is Program Director, Climate Change and Sustainability, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.  She works across sectors to provide subject matter expertise on the health impacts of climate change, promote policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, provide guidance on climate preparedness to local government and community partners, and build workforce capacity to address climate change. She is the author of two climate change reports released by the Department of Public Health, entitled Your Health and Climate Change, and Framework for Addressing Climate Change.

Jill Vig is a Master Gardener, Certified Arborist, and Curator of the Water Conservation Garden at the Los Angeles Arboretum & Botanic Garden. She became an active tree defender, along with fellow Altadena Tree Warrior Kathy Musial, when she observed multiple instances of over-pruning at the hands of contractors working for the County or for Southern California Edison. 

Susanna Dadd is a contemporary landscape painter turned garden designer. Her company, Susanna Dadd Garden Design, specializes in habitat gardens to promote bird, reptile, and insect life. She has observed many problems with trees, particularly in Altadena, and has recommendations for keeping trees healthy by good cultivation practices. She also has strategies for which trees to plant and where to plant, when mature trees do succumb to disease and pests.

A resource sheet with information on how to get free street trees from the County, how to care for trees, how to become involved in wide tree-planting efforts, and more will be available at the event.