COSTA MESA : Volunteers Needed to Help Plant Trees

A group that has planted more than 250 trees this year with help from the city and a state grant will gather Saturday to plant flowering pear trees along Adams Avenue.

John DeWitt, organizer of ReLeaf Costa Mesa, said dozens of volunteers came to tree plantings in February, March and earlier this month.

The Department of Forestry gave a $4,500 grant to the nonprofit community group to help plant 4,000 trees along city parkways, DeWitt said.

The city maintains about 20,000 trees in parkways--the areas between curb and sidewalk--but does not have the money to replant the ones that have died, said David Alkema, the city’s parks and parkways superintendent. Alkema estimated the city will spend $423,000 this year to maintain the parkway trees.

Many grants for tree planting are not available to government agencies, Alkema said. He said ReLeaf easily doubles the city’s tree-planting power along parkways.

DeWitt said his group relies on volunteer labor, though the city helps by using power equipment to dig holes for the trees when the ground is too hard to break up with shovels.

The city has also helped supply tools and stakes, and even contacted the courts to obtain names of people who must perform community service to work off a sentence.

“It’s a real good relationship,” Alkema said. “They are doing what we wouldn’t be able to do for a long time because of our budgeting.”

People who want to help plant trees this weekend should bring shovels and gloves and meet at 8 a.m. at Adams Avenue and Albatross Drive.

For more information, call DeWitt at (714) 549-1175.