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.”
