A vandal dealt a sad blow to L.A.'s urban trees. Budget woes could bring another

Los Angeles Times

23-04-2025

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The Los Angeles Police Department arrested a man on Tuesday who was captured on surveillance footage using a chainsaw to chop down multiple trees in Downtown L.A. over the weekend.
Photos of downed trees circulated on Reddit and other social media sites as users expressed a mix of anger and grief. One poster dubbed the perpetrator a 'tree serial killer' as others called for justice in response to an act of 'eco terrorism.'
The suspect cut down six mature trees in the city's historic district.
Leaders of the Downtown Los Angeles Residents Assn. called the vandal's actions 'a violent, demoralizing, and illegal act that threatens residents' real and perceived safety in DTLA.' The group is demanding that city leaders replace the trees and hold the perpetrator accountable.
Urban trees are already struggling
The loss of mature urban trees comes as the city strives to plant more of them — especially in South L.A. and other communities that have historically lacked beneficial trees. L.A. leaders previously set a goal to increase the urban tree canopy by 50% 'in areas of greatest need' by 2028.
A strong tree canopy provides residents much-needed shade, mitigates the impacts of heat and cleans the air, among other perks.
One UCLA study found that shade can reduce heat stress in the human body by 25% to 30% during the day. In another study, researchers found that the presence of three trees can lower the chance of health-related deaths by 1%. And a recent study from USC found that L.A. trees and other plants capture more CO2 than researchers expected.
L.A.'s budget crisis could affect the future of L.A. trees
Just like the unfortunate downtown trees, L.A.'s next annual budget also faces a chainsaw, which could hamper the city's effort to boost its urban forest.
Mayor Karen Bass published her spending proposal, which includes cuts to departments and more than 1,600 layoffs as the city braces for a nearly $1-billion budget deficit.
Tree-related programs and personnel are on the chopping block. According to Bass' proposed budget (the City Council has until the end of May to amend and approve it):
Officials from the mayor's office did not respond to a request for comment.
The fate of L.A. tree planting is further imperiled by federal funding cuts orchestrated by Elon Musk and his team, which he calls the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. LAist reported last month that thousands of trees might go unplanted locally after DOGE pulled grant money allocated to nonprofits.
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