San Diego Celebrates Kate Sessions Day with Tree Planting Event, Advances Urban Forestry Goals
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, City Council President Joe LaCava, city staff, and community volunteers celebrated Kate Sessions Day by planting 14 trees around the Pacific Beach/Taylor Library. This annual event honors Kate Sessions, known as the "Mother of Balboa Park," for her significant contributions to San Diego's urban forest. The newly planted trees, which include Jacaranda, Pink Trumpet, Southern Magnolia, New Zealand Christmas Tree, and Bottle Tree, aim to provide long-term benefits such as stormwater runoff capture and shade for pedestrians. Mayor Gloria highlighted that his administration has planted over 10,500 trees since 2022, working towards a goal of 100,000 new trees by 2035, with a focus on communities most in need of shade. This year's event was supported by the Tree Canopy Fund, established in 2022, which helps plant trees in public spaces when they cannot be incorporated into new development projects. Tree planting locations are identified using Census tract data and community feedback, ...
