McMansions are killing the Los Angeles urban forest

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May 8, 2017 5:02 PM

Researchers find that McMansion suburban subdivisions have been destroying LA's trees since 2000.

An overview of the Porter Ranch neighborhood in Los Angeles, California February 19, 2016.

Los Angeles has an estimated 10 million trees. They reduce excess CO2 in the air, act as wildlife habitat, improve water quality, reduce energy use, and increase surrounding property values.

But that number is far less than two decades ago.

That's according to a new study from the University of California, which says the amount of tree cover in LA County has declined rapidly since 2000.

The study —

Looking at satellite imagery and data from the LA County assessor's office, the researchers found about one-third of the city's trees in single-family housing neighborhoods was eliminated from 2000 to 2009. During that period, tree cover may have decreased up to 55%.

In a press release, Longcore said sacrificing trees for redevelopment cuts across all Southern California neighborhoods, regardless of socioeconomic status.

These ecologically beneficial consequences occurred organically — not as the result of conscious environmental policy, but rather as an outgrowth of the cultural aesthetic and economics of the times," the researchers write.

They say homeowners at the time valued greenery and shade as key neighborhood selling points, perhaps more than McMansion owners do today.

Today, nearly a decade after the 2008 housing bust, property development is as ambitious as ever. In Los Angeles, the average new home spans 2,687 square feet, and nearly one-third measuring over 3,000 square feet, according to the 2016 US Census Bureau annual survey.

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