SACRAMENTO. WHEN LOCAL VOLUNTEER GROUP IS WORKING TO KEEP LAND PARK BEAUTIFUL, KCRA 3’S ERIN HEFT SHOWS US HOW THEY’RE MAKING A DIFFERENCE. NESTLED AWAY UNDER A LEAF COVERED CANOPY, THE CITY OF TREES HISTORICAL NEIGHBORHOOD OF LAND PARK ROOTED IN HISTORY. ITS THROUGH CARE THAT THESE CENTENARIAN GIANTS STAND TALL. THE ONES THAT AREN’T IN DANGER ARE THE VERY OLD OAKS THAT WAY PREDATE THE PARK THAT ARE A COUPLE OF HUNDRED YEARS OLD, AND THEY’RE NICE AND SOLID AND NOTHING BOTHERS THEM. WE MET WITH RICK STEVENSON OF THE LAND PARK VOLUNTEER CORPS. STEVENSON WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. A LOT OF THE ORIGINAL TREES THAT WERE PLANTED IN THIS PARK IN THE 1920S AND 30S WERE TREES THAT WOULD ONLY LIKE EUCALYPTUS, WOULD ONLY LIVE ABOUT 80 TO 100 YEARS, WHICH MEANS THEY’RE PHASING OUT AND THEY’RE BEING TAKEN OUT ALL THE TIME. SO WE HAVE TO PLANT MORE TREES BEHIND THEM IN ORDER TO JUST TO KEEP THE THE FOLIAGE COVERAGE IN THE PARK. I CAME LATE THE PARK ONCE HAVING MORE THAN 30 GROUNDSKEEPERS OVER THE LAST DECADE THAT HAS DWINDLED DOWN TO A HANDFUL. THE UPKEEP NOW RESTING IN THE HANDS OF VOLUNTEERS. BUT THESE RESPONSIBILITIES GREW EVEN HEAVIER AFTER THE DEVASTATING WINTER STORMS OF SEVERAL YEARS AGO, KNOCKING DOWN GIANTS ACROSS THE REGION, SHUTTING DOWN STREETS AS THESE BEHEMOTHS LAYING IN RUIN WERE GROUND INTO MULCH. BUT HELPING HANDS ARE ENSURING THE NEXT CHAPTER OF SACRAMENTANS CAN ALSO ENJOY THE SHADE BY REPLACING WHAT WAS LOST. I’VE NEVER PLANTED A TREE BEFORE, SO IT WAS SOMETHING REALLY INTERESTING, AND I THINK IT’S A GOOD SKILL TO HAVE IN THE FUTURE. I REMEMBER I WAS GOING TO SCHOOL ONE DAY AND ONE OF MY FRIENDS, SHE WAS DRIVING TO SCHOOL AS WELL, AND THERE ACTUALLY WAS IT WAS SO WINDY THAT ONE OF THE TREES FELL ONTO HER CAR. I’M KIND OF PROUD TO DO IT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I WAS BORN HERE. PLANTING TREES TWICE A YEAR. 20 ARE GOING IN RIGHT NOW WORKING TO REPLACE THE FOOTPRINT OF THE 70 PLUS TREES THAT WERE LOST. MAKING A DIFFERENCE TODAY? YES, BUT CONTINUING A TRADITION THAT GAVE THE CITY OF SACRAMENTO ITS MOTTO, ERIN HEFT KCRA THREE NEWS. THE GROUP, THE LAND PARK VOLUNTEER CORPS, MEETS ONCE A MONTH, AND T
Restoring the ‘City of Trees’: Land Park volunteers replant Sacramento’s future
“I’ve never planted a tree before, so it was something really interesting, and I think it’s a good skill to have in the future.”
Updated: 8:40 PM PDT Nov 1, 2025
Beneath the leafy canopy of the historic Land Park neighborhood, volunteers are working to ensure Sacramento’s “City of Trees” legacy endures.Rooted in history, the park’s centenarian oaks, some predating the park itself, still stand sturdy, even as many of the original 1920s–30s plantings reach the end of their natural lives.“The ones that aren’t in danger are the very old oaks that predate the park,” said Rick Stevenson of the Land Park Volunteer Corps, who was born and raised in the neighborhood. “They’re a couple hundred years old, nice and solid, and nothing bothers them.”By contrast, many early plantings were species like eucalyptus, which live roughly 80 to 100 years. “They’re phasing out and being taken out all the time,” Stevenson said. “We have to plant more trees behind them just to keep the foliage coverage in the park.”Where the city once employed more than 30 groundskeepers, staffing has dwindled to a handful over the past decade. That gap now has elevated the role of volunteers, especially after devastating winter storms in 2023 knocked down giants across the region, closing streets as trees toppled.Helping hands are stepping in to restore what was lost. Girl Scouts joined the latest planting day, part of a twice-yearly effort that is putting 20 new trees in the ground aimed at replacing the footprint of more than 70 trees lost.“I’ve never planted a tree before, so it was something really interesting, and I think it’s a good skill to have in the future,” said Girl Scout Shrya Banerjee. The Land Park Volunteer Corps meets once a month March to November and is always looking for more volunteers.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Beneath the leafy canopy of the historic Land Park neighborhood, volunteers are working to ensure Sacramento’s “City of Trees” legacy endures.
Rooted in history, the park’s centenarian oaks, some predating the park itself, still stand sturdy, even as many of the original 1920s–30s plantings reach the end of their natural lives.
“The ones that aren’t in danger are the very old oaks that predate the park,” said Rick Stevenson of the Land Park Volunteer Corps, who was born and raised in the neighborhood. “They’re a couple hundred years old, nice and solid, and nothing bothers them.”
By contrast, many early plantings were species like eucalyptus, which live roughly 80 to 100 years.
“They’re phasing out and being taken out all the time,” Stevenson said. “We have to plant more trees behind them just to keep the foliage coverage in the park.”
Where the city once employed more than 30 groundskeepers, staffing has dwindled to a handful over the past decade. That gap now has elevated the role of volunteers, especially after devastating winter storms in 2023 knocked down giants across the region, closing streets as trees toppled.
Helping hands are stepping in to restore what was lost. Girl Scouts joined the latest planting day, part of a twice-yearly effort that is putting 20 new trees in the ground aimed at replacing the footprint of more than 70 trees lost.
“I’ve never planted a tree before, so it was something really interesting, and I think it’s a good skill to have in the future,” said Girl Scout Shrya Banerjee.
The Land Park Volunteer Corps meets once a month March to November and is always looking for more volunteers.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel