Parking lots provide excellent opportunities for expanding Ventura’s urban forest. This city-owned lot off Loma Vista, next to the Community Memorial Hospital parking structure, had no trees for decades. As part of a paving project, the city recently installed eight new Australian Willow (Geijera parviflora) trees, which will provide shade as their canopies spread. They are evergreen and will grow to 35′ high and 20′ wide. Their non-invasive roots make them a good fit for street and parking lot trees, and their water-filled leaves are fire resistant.
Ventura Tree Alliance, www.venturatreealliance.com
