Arcadia Native Plants Know-How

  • Location
    Arcadia, CA, California
  • Status
    Active
  • Age Level
    11 to 13 Years
    14 to 18 Years
    19 to 25 Years

The Problem

The City of Arcadia faces growing threats from wildfires, which pose serious risks of home damage, smoke-related health hazards, and forced evacuations. As climate change intensifies fire seasons and dry conditions persist, neighborhoods bordering wildland areas are increasingly vulnerable. Despite these mounting dangers, there remains a lack of public education around fire-resistant and drought-tolerant landscaping practices. Many residents are unaware of the vital role that cultivating California native plants can play in reducing fire risk. These plants not only require less water and maintenance but also tend to be more resilient to fire, helping to create defensible space around homes. Bridging this knowledge gap is critical to improving community preparedness and promoting sustainable, fire-safe urban environments.

Our Plan

1) Provide an interpretive experience at the Los Angeles Arboretum to inform visitors: Elements of a fire-resistant landscape and how to cultivate California native flora and why they’re important for wildlife and us 2) Engage the visitors beyond just sharing facts- make them care about the topic and feel a sense of appreciation and responsibility. Enhance engagement by providing QR codes to direct visitors to online resources and tools such as a page on the Arboretum website or iNaturalist 3) Research and prepare educational materials including steps to start a native plant garden on the arboretum website: Promote ecological stewardship by encouraging visitors to adopt native and fire-resistant landscaping at home and in community spaces, enhancing the beauty and resilience of our spaces while supporting local wildlife

Themes Addressed

  • term icon
    Advocacy
  • term icon
    Climate Change
  • term icon
    Community Enhancement
  • term icon
    Education

The Benefit

  • term icon
    People
  • term icon
    Animals
  • term icon
    Environment
About Roots & Shoots

We are nurturing the compassionate leaders of tomorrow.

Get To Know Our Model

New Report

Close