Oak Mission: Planting Thousands of Trees in Burned Areas

Jim Crouch spent decades teaching science in a suburb of San Diego. After he retired, he turned his love for trees into a big project. He wants to bring back oak trees to places that have lost them, especially the burned area of Altadena.

He collects acorns from private lands, asking owners for permission. He puts each seed in a pot and cares for it. For eight years he worked alone in his backyard, then he shared seedlings with volunteers. Now many people help harvest the acorns, even though he is 75 and uses a cane after a bike fall.

A volunteer gave him a special map that shows where trees grow and who owns the land. He works with a UCLA professor named Sork who studies oak DNA. They look for the strongest trees that can survive hot, dry weather and use their seeds to grow new ones. This teamwork helps California’s forests stay strong as the climate changes.

He is opening a new nursery in La Cañada, the sixth for his group, to support Altadena’s regrowth. He says the area needs more trees and they will provide whatever is needed. His goal is to plant thousands of oaks and help the ecosystem recover.