Kate Sessions Commitment (KSC) was formed in early 2019 to increase investments in “healthy trees for healthy neighborhoods,” inspired by Kate Sessions’ commitment to plant trees in Balboa Park, introduce trees from around the world, and shape our urban landscapes. Recently, more activities and accomplishments focus on monitoring, community support, and youth engagement.
2025–26 was a year of growth, innovation, and impact for Kate Sessions Commitment. Through strategic planning, young professionals identified three key focus areas—tree protection and celebration, young tree care, and youth engagement—which guided projects in research, education, stewardship, and community action.
KSC welcomed three interns and a communications lead in 2025-26, providing a four-unit orientation in Urban and Community Forestry and hands-on professional experience through year-long projects that advanced the organization’s mission:
- Study Spaces & Student Wellbeing: on the SDSU campus, intern Marc Dayon surveyed students to link shaded outdoor study spaces to improved mood while studying. He completed this project by partnering with SDSU’s Wellbeing and Health Promotion center and created an outdoor study space for Finals Week!
- Tree Gallery Walks: intern Olivia DeVito explored community engagement and tree education on SDSU’s campus. She hosted two in-person events, each with an educational component and an outdoor activity. Participants were invited to identify their favorite tree and add it to our public Tree Gallery, where San Diego’s favorite trees are celebrated. Explore our Tree Gallery here.
- Student Mini Interviews: Olivia DeVito also completed a series of interviews on the SDSU campus and created a short inspirational video about why trees matter to SDSU students. Watch it here or on our Instagram page, @katestrees.
- Trees for Transit: the need for shade at bus stops in Lincoln Park and Linda Vista was explored by intern Patrick Bradley. Using GIS mapping and field surveys, Patrick advocated for shaded bus stops, presenting at community board meetings in both areas. The project culminated in a petition calling for shaded bus stops in Linda Vista and strengthened the KSC network, fostering new relationships and laying the groundwork for future partnerships and collaborations. Sign the petition or share it here!
KSC staff were also busy in 2025-26, completing a number of projects, expanding our scope, and participating in many community & climate action events.
- CALFIRE Tree Condition Survey: The KSC GIS Specialist Ian Navapanich analyzed condition survey data from urban trees planted through nine CalFire grants across San Diego County. By examining factors such as species, planting season, rainfall, and location, the report identified trends in tree health and survival to help inform future urban forestry planning and improve long-term planting success.
- Tree Gallery: In the fall of 2025, we launched our Tree Gallery webpage, where the public is encouraged to share stories and photos of neighborhood trees that are meaningful to them. Inspired by the subtle ways trees shape our lives, this map-based platform allows us to explore trees around the City that provide benefits to the residents of San Diego. Submit your photos and stories at katestrees.org/tree-gallery .
- Advocacy Page: How to effectively advocate for trees, and why it’s so important, is explored in our elucidating new webpage. Learn more at katestrees.org/tree-advocacy .
- Skyline Tree Condition Survey: KSC Staff Elizabeth Castillo Gil and Emma Smith surveyed 280 young trees planted along Paradise Valley Road and Alta View Drive. The subsequent report explores recommendations for future tree-planting initiatives and community engagement efforts led by the City of San Diego.
- Skyline Mulching and Beautification Event Series: Informed by the Skyline Tree Condition Survey and inspired by local stewardship efforts, a volunteer event series was hosted to mulch and pick up trash around the surveyed young trees. 4 events were hosted in collaboration with San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition and promoted on HandsOn San Diego, mulching a total of 80 trees.
- Tree Education at Perry Elementary: KSC staff hosted a 3-part series of educational nature-based activities at Perry Elementary in Paradise Hills. The project included donating 5 fruit trees and 1 plot of seedlings to the school garden, provided by Walter Andersen’s Nursery and City Farms Nursery.
- Get It Done Analysis: Kate Sessions Commitment launched a comprehensive analysis of more than 60,000 tree maintenance requests submitted through the City of San Diego’s Get It Done program between 2016 and 2026. The project aims to inform future urban forestry policy and highlight the vital work of city staff in maintaining San Diego’s urban forest using publicly available data and modern data analysis tools. Two interns, Marc Dayon and Olivia DeVito, wrote short reports on the data they analyzed. Explore them here: Storm Issues and Park Issues.
- iNaturalist Community Science: Kate Sessions Commitment launched a new iNaturalist project, Trees in the Urban Parks of San Diego County, to engage the public in the diverse urban forest of San Diego. The initiative supports biodiversity research and builds a growing dataset to inform future conservation and advocacy efforts. To get started, join our project on the iNat app. For instructions, click here.
- Linda Vista Community Outreach: The team worked with Bayside Community Center in Linda Vista and SDUSC in Skyline to increase engagement in the City of San Diego’s “Ready, Set, Grow SD” project that features the establishment of 5,000 trees in six underserved communities.
- Parking Lot Trees: a community science initiative that encourages residents to see parking lots through the lens of urban forestry. Volunteers survey the trees in parking lots they visit, documenting tree health, species, and tree-well attributes to help raise awareness of the important role these often-overlooked trees play in providing shade, improving air quality, and enhancing community spaces. Learn more about the project here: Parking Lot Trees Flyer
In 2024-25, eight interns were recruited and started with a four-unit orientation. They joined other young professionals and experienced community members on “Kate’s team!”
- Conducted tree condition surveys of 400 trees planted in 2016 and 250 trees planted in 2020, reporting tree health, height and dbh, and differences by species, street, adjacent land use, and other factors. View reports.
- Expanded support for communities to participate in the City of San Diego’s $10 million urban forestry grant, Ready, Set, Grow San Diego in Otay Mesa-Nestor and Skyline-Paradise Hills. Worked with Southbay Sustainable Communities, SD Urban Sustainable Coalition and others to “walk the streets” to review planting locations, participate in information meetings and attend Community Forest Advisory Board meetings.
- Worked with community members to nominate Heritage Trees, set up a “Tree Gallery” to celebrate trees, and pilot a “community science” project for mapping and collecting condition information on trees in parking lots.
- Coordinated project leadership and implementation in weekly meetings (zoom), assessed local urban forestry needs and Kate Sessions’ capacities, and identified four program areas for 2025-26: tree protection, young tree care, and youth engagement, supported by communications and GIS projects.
In 2023-24, ten interns and many community members worked together on urban forestry issues, with intergenerational coaching and projects with professional-level experiences.
- Explored ways to increase trees in parking lots, prepared video and flyers for watering institutional trees (English and Spanish), and drew attention to tree losses and tree protection.
- Expanded tree mapping applications using land cover types, land uses, census and health data, street tree inventories, and more.
- Worked with community groups to further understand tree equity, co-instruct in Resident Leadership Academies (Encanto and Linda Vista), and introduce tree canopy and street tree inventory maps.
- Incorporated as a non-profit corporation eligible for tax-exempt contributions.
- Information about 2024-2025 intern opportunities.
From 2019 to 2022, KSC evolved as a movement and advocacy group with these accomplishments and others:
- Supported career experiences for ten college seniors at SDSU and CSU-San Marcos that majored in geography, environmental studies, sustainability, or urban planning
- Set up and maintained website https://katestrees.org/, Instagram #katestrees and Facebook page
- Developed logo embedded with our mission: Canopy. Community. Climate Action.
- Worked with retail and wholesale nurseries to stock quality, locally-suitable 5-gallon trees, and with organizations to invite members to grow trees in front- and back-yards
- Participated in local council and committee meetings to offer comments on Climate Action plans, implementation, budgets, tree planting and care, and tree protection
- Participated in climate action, environmental, urban forestry, community, gardening, faith and other local groups