VALLEY ROUNDUP : Sherman Oaks : Chandler Elementary Puts Down New Roots

There aren’t many areas to find shade and a respite from the hot weather at Chandler Elementary School. But that’s about to change, thanks to the volunteers who planted trees at the school Saturday morning.

“Grass and trees cool the local temperature. It just makes it a nicer place to be,” said Ravi K. Bhatia, a program manager with the nonprofit TreePeople. “If the asphalt is 110 degrees, playing is the last thing on your mind. You just want shade.”

About 100 volunteers planted 72 trees around the school. Twenty more trees will be planted in September.

Besides making the school cooler, the trees will make it prettier, organizers said. Much of the school’s playground is now asphalt and concrete.

“To see this expanse of blackness was like a prison,” said Amanda Martin Leiva, 40, of Sherman Oaks. “I’m doing this for the kids.”

“Trees are important because they’re pretty and keep you alive,” said Martin’s daughter, Miranda, 9.

True enough, since trees provide oxygen and reduce carbon dioxide. They also can reduce temperatures by up to 20 degrees in the shade, said Adam Skolnick, a campus forestry manager with TreePeople.

Volunteers strategically planted the trees to shade buildings, retain water and provide shade for the playground, Skolnick said. The trees also reduce energy costs by allowing air-conditioning units to run more efficiently, he said.

It cost almost $19,000 for the soil, mulch and trees and to drill holes for the trees, Bhatia said. The Los Angeles Department of Water of Power Cool Schools Project is funding the trees for Chandler, he said. The DWP project has a nearly $3-million annual budget and is funding trees for 40 Los Angeles Unified School District campuses, said Bhatia.

Grass and a playing field are also being added this year to Chandler with Proposition BB funds.

Chandler is not the only LAUSD school without enough greenery. According to Bhatia, after budget cuts that started in the 1960s, LAUSD started pouring more asphalt and concrete at school yards to save money on maintenance. Yet that strategy had unforeseen long-term costs: Polluted water that could have been absorbed by trees and grass runs into streets, gutters and ultimately the ocean.

On Saturday volunteers were looking forward to the positive effects trees will bring.

“It’s adding a lot of beauty to our school--more personality, more character,” said Rob Garrett, 35, of Santa Clarita.