A program fellow with CCAC said the organization operates a nursery of California native plants and provides hands-on training in tree planting for residents of Watts and South L.A.

The fellow said the training is part of a broader fellowship that exposes participants to careers in urban forestry and community greening. “We actually have our own nursery, for our California native plants. At the end of the day, we're giving back,” the fellow said.

According to the fellow, the program includes community education on proper tree-planting techniques and on-the-job exposure to different careers. “Throughout this whole entire fellowship, I've just learned so much. Because of that, there's just been so many avenues I've been exposed to, so many different people that I've gotten to see, like, what their careers are like,” the fellow said.

The fellow described personal ambitions tied to the training, saying they want to become a certified arborist and continue working in neighborhoods such as Watts and South L.A. “I definitely wanna be a certified arborist, help out communities like in Watts and South LA like we're in today,” they said.

Remarks occurred during public comments and described the fellow’s experience in the program; no formal board action or vote on the program was recorded in the transcript provided.