Join Esotouric, L.A.'s most eclectic sightseeing tour company, for the fourth in an occasional series of free webinars exploring timely historic preservation issues and how YOU can get involved.

To sign up for this free webinar, enter your name and email address and click the “REGISTER” button BELOW. If for any reason the check out page doesn’t appear, just click this link.

Our special guest is distinguished horticulturist Dr. Donald R. Hodel.

When Dr. Hodel published “Exceptional Trees of Los Angeles” (1988), he selected as the representative example of the Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii) the massive tree at the center of the quad at Rancho Los Amigos, the County Poor Farm that was established exactly 100 years earlier, in 1888.

The cult classic film “Blood In Blood Out” (1993) had yet to be made, so it was mainly the community of East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights that knew there was another ancient tree with a claim on the title of L.A.’s most exceptional Bunya Pine.

With the fencing of Rancho Los Amigos, the many fires and the ongoing demolition of historic structures, Downey’s Bunya Pine is hard to visit, and that tree is now suffering the after effects of a lightning strike.

But East L.A.’s beloved El Pino remains healthy and highly visible, whether you’re mourning a loved one at Evergreen Cemetery, inhaling a taco at Los Cincos Puntos or cruising with your sweetheart down old Brooklyn Avenue—the big tree on the hill is always there.

But El Pino is in danger—and needs your help.

Around Christmas 2020, disturbing rumors circulated on social media that a new owner had deliberately cut the trunk to harm the tree, and had plans to chop El Pino down. Hundreds of concerned community members came to the corner of Folsom and Indiana to mourn and bear witness. A petition was circulated. Newspapers and local television stations covered the story.

We’ve been tracking the threat to El Pino here.

It turns out that the rumors were exaggerated, but a new owner does have worrying dense residential development plans for the property—plans that if they go forward as proposed will almost certainly kill El Pino.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Tune in to this webinar as Dr. Hodel shares a prescription for preservation of this iconic living landmark of East Los Angeles, explains where Bunya Pines come from and why they’re so special and potentially deadly. Plus he’ll introduce you to another rare tree in El Pino’s shadow, and asks Supervisor Hilda Solis to help save El Pino and commission a Flora study of rare trees in East Los Angeles.

Then we’ll take your questions about El Pino and Bunya Pines, tools for saving endangered trees and how you can help.

Watch this short webinar when it airs at 7pm on September 27 (or later, on demand), then help amplify Dr. Hodel’s prescription for saving this beautiful tree, so it can be a friend and a beacon to future generations and to Angelenos today.

This webinar is an illustrated lecture that will bring the history and future of El Pino to life, while empowering you to help preserve this tree and other historic trees in your community. And you’ll find the look of an Esotouric webinar is a little different than your standard dry Zoom session, with lively interactive graphics courtesy of the mmhmm app. So tune in and discover the incredible history of Los Angeles, with the couple whose passion for the city is infectious. Can’t join in when the webinar is happening? You can tune in later, though you’ll miss the opportunity to ask questions in the chat.

FYI: Immediately upon registering, you will receive a separate, automated email containing the link to join the webinar. The webinar is reliable on all devices, Mac, PC, iOS and Android.

About our special guest: Donald R. Hodel is emeritus landscape horticulturist with the University of California, Cooperative Extension, a position he held for 36 years, all in Los Angeles, before retiring in 2019. He led a varying career, performing applied research and conducting educational programs primarily for the landscape and tree care industries and secondarily for the residents of Los Angeles County. His expertise is in the taxonomy, selection, and management of woody plants, primarily trees and palms. He conducted over 150 research projects, made over 600 presentations to varying audiences, and authored or co-authored 110 peer-reviewed publications and nearly 600 other publications, including eight books about the classification, selection, planting, water use, nutrition, and disease and pest management of woody plants. He is the recipient of several awards for his work and is often invited to peer-review others’ publications. Don has earned a national and international reputation and been an invited speaker at numerous symposia, conferences, and meeting across the United States and in other countries. He has traveled widely and performed research in most of Latin America, the Pacific, Southeast Asia, and southern Europe. Don received a B.S. in ornamental horticulture from California State Polytechnic University in 1974 and an M. S. in tropical horticulture from the University of Hawaii in 1975. He worked in nurseries and botanical gardens in Hawaii and California before landing his job with the University of California in 1983. Upon his retirement in 2019, the University awarded him emeritus status and he now continues work on selected projects and publish articles sharing the results of his work.