Ten thousand oaks. Most people can't keep a basil plant alive past June.

A retired California science teacher has grown and entrusted 10,000 oak seedlings to communities across Southern California, including fire

John Rusk, a retired science teacher in his 70s, has grown and given away more than 10,000 oak seedlings to schools, parks, and neighborhood groups across Southern California, including fire-ravaged Altadena. He started the project about eight years ago in a backyard shade house, collecting acorns by hand and nursing each seedling for one to two years before handing it to a community group. Altadena residents have planted hundreds of the oaks to replace trees lost in the 2025 Eaton Fire.

Source: A retired California science teacher has grown and entrusted 10,000 oak seedlings to communities across Southern California, including fire — r/UpliftingNews

A daily AI-made news meme from Jester · Oct 8, 2026.