Greening San Francisco
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Dan Flanagan, executive director of Friends of the Urban Forest since 2008, has announced plans to retire this spring. FUF’s board of directors has engaged an executive search firm to find the next successful executive director for the organization. Below, Dan shares thoughts about his decision to step down, and board chair Dawn Kamalanathan provides… read more »
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The key to a healthy garden (vegetable, habitat, or ornamental) is understanding your soil. Soil requirements can vary among different garden types, but there are a few tried and true tips for building healthy soils. Test your soil Although it’s not required, knowing the primary nutrient levels and pH (scale of acidity) of your soil… read more »
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Very few of the tree species we plant are native; they include Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) and California Buckeye (Aesculus californica). But few tree species are native to San Francisco, and their populations were small; the western land was mostly sand dunes and the rest was mostly shrubs, grasses, and rocks. Monterey Cypress (Cupressus… read more »
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If you notice a street tree that has been damaged or knocked over by a vehicle, or vandalized, or that has dropped a limb or fallen over, or looks like it might fall over, please report it! Friends of the Urban Forest can provide emergency care for small young trees (for about the first five… read more »
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San Francisco is a challenging place for street trees and sidewalk gardens because of our sandy or clay-like soils, strong salty winds, rainless summers, and many dogs. Even so, we have many mature and beautiful street trees and sidewalk gardens to learn from. We recommend: Regular watering helps plants and young trees (even drought-tolerant species)… read more »
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Thanks to the efforts of three local tree experts, you can enjoy more than a dozen self-guided walking tree tours in various San Francisco neighborhoods. Since April, Mike Sullivan, former FUF board member and author of Trees of San Francisco; Jason Dewees, author of Designing with Palms; and Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture… read more »
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A gardener’s knee-jerk reaction to pests (whether animal, insect, OR plant) is usually “kill it!” or “pull it!” — but is there a better alternative? Rather than pest eradication, let’s talk about pest management — specifically “integrated pest management” (IPM). IPM is a proactive system that strives to use a variety of pest control methods with… read more »
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Every year, Friends of the Urban Forest recognizes a community with the Brian Tsai Greener Block Award (formerly called the “Most Greenified Block Award,” and renamed for a beloved longtime staff member who died earlier this year). We have chosen two winners for 2020: the Oceanview Neighborhood and Carr Street. The award recognizes an area… read more »
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We want to live in a world where Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) don’t have to bear the burden of environmental injustice, violent over-policing, job discrimination, and inequitable health care, housing, and educational services. We regularly plant trees in neighborhoods that are subject to and affected by discriminatory police practices, institutionalized racism, and… read more »
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Since 1981, Friends of the Urban Forest has planted about 60,000 trees. We’ve always done our best to identify, obtain, and plant species that are suitable for use as street trees, are likely to thrive in our climate and conditions, and provide significant benefits for the environment, the urban infrastructure, and the health of San… read more »
