2015 issue #3 - Friends of the Urban Forest

TREE
scapes
Fall 2015
From Dan’s Desk
We’ve planted 50,000 trees
Transforming San Francisco, together
An extraordinary landmark event happened last month at one
of our tree plantings:
We planted our 50,000th tree!
FUF’s tree #50,000: a Bronze Loquat
(Eriobotrya deflexa) in West Portal
The benefits of 50,000
street trees
We estimate that collectively, the
50,000 trees planted by Friends of the
Urban Forest provide the following
benefits:*
• Divert 28,964,518 gallons of water
from the sewer system each year
• Store 1,770 tons of carbon each
year
• Filter 3.8 tons of atmospheric
pollutants each year
• Have an estimated capital value
(replacement cost) of $54,308,472
• Provide $5,954,950 in estimated
total benefits each year
* To arrive at these figures, FUF used
the benefits data in the April 2013 Street
Tree Census to calculate an average
per-tree benefit, then multiplied it by
50,000, then reduced it by 25% to account
for tree mortality and the likelihood that
the FUF-planted trees are on average
less mature than the trees included in
the census.
www.fuf.net
415-561-6890
This special planting represented all we’ve accomplished as a
community since our first tree planting in 1981.
With community support, FUF has worked to ensure that San Francisco has a larger
and healthier urban forest. We’ve done this with our community tree-planting model,
which is now replicated across the country. We also have undertaken tree care efforts,
planted sidewalk gardens, engaged youth and the general public with urban forest
education, and advocated tirelessly for the greening of our City.
Tree #50,0000 is a Bronze Loquat (Eriobotrya deflexa) that we planted in front of a
home in West Portal. This is one of our preferred trees given its large, evergreen
canopy, which helps sequester carbon and soak up storm water that might otherwise
overwhelm San Francisco’s combined storm sewer system. And it’s a fairly hardy
species that rates highly in our tree care surveys.
The number 50 has been a recurring one for us recently. In addition to planting tree
#50,000, we created our 50th Sidewalk Garden project this year. And the city’s new
Urban Forest Plan, which we helped write, calls for the planting of 50,000 more street
trees over the next 20 years.
We’ve made a map to illustrate
the way FUF’s programs have
transformed San Francisco.
I’m so proud of all that you—
our supporters—have done
to make this happen. While
we still have much more to
do, it’s good to step back and
appreciate what we’ve accomplished together. San Francisco’s urban forest is dramatically
better thanks to our thousands
(probably 50,0000!) of volunteers, donors, members and
community partners—
including you.
Warmly,
Executive Director
A reflection on all we’ve
accomplished as a community
Recently FUF’ed
On August 15, we led the planting of
new street trees in San Francisco’s
Oceanview, Merced Heights, and
Ingleside (OMI) area.
On July 16–18, we installed new front yard gardens
in the Outer Sunset neighborhood. The “Front Yard
Ambassadors” program is funded through the office
of Supervisor Katy Tang.
On July 8, we pruned two Chinese Elms in the
Russian Hill neighborhood that show signs of
having been topped years ago. Topping damages
(and can kill) trees, but these two have survived.
On July 1, we provided care for street trees
that we planted five years ago.
On August 4, members of our Green
Teens crew made improvements to
our tree yard.
On July 19, we hosted a walking tour of the new
tree groves of the Mission Bay neighborhood, led
by Chris Buck, Urban Forester for the SFDPW.
On July 27-28, members of our Green Teens
program worked on a greening project at the
Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco’s clubhouse
in the Mission neighborhood.
On July 23, our Green Teens crew planted
replacement trees at Lincoln High School
in the Central Sunset neighborhood.
On August 16, we hosted a walking tour of
the trees of Glen Park and Sunnyside, led by
certified arborist Christopher Campbell.
The Biophile
Dealing with aphids and fire blight
By Brandon Namm, Planting Manager
Our urban trees face many challenges, including pests and diseases.
Aphids are among our most common pests; they cause cosmetic damage and affect
the sap that flows through tree leaves. Their sugary excretion, known (perversely) as
“honeydew,” allows sooty mold to develop and stunt growth. Ants, which feed on the
honeydew, protect aphids from predators, which is why you can treat an aphid infestation by placing ant traps at the base of your tree. Spraying infested trees with soapy
water is also effective.
Fire blight is a disease that damages many trees, especially apples and pears. It’s
caused by a bacteria, and its most obvious symptom is the formation of black, hookshaped tissue on leaves. The best way to treat this disease is to prune off affected areas.
Aphids
Apple tree with fire blight
Merci pour tous
Our longtime pastry donor closes
Since 2011, La Boulange has donated pastries for our twice-monthly tree plantings. These
croissants, buns and turnovers have provided tasty sustenance to hundreds of volunteers
over the years as they receive their morning planting instructions. Pascal Rigo, the Frenchborn founder of the local chain, has been a true friend of the urban forest.
As many local pastry lovers already know, Rigo sold La Boulange to Starbucks in 2012,
and Starbucks recently decided to close all its locations. The original bakery at Pine and
Fillmore streets will be the last to close on September 18. So we’re looking for a new pastry
source—but we will surely miss La Boulange. Merci, nos amis!
“The symbolism—and the substantive
significance—of planting a tree has
universal power in every culture and
every society on Earth, and it is a way
for individual men, women and children
to participate in creating solutions for
the
environmental crisis.”
Al Gore (b. 1948), U.S. Vice President,
author, Nobel Prize winner
Upcoming Events
For event updates, details, and info
about how to participate, see:
www.fuf.net/calendar
If you want a tree, or want to help
organize a tree planting in your
neighborhood, see:
www.fuf.net/treeplanting
If you want a sidewalk garden, see
www.fuf.net/sidewalkgarden/
September 17–19—Sidewalk Landscape
Installation, Lower Haight
September 17–19—Planting Leader
& Tree Care Leader Training
September 18, 25—No Frown Friday
Tree Care
September 23, 30—Wednesday Tree
Care
September 26—Pruning Workshop
& Workday, Bernal Heights
September 26—Tree Planting, Bernal
Heights
October 1–3—Sidewalk Landscaping,
Potrero Hill
October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30—No Frown
Friday Tree Care
October 7, 14, 21, 28—Wednesday
Tree Care
October 10—Pruning Workshop &
Workday, NoPa & Laurel Heights
October 10—Tree Planting, NoPa &
Laurel Heights
October 22–24—Front Yard Ambassador
Landscaping Program, Outer Sunset
October 24—Pruning Workshop &
Workday, Mission
October 24—Tree Planting, Mission
October 25—Tree Tour, Potrero Hill
Stairways
November 1—Tree Tour, Presidio
November 4, 11, 18, 25—Wednesday
Tree Care
November 6, 13, 20, 27—No Frown
Friday Tree Care
November 7—Pruning Workshop
& Workday, Outer Sunset
November 7—Tree Planting, Outer
Sunset
November 14—Pruning Workshop
& Workday, Bayview
November 14—Tree Planting, Bayview
December 2, 9, 16—Wednesday
Tree Care
December 4, 11, 18—No Frown Friday
Tree Care
December 5—Pruning Workshop
& Workday, Nob Hill, Chinatown
& Russian Hill
December 5—Tree Planting, Nob Hill,
Chinatown & Russian Hill
December 12—Pruning Workshop &
Workday, Excelsior
December 12—Tree Planting, Excelsior
Nonprofit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
San Francisco, CA
Permit No. 13997
Presidio of San Francisco
P.O. Box 29456
San Francisco, CA 94129-0456
Address Service Requested
facebook.com/FriendsOfTheUrbanForest
@SFUrbanForester
Friends of the Urban Forest is a
non-profit organization, founded in
1981, that offers financial, technical
and practical assistance to individuals and neighborhood groups who
wish to plant and care for street
trees and sidewalk gardens in San
Francisco.
Board of Directors
Jon Braslaw, Chair
Laura Tam, Vice Chair
Tamara Patterson, Secretary
Eliza Brown
Doug Case
Jeanne Darrah
John Farnham
Sean Flynn
Noah Goldberg
Kent Jonas
Dawn Kamalanathan
Kerry Lange
Patricia Wilson
Executive Director
Dan Flanagan
Editor: Ben Carlson
Layout: Mari Ann Donnelly
Printed on recycled paper.
If you’d prefer to receive Treescapes
electronically, please email brian@
fuf.net
TREE
scapes
Fall 2015
Factoid:
Caring for trees brings neighbors
together
Caring for trees is related to social ties among
neighbors. Inner-city residents who spend time
in outdoor common spaces caring for flowers,
grass, or trees outside of their homes were
more likely to have strong social networks
with their neighbors.
Sources: Kweon, BS, WC Sullivan, and R Angel. 1998. Green Common Spaces and the Social Integration of Inner-City Older Adults. Environment and Behavior 30, 6:832-858.—and—Brunson, L, FE Kuo,
and WC Sullivan. Sowing the Seeds of Community: Greening and Gardening in Inner-City Neighborhoods. Unpublished manuscript, University of Illinois.
Make a Lasting Contribution to FUF
Remember: By including Friends of the Urban Forest as a beneficiary of your will,
trust, or other estate plan, you’ll be providing a gift that ensures the preservation
and expansion of San Francisco’s urban forest for generations to come.
Learn more about planned giving options by contacting Dan Flanagan, Executive
Director, at (415) 268-0779 or dan@fuf.net.