PARKS & TREES REPORT
by Michael Rothmann, Committee Chair
ARBOR DAY BRINGS OUT THE CROWDS TO PLANT OUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD
On Saturday March 14, youth groups, volunteers, city employees, and politicians assembled at Francisco Middle School for an Arbor Day Fair sponsored by the Department of Public Works. There were lots of fun activities at the non-profit booths with plants and seeds for the attendees to take home. The show-stopping attraction at the Fair, as always, is the bucket ride which hoists willing participants 50 feet in the air in a cherry picker. After plenty of congratulations and commendations for the city departments and officials who maintain our streets, volunteers were dispatched throughout District 3 to plant the trees under the supervision of the DPW crews. DPW has advertised the number planted as an even 100. Overall, it was a great turnout and good to see the City continuing to take initiative to green our streets, working towards meeting its Street Tree SF and Climate Action Plan goals.
City Hall Street Tree Battle Continues
The Mayor’s proposed initiative to streamline the street tree removal process has advanced out of the Planning Committee and is headed for the Transportation and Land Use Committee. The proposal which seeks to amend the Public Works code, makes our urban canopy more vulnerable to new development and effectively disenfranchises the public from objecting. The details of the proposal include removing the Board of Appeals review for trees deemed hazardous by the City and allow new construction projects to choose an in lieu fee based on 2023 costs instead of holding them responsible for planting street trees or even leaving space for future plantings. This change can potentially impact large swaths of the city. Over the past five years, there have been numerous instances when the City deemed entire blocks “hazardous,” for example 24th Street and more recently in Hayes Valley. Without a proper appeals process, these blocks would have already been denuded. Instead, because of the public appeals process, many of these trees were saved. And in Mission Verde on 24th Street, the public response fostered community stewardship.
In the name of streamlining development, Mayor Lurie and Supervisor Wong are attempting to silence public dissent and to make it easier for developers to skirt their responsibility to contribute to the welfare of our shared environment. Now is the time to voice your disapproval and contact your supervisor!
Telegraph Hill Dwellers Receive $5,000 for Jack Early Park
The Telegraph Hill Dwellers Parks & Trees Committee has been awarded a $5,000 Neighborhood Beautification Grant by the San Francisco Beautiful organization. The grant will support the restoration of Jack Early Park by funding materials. But we still need volunteers! Work includes restoring wooden lighting fixtures, the irrigation system, removing ivy for new plantings, and sprucing up the viewing platform. If you’re interested in getting involved with this project, please reach out to mike@thd.org.
