by Mike Yarak, Urban Forestry Program Manager As manager of our urban forestry program, I’m often torn between pride in the positive impact we’ve made on the greening of San Francisco and a real concern that we’re not doing enough. Thanks to our dedicated staff, volunteers, and donors, we’ll be planting at least 1,100 street… read more »

by Susie Wasserstrom, Community Engagement Program Manager It’s a time of year for giving thanks, and I’m thankful that volunteers will soon be able to join our tree plantings again. We suspended planting trees altogether during San Francisco’s shelter-in-place order last year. When that was lifted, we got back to work with staff-only planting crews…. read more »

The extreme heat events we’re witnessing in the West are frightening. We’re way past the point of a “wake-up call” when it comes to our rapidly warming planet. Science tells us that 20 years from now, extreme heat waves are likely to increase in San Francisco — and we’ll need to be ready. How are… read more »

Charlie Starbuck, known for his astounding record of volunteer service to San Francisco’s urban forest, died at age 84 on Sunday, September 5 at a Kaiser hospital. Charlie participated in most of the community tree planting events organized by Friends of the Urban Forest since we were founded in 1981. We estimate that he planted… read more »

by Sammara Audi, Public Relations Intern As we all know by now, trees are amazing sources of oxygen, taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere via photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process of taking in carbon dioxide and water to produce glucose and oxygen as a by-product. It is primarily used by plants… read more »

by Sammara Audi, Public Relations Intern Trees are a vital part of our environment, taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen to clear the atmosphere. They’re one of our main sources of oxygen and are essential for the survival of humans and wildlife. We get 16% of our overall oxygen from the trees and plants… read more »

Hi, my name is Sammara Audi. Friends of the Urban Forest is starting its first Public Relations Internship and I have been offered the opportunity to be the first intern! I started becoming more aware of climate change and how important saving the environment is at around age 12. We were taught about the environment… read more »

Forty years ago this year, the city of San Francisco cut the budget for the planting of street trees due to budget constraints. Five folks came together to start a non-profit to ensure that the city’s already meager urban tree canopy would continue to grow. Friends of the Urban Forest was born. One of the… read more »

“Under the canopy of the trees, daily dramas and moving love stories are played out. Here is the last remaining piece of Nature, right on our doorstep.” ― Peter Wohlleben, The Hidden Life of Trees   Like us, you may be enjoying the much-needed rainy season and noticing hints of spring, such as the fragrant… read more »

By Anna Wright One of the biggest benefits of trees is their ability to improve air quality. Urban forests are often called a city’s lungs because they produce oxygen, store carbon, and reduce particulate matter pollution. However, some trees are better at it than others! Urban trees improve local air quality by reducing particulate matter… read more »

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 »

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 »

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 »

Written by Vincent Distrola One of my favorite things to do on a day off is pack a small lunch, fill my water bottles, and take a walk.   While San Francisco is bordered by beautiful sites such as Muir Woods, Big Basin Redwoods Park, and Yosemite National Park, the city itself is home to… read more »

以下中文说明   |   Instrucciones en español a continuación We need your help writing letters to SF residents encouraging them to sign up for a FUF tree. We’ll plant and water their tree for free! Please drop us a line at volunteers@fuf.net to let us know you’ll be writing letters and to find out where… read more »