State Farm Good Neighbor Grant to Fund Street Trees
May 18, 2012 — State Farm, the nation’s largest home and auto insurer, has committed $10,000 to Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF), a non-profit organization, to fund the planting of street trees in San Francisco. State Farm representatives will present a check to Dan Flanagan, FUF’s executive director, in a brief ceremony on Saturday, May 19, at 9:00 a.m. outside 210 15th Avenue in San Francisco that will kick off a tree-planting event in the Richmond neighborhood.
“At State Farm, we believe a good neighbor is a green neighbor,” said State Farm Agency Field Executive, Christina Sanchez. “In partnership with the Friends of the Urban Forest, we look forward to contributing to a greener future for all.”
“State Farm’s commitment to San Francisco’s urban forest benefits all who live, work and visit here,” said Flanagan. “This grant will help us grow San Francisco’s tree canopy.” Though San Francisco already has approximately 105,000 street trees, FUF estimates that space is available for approximately 70,000 more.
Only 12% of San Francisco’s total land area is covered by trees, which is less tree coverage than other Bay Area cities such as San Jose (15%) and Oakland (21%), and less than a third of the tree coverage of Atlanta (37%), Austin (39%) and Portland, Oregon (42%).
FUF plants street trees in neighborhoods in which property owners have requested trees for at least 25 properties. Each “Tree Package” includes a tree, permit processing, site preparation including concrete removal, and two post-planting tree care visits. Most of the costs are subsidized; tree recipients pay $105 per Tree Package and a one-time $30 membership fee. A tree planting is a community event that involves the tree recipients, FUF volunteers, and FUF staff working side by side, concluding with a potluck lunch.
About State Farm®
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.
About Friends of the Urban Forest
Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF) helps individuals and neighborhood groups to plant and care for street trees and sidewalk gardens in San Francisco. Since 1981, FUF has planted more than 46,000 trees (more than all the trees in Golden Gate Park) to reduce the city’s tree shortage. By greening the streets of San Francisco, FUF supports the health and livability of the urban environment.