Friends of the Urban Forest

Greening San Francisco

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Home Resources & Reference Tree Care On Your Own Sidewalk & Basin Care
Tree basin

Sidewalk & Basin Care

The tree basin is the square – or rectangle – that is cut out of the sidewalk. Cover it with mulch, which retains moisture and helps prevent soil erosion.

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Soil / mulch should be level with the sidewalk.


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Mulch should be about 3″ deep but should be kept away from the trunk.

If you need to add soil, it’s best to add natural soil from the immediate area rather than to buy soil. (see the soil section to find out why)


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Don’t raise the soil around your tree trunk! It can cause rot and kill the tree.  If you must build a raised box around the tree, keep the tree trunk at a separate level from the raised part.  Do this with a large tube or barrier around the trunk, with plenty of airspace, inside the box.  Make sure there is room for the tree to grow.


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Don’t add other plants to the basin during the first year after planting; they’ll compete with the tree for water and nutrients.  On the other hand, bare dirt isn’t good either, because it doesn’t hold moisture well.  If you do have other plants in the basin, keep them short and away from the trunk.  See our tips on companion plants.


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We recommend against covering the basin with bricks or stones; they won’t help control roots, and they may deprive the tree of water and oxygen.  If you do add bricks or stones, leave spaces between them, and do not fill the spaces with mortar. Consider adding only a border of flat bricks, rather than covering the basin.

If the soil is sandy, the tree’s roots are less likely to crack the sidewalk as the tree grows, because roots travel easily through sand, and they’ll tend to travel downward to chase the water that penetrates quickly through the sand.  If the soil is clay-like, however, roots are more likely to grow close to the surface and to crack the sidewalk.  To avoid this, you can do preventive “root pruning” when the tree is young by taking a shovel and cutting around the border of the tree basin every 6 months or so.  Using a “rootguard” for larger tree species or species with invasive roots may prevent or delay future sidewalk disruption, but works better in sandy soils.

Help! My sidewalk is cracking! What do I do?

San Francisco Public Works is responsible for repairing tree-related sidewalk damage. If a tree is cracking your sidewalk, please notify SF311, the city’s “customer service” department. You can submit a report to them in any of three ways: by calling 311 from any 415 area code phone, or via the web at sf311.org/new-request-main/sidewalk-defects, or via the SF311 mobile app. If you submit a report via their website or app, it’s helpful to also submit photos that show the problem.

Resources & Reference

  • Urban Tree Species Directory
  • Photos
  • Arborist (and Other) Referrals
  • Plant On Your Own
  • Tree Care On Your Own
    • Soil, Mulch & Nutrition
    • Watering
    • Stakes, Ties & Fencing
    • Sidewalk & Basin Care
    • Pruning
    • New City Tree Care Policy
    • Common Problems & Disorders
  • Useful Links
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Site Map

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It’s great to see an expanse of cement replaced with plants. It’s an enhancement for the neighborhood. I hope it inspires people."
— Jan Heyneker, volunteer

We just can't say THANK YOU enough! This has been such a life-changing, street-transforming, neighborhood-lifting experience."
— Lori Hébert & Thaddeus Homan

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