Happy New Year to all our readers! We thought we’d end the year by reviewing the pluses and minuses for 2014.

POSITIVES

+ UCSF has suspended its plans to cut down 90% of the trees in Sutro Forest. A new plan and a new EIR are due, but we don’t know when.
+ UCSF held off on cutting down the white-dotted trees in Sutro Forest, which could have happened by now. They say they are going to review the trees carefully and only remove those that are actually a hazard.
+ UCSF has committed to not using herbicides in Sutro Forest: “…as a health sciences university, we believe that the right thing to do is not to use herbicides in the Reserve…”  The forest has been herbicide-free since the end of 2008, and the Aldea Student Housing since 2009. This means that people need not fear herbicide contamination for themselves, their children or pets, and residential neighborhoods downslope of the forest need not fear herbicides washing into their yards and streets. Thanks, UCSF!
+ We’re beginning to make headway with spreading the word. This site got 29 Thousand views in 2014. Our Facebook page has nearly 700 “likes.”

NEGATIVES

– Some 1250 trees were removed in two batches (Aug 2013 and March-May 2014). The first was as a so-called “fire-safety” measure that may instead have increased the hazard by drying out the forest and disturbing tree roots to damage trees; and the second to remove “hazardous” trees, few of which were actually hazardous.
– While UCSF has suspended its plans to cut down forest trees, we’re unsure they have actually decided against it.
– The guiding principle of removing vegetation and trees and replanting only scrubby plants remains. We’re not sure why UCSF should remain invested in a nativist ideology that is increasingly being challenged, but for now, we think it continues.

MEANWHILE, ELSEWHERE IN THE BAY AREA…

For more 2014 Pluses and Minuses in the general fight to save trees and forests in the Bay Area, please follow this link to the Million Trees year-end wrap-up.

If you feel inclined to make a donation to help save hundreds of thousands of trees, the Hills Conservation Network – which spearheads the battle to save the East Bay forests – is raising funds: “This takes money, so please do what you can either by sending a check to HCN at P.O. Box 5426, Berkeley, CA 94705 or by making a donation through our website at http://hillsconservationnetwork.org/HillsConservation3/Support_HCN.html ” It’s a 501c3 organization, so your donations would be deductible.

A CARD FROM SUTRO FOREST

And here’s a New Year card from us to all our readers: Trees Fight Climate Change.

Here’s why our forests are important:

Thanks for all your support all these years! We’re still working to save our trees and forests!