Author Archives: webmaster

Public Comments due Sept 22, 2017 on Sutro Forest DEIR

Posted on August 5, 2017

UCSF has released a humongous 1087-page Draft Environmental Impact Report on the Plan to cut down thousands of trees in Sutro Forest. The deadline for public comment has been extended in response to a San Francisco Forest Alliance request, to … Continue reading →

Posted in Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, UCSF | Tagged , , , ,

Year 9 of Mission Blue Butterfly on Twin Peaks: Mixed Results

Posted on July 22, 2017

It’s now Year 9 of the the Mission Blue butterfly project on Twin Peaks, San Francisco. In 2008, SF Recreation and Parks Department (SFRPD) started trying an attempt to reintroduce the Mission Blue Butterfly to Twin Peaks, by planting lupine and transferring … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , , ,

Here it Comes: UCSF announces the Draft EIR for Sutro Forest

Posted on July 21, 2017

UCSF sent out a notification recently, saying that the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the 2017 Plan for Sutro Forest will be released on July 24th, 2017. The public will have until September 8th, 2017 to make their comments. … Continue reading →

Posted in Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, UCSF | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Butterfly Count in San Francisco – 2017

Posted on July 14, 2017

This year’s sunny butterfly count day – June 18th, 2017 – made up for last year’s dismal fog. Eighteen spotters in eight groups, led by butterfly maven Liam O’Brien, counted a record number of butterflies: 1435 or 1440, (we’re still … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged ,

Ecological Novelty is Nature’s Future

Posted on June 4, 2017

This thoughtful article and guest post by Professor Mark Davis was first published in Death of a Million Trees (which fights unnecessary tree destruction in the San Francisco Bay Area), and subsequently on the website of the San Francisco Forest … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , , ,

April Visit to Beautiful Sutro Forest

Posted on May 20, 2017

“I would love to see Sutro forest,” said the out-of-town visitor. “I’ve heard so much about it!” So when the welcome rain cleared into welcome sunshine, we headed up the new trail at the Pumphouse on Christopher Drive. It doesn’t provide the … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged ,

Peter Ehrlich, 1948-2017

Posted on May 18, 2017

Peter Ehrlich was the Chief Forester at the Presidio, and sat on UCSF’s Technical Advisory Committee for Sutro Forest. Tragically, he died in a bicycle accident on May 2, 2017.  The Presidio is holding a community work day in his … Continue reading →

Posted in Meetings | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Native Plant Restoration: “Someone Pays and Someone Profits”

Posted on April 28, 2017

The article below was first published on April 1st on MillionTrees.me – a site fighting unnecessary tree destruction in the San Francisco Bay Area. Though it references mainly the widespread tree destruction planned for the East Bay, the same principles apply broadly. … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, nativism | Tagged , , ,

The Forest at the City’s Heart – Sutro Cloud Forest

Posted on April 18, 2017

[This article was published recently on the website of the San Francisco Forest Alliance, and is reprinted here with permission. Thousands of trees are being cut down in San Francisco. Sutro Forest may actually be the worst, with many thousands … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest | Tagged , ,

Forest- Bathing in Mount Sutro Cloud Forest

Posted on April 4, 2017

We learned about the Forest-Bathing Club in San Francisco when some of the people who took part in this told us how much they loved the beautiful forest on Mount Sutro. Trees have been shown to improve health and well-being, … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Hiking, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Mt Sutro Forest: Nibbling at the Western Edge with Kirkham Heights Project?

Posted on March 26, 2017

A neighbor alerted us to a new project planned for Kirkham Heights, on the Western edge of Mount Sutro Forest. Here, a few acres of the forest are privately owned as part of a lot which has eleven  buildings (with 86 rental … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, Mt Sutro landslide risk | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

How Many Trees in Sutro Forest? And What Will be Left?

Posted on February 23, 2017

Mount Sutro is a very difficult site. Its soils are shallow, its rocks unstable. It’s very windy. Few trees survive those conditions. Nevertheless, the eucalyptus forest has naturalized there for over a century – nearly 125 years now – and … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, eucalyptus, UCSF | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mt Sutro: UCSF’s Initial Study for the EIR Highlights Appalling New 2017 Plan

Posted on February 21, 2017

UCSF has published its initial study for the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on the new 2017 Plan for Sutro Forest.  This “Notice of Preparation and Initial Study” outlines the areas the EIR will cover. Comments on the Initial Study can be sent … Continue reading →

Posted in deforestation, Environment, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, UCSF | Tagged , , ,

Old Trees Trap More Carbon and Fight Climate Change

Posted on February 16, 2017

The older a tree grows, the more carbon dioxide it grabs out of the air and sequesters, thus fighting climate change. Cutting down these large old trees releases this carbon back into the atmosphere. An article published in the Nature … Continue reading →

Posted in deforestation, Environment, eucalyptus | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Why “Thinning” Damages a Forest

Posted on February 1, 2017

This article is republished with permission (and minor format changes) from Death of a Million Trees, a blog dedicated to fighting unnecessary tree-felling in the San Francisco Bay Area. It beautifully reflects the interlinked reality of Sutro Forest, which has … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, nativism, UCSF | Tagged , , ,

“Are Eucalyptus Trees Going to Kill Us All?” Jan 27, 2017, San Rafael, CA

Posted on January 26, 2017

If you’re interested in a spirited discussion about eucalyptus, there’s going to be an interesting event in San Rafael with TreeSpirit founder Jack Gescheidt. CLICK TO ENLARGE Are Eucalyptus Trees Going To Kill Us All?! So shouldn’t we kill them … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, eucalyptus, nativism | Tagged ,

4th Sutro Forest TAC Meeting: Nativist Coup

Posted on January 24, 2017

When UCSF surprisingly announced there would be a 4th Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting after the original three, we suspected adverse changes to the Draft Plan.  That meeting was held this evening, and we were right to be concerned. Significant changes … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, nativism, UCSF | Tagged , , ,

Season’s Greetings, Best Wishes for 2017

Posted on December 24, 2016

This year-end , we’d like to light a symbolic candle. We hope you find it meaningful as we do. To everyone who reads this post: Season’s Greetings! and Best Wishes for 2017. . . . . . . ************

Posted in Mt Sutro Cloud Forest | Tagged

Another TAC Meeting – Jan 23, 2017

Posted on December 24, 2016

UCSF has surprisingly announced it will have another TAC meeting with modifications to their earlier announced Draft Plan. Here’s what they wrote: “In August, UCSF published a draft management plan for the Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve. The plan was … Continue reading →

Posted in Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, UCSF | Tagged

Crucial Meeting for San Francisco Trees – Dec 15, 2016 – TOMORROW

Posted on December 14, 2016

[EDITED TO ADD (DEC 15, 2016): UNFORTUNATELY, THE PLAN WAS APPROVED DESPITE CONSIDERABLE OPPOSITION.] The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department has been pushing a Management Plan that will cut down 18,400 trees in San Francisco and Pacifica; close 9 … Continue reading →

Posted in deforestation, Environment | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Urban Greening Draft – Speak for The Trees by 5 Dec 2016

Posted on November 13, 2016

In September 2016, the California Natural Resources Agency (CNR) started planning a grant program for Urban Greening. It sounds good at first: The money, 3/4 of which must be used in economically disadvantaged communities, is for planting trees to store … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , ,

UCSF Meeting about 2016 Sutro Forest Draft Plan – Oct 27, 2016 – Report

Posted on October 28, 2016

We attended the UCSF community meeting about the new draft plan for Sutro Forest. On this rainy evening, only about 6-8 people came, outnumbered by the UCSFers present. Unlike previous meetings, there were no presentations, just stations that were set … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Mount Sutro Stewards, UCSF | Tagged , , , , ,

UCSF’s New Draft Plan for Sutro Forest – Aug 2016

Posted on August 19, 2016

UCSF presented its new Draft Plan for Sutro Forest at the Third Technical Advisory Committee meeting on Aug 18, 2016. This plan will be implemented in three phases: Year 1-5, Year 6-10, and Year 11-20. However, it is heavily front-loaded, … Continue reading →

Posted in eucalyptus, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, UCSF | Tagged , ,

Sutro Forest – UCSF to Hold Final TAC Meeting (and some old pictures)

Posted on August 6, 2016

UCSF is planning to hold its final Technical Advisory Committee meeting on August 18th, 2016. These are a series of meetings in which two consultants, who have been retained by UCSF to write a plan for Sutro Cloud Forest (or, … Continue reading →

Posted in Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, UCSF | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

“New Battle over Managing Sutro Forest Trees” – San Francisco Chronicle

Posted on June 28, 2016

Someone sent us a really interesting article about Sutro Forest in a recent San Francisco Chronicle (25th June, 2016). A MYSTICAL PLACE Titled “New battle over managing Sutro Forest trees,” the article is by well-known journalist Carl Nolte. It starts … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, eucalyptus, Mount Sutro Stewards, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mission Blue Butterfly on Twin Peaks 2016 Update: Imports from San Bruno Continue

Posted on June 19, 2016

The ongoing project to establish the Mission Blue Butterfly (an endangered subspecies of butterfly) on San Francisco’s Twin Peaks is, well, ongoing. On the basis of the most recent information we received under the Sunshine Act, the Twin Peaks population … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Natural areas Program | Tagged , ,

Butterfly Count 2016 – San Francisco

Posted on June 11, 2016

This year’s foggy butterfly count day – June 4th, 2016 –  yielded fewer butterflies than usual, though the number of species was around the same. The Common Buckeye was the most commonly spotted butterfly in 2016, with the Cabbage White … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Report: UCSF Second Sutro Forest TAC Meeting

Posted on May 16, 2016

UCSF held its second Planning Meeting for Sutro Forest on 28 April 2016. The two hired arborists, Jim Clark of Hort Science and Matt Greene, presented the direction they were taking the Plan, and their evaluation of the forest. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Meetings, Mount Sutro Stewards, UCSF | Tagged , , , , ,

UCSF’s 2016 Sutro Forest Plan: Who’s Who

Posted on May 14, 2016

This post is to take a look at all the people who will be involved in the new Sutro Forest plan for 2016. We may edit it to update it with more information as we get it. THE CONSULTANTS Jim … Continue reading →

Posted in Meetings, Mount Sutro Stewards, UCSF | Tagged , ,

Invisible Nests – Tree Work Should Avoid the Nesting Season

Posted on May 4, 2016

This article is reposted with permission from CoyoteYipps, a blog about San Francisco’s urban coyotes. We republish it here as an interesting story – and a lesson in how difficult it is to see a bird’s nest even if you … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , ,