Tag Archives: environment

UCSF’s Second Sutro Forest Meeting – April 28, 2016

Posted on April 18, 2016 by webmaster

UCSF has announced its second meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee: “On Thursday, April 28, UCSF will convene the second meeting of the Mount Sutro Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).  The TAC is comprised of volunteer experts in forestry, fire hazard … Continue reading →

Posted in Meetings, UCSF | Tagged , , | Comments Off on UCSF’s Second Sutro Forest Meeting – April 28, 2016

Two Views of Sutro Forest

Posted on March 25, 2016 by webmaster

Tom Roop sent us several pictures of Sutro Forest and Mount Davidson from a distance. We’ve labeled them to clarify the position of the two mountains. He also sent us this one – a classic San Francisco vista. “The point … Continue reading →

Posted in deforestation, Environment | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Two Views of Sutro Forest

Coming to Sutro Forest: Three New Trails and a Fancy Trail Head

Posted on March 19, 2016 by webmaster

This article is slightly modified and republished from a post on forestknolls.info UCSF is going ahead with plans to add three new trails to Sutro Forest. While we don’t object to trails as such, they all cost us trees – … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Hiking, Mount Sutro Stewards, UCSF | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Coming to Sutro Forest: Three New Trails and a Fancy Trail Head

Mount Sutro Forest: Logging a Lovely Forest

Posted on February 17, 2016 by webmaster

“I was in the forest and it looks like a lumber company came in…” wrote one of our correspondents. UCSF has been aggressive about cutting down trees this winter. These are not evaluated as *hazardous* trees, as Jim Clark of … Continue reading →

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

Report: First UCSF TAC Meeting, 14 Jan 2016

Posted on February 10, 2016 by webmaster

As we reported earlier, UCSF held a meeting on 14th Jan 2016 at which it announced it was restarting the planning process. UCSF has hired two people to write the plan: Jim Clark, of Hort Science; and Matt Greene, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Mount Sutro Stewards, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, UCSF | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Report: First UCSF TAC Meeting, 14 Jan 2016

Protecting Mount Sutro Cloud Forest Helps Biodiversity

Posted on January 29, 2016 by webmaster

In view of discussions of biodiversity and mosaics in ecosystems, we are republishing a post from May 2010 that addresses this issue. Mount Sutro Cloud Forest is part of a mosaic of biodiversity in the Western part of San Francisco. … Continue reading →

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

More Sad News From Sutro Forest

Posted on January 21, 2016 by webmaster

More trees are being cut down in Sutro Forest, and machinery is being used that could damage the roots even of the trees left standing. We were driving down Medical Center Way today and saw machines and crews at work … Continue reading →

Posted in deforestation, Environment, eucalyptus | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Sutro Forest East Ridge Trees Being Felled Now

Posted on December 21, 2015 by webmaster

This post is to let our readers know that trees are being felled right now in Sutro Forest, and also that UCSF has formed a committee to advise on managing the forest, which will meet for the first time on … Continue reading →

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

UCSF Destroying Forest on Mount Sutro?

Posted on November 30, 2015 by webmaster

Recently, we wrote about the downed trees and stumps along all the trails in Sutro Forest. It turns out this is just the beginning. UCSF recently sent out an email with more details. Under the guise of “safety”, UCSF is … Continue reading →

Posted in deforestation, Environment, UCSF | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

More Trees Felled in Sutro Forest

Posted on November 23, 2015 by webmaster

We’re dismayed to bring you news of more tree removal in Sutro Forest. Walking through the forest recently, we found nearly every trail had stumps and logs. Much of the character of this beautiful forest, once dense and green and … Continue reading →

Posted in deforestation, Mt Sutro landslide risk, UCSF | Tagged | 3 Comments

Rainstorms Ahead, Sutro Forest Can Respond If We Let It

Posted on October 20, 2015 by webmaster

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that El Nino could arrive within a couple of weeks. (Here’s a report from the California Business Journal.) It looks like we’re going to have a very wet winter. We think it’s urgent to … Continue reading →

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

Sunny Day with Butterflies and Bees in Sutro Forest

Posted on September 25, 2015 by webmaster

One of the lovely things about Mount Sutro Forest is its changing moods. We posted pictures here of a foggy day recently, when the forest was ethereal and damp. But the previous afternoon, it was sunny in the forest. A … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

SF Fire Department Busts Some Myths – And More “Work” in Sutro Forest?

Posted on September 20, 2015 by webmaster

This post is republished with permission and minor edits from the website of the San Francisco Forest Alliance. We think it is of particular interest not only because of the myth-busting, but because we were told for the first time … Continue reading →

Posted in Sutro Forest "Fire Risk" | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sutro Forest: Fog and Puddles While Elsewhere Fires Burn

Posted on September 16, 2015 by webmaster

The fog rolled in, the mist filled the trees, and the forest’s music was the patter of the Cloud Forest’s internal rain. This was Sutro Cloud Forest on Saturday, September 12th 2015. We were glad of our raincoat as we … Continue reading →

Posted in Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, Sutro Forest "Fire Risk" | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Sutro Forest Attrition

Posted on August 27, 2015 by webmaster

The July message from UCSF was both innocuous and concerning. They were going to do some “hazardous tree work” immediately… and more in the Fall. UCSF must immediately remove some hazardous trees in the Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve in … Continue reading →

Posted in deforestation, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, UCSF | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Petition the Sierra Club to Stop Advocating Against Trees and For Pesticides

Posted on August 9, 2015 by webmaster

Million Trees and The San Francisco Forest Alliance  have a petition to ask the Sierra Club to stop advocating for the destruction of trees and the use of pesticides in the San Francisco Bay Area. You may be shocked to … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

“Are Eucalyptus Trees Going To Kill Us All?” Talk by Jack Gescheidt – Aug 15, 2015

Posted on August 4, 2015 by webmaster

Jack Gescheidt of the Tree Spirit Project, uses a unique method to draw attention to threatened forests: He gets volunteers of all ages to pose nude among the trees to create art photographs. He came to Sutro Forest two years … Continue reading →

Posted in deforestation | Tagged , , | Comments Off on “Are Eucalyptus Trees Going To Kill Us All?” Talk by Jack Gescheidt – Aug 15, 2015

Fighting SF Bay Area Deforestation

Posted on May 23, 2015 by webmaster

We’ve been extremely concerned about this disastrous East Bay project – a plan to cut down up to 450,000 trees. Others are fighting back. The post below has three ways in which you can help. It’s republished with permission from … Continue reading →

Posted in deforestation, eucalyptus, Herbicides: Roundup, Garlon | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Fighting SF Bay Area Deforestation

Law Suit to Stop FEMA from Funding East Bay Deforestation

Posted on March 13, 2015 by webmaster

Recently, we had written about the hugely destructive plan to cut down hundreds of thousands of trees in the East Bay. The new Plan, written in response to 13,000 comments, was as bad as the previous one. (Read that here: … Continue reading →

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

SF Forest Alliance Sent 1700 Signatures to Mayor Lee!

Posted on January 31, 2015 by webmaster

Supporters may recall that in January 2014, we published a request for signatures for a new petition from San Francisco Forest Alliance, asking Mayor Lee to rein in the Natural Areas Program (NAP) of the SF Recreation and Parks Department. … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Natural areas Program | Tagged , | Comments Off on SF Forest Alliance Sent 1700 Signatures to Mayor Lee!

What Happened to Sutro Forest in 2014 – and Happy New Year!

Posted on December 31, 2014 by webmaster

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, nativism, UCSF | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Mount Sutro: Fungi in the Forest

Posted on August 5, 2014 by webmaster

In an earlier post, we’d said that fungi and mushrooms were so unusual in Sutro Forest that we took photographs when we saw them – like on this walk in December 2012. But recently, on another visit to the forest, … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, eucalyptus, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Mount Sutro: Fungi in the Forest

Sutro Forest: NATURAL, Not Diseased or Dying

Posted on July 27, 2014 by webmaster

CRYING WOLF WITH BEETLES In the Sutro Stewards blog last month, Craig Dawson (who is its Executive Director) wrote a post claiming that the forest was in dire straits, infected with funguses and beetles: specifically, Anthracnose, armillaria, phytopthora, wood decay … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Mount Sutro Stewards, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, UCSF | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

The ROSE Disappointment

Posted on July 16, 2014 by webmaster

Some weeks ago, we had alerted our readers to the ROSE (Recreation and Open Space Element  amendment to the General Plan. It’s a bad idea, mainly because of the egregious Policy 4.2 that potentially expands “Natural Area” management principles to … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Natural areas Program | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Understanding Eucalyptus in the Bay Area – Dr Joe R. McBride

Posted on July 12, 2014 by webmaster

This article has been republished from the  website of the San Francisco Forest Alliance, with permission. (Edited to add: A somewhat different selection of illustrations has been used.) Dr. Joe McBride of UC Berkeley spoke at the Commonwealth Club in … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, eucalyptus | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Sutro Forest: Risk and Uncertainty

Posted on May 3, 2014 by webmaster

UCSF’s sent out another notice for tree removals. Presumably, these will be the remaining trees  marked with orange dots last year.  It’s the middle of the nesting season now, and we do not understand either the urgency — or the … Continue reading →

Posted in Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, UCSF | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Sutro Forest: Cut Trees, Add Landslide Risk

Posted on April 4, 2014 by webmaster

When UCSF  (or SF Recreation and Parks Department) discusses “Safety” in the forests on Mt Sutro and Mt Davidson,  they generally focus on fire hazard (relatively low in these damp cloud forests), or on the risk of being hit by … Continue reading →

Posted in deforestation, Environment, Neighborhood impact | Tagged , | 4 Comments

How to Define ‘Biodiversity’

Posted on April 2, 2014 by webmaster

Someone asked UC Davis Professor Arthur Shapiro for a definition of Biodiversity. After all, it’s apparently a key concept in some of the policy-making in San Francisco open spaces. “A buzzword,” he responded. “Biodiversity means whatever you want it to … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Good News: Rat Poisons To Be Restricted in California

Posted on March 28, 2014 by webmaster

This article is republished from San Francisco Forest Alliance’s website, with permission. Sutro Forest is home to owls and hawks, coyotes, and other predators. It’s also surrounded by neighborhoods, and people may not realize that dealing with their rodent problem … Continue reading →

Posted in Mt Sutro Cloud Forest | Tagged , | Comments Off on Good News: Rat Poisons To Be Restricted in California

Sutro Forest in January 2014

Posted on January 21, 2014 by webmaster

The unusual winter weather, with bright sunny days and hardly any rain, has drawn a lot of people to Sutro Forest. We’ve been up there a couple of times recently, and found an unusually large number of joggers, bicycle-riders, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Herbicides, Hiking, Natural areas Program | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Sutro Forest in January 2014