Tag Archives: Natural Areas Program

“Hazardous Tree Work” – Cutting Down Trees on Mount Sutro This Winter

Posted on November 11, 2017 by webmaster

Well, the nesting season is over – and the cutting is starting. On Nov 9, 2017 we received a notice from UCSF that they are starting “hazardous tree work” on Monday November 13. 2017. They plan on cutting down 50 … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, UCSF | Tagged drying out the forest, Natural Areas Program, Sutro Forest, thinning, UCSF | Comments Off

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

Posted on December 14, 2016 by webmaster

[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 Natural Areas Program, SNRAMP | 3 Comments

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 environment, Natural Areas Program | Comments Off

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 birds, environment, mount sutro, nativism, Natural Areas Program, Sutro Forest | 5 Comments

SF RPD 2013 Herbicide Use – A Correction

Posted on January 19, 2014 by webmaster

Recently, we published our analysis of the San Francisco Natural Areas Program (NAP)’s use of pesticide, and compared it with the rest of SF Recreation and Parks Department (SFRPD) . We said that NAP’s pesticide use had risen in 2013, … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbicides, Natural areas Program | Tagged environment, Greenmatch EX, Natural Areas Program | 1 Comment

Please Sign SF Forest Alliance’s NEW Petition to Save Natural Areas

Posted on January 13, 2014 by webmaster

This post is republished from SFForest.org (with permission). The Natural Areas Program controls about a quarter of Sutro Forest, and has recently used pesticide there. Meanwhile, UCSF has said they will not use pesticide in the area they control. San … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Natural areas Program | Tagged environment, Natural Areas Program | Comments Off

SF’s Natural Areas Program – More Pesticide in 2013

Posted on January 11, 2014 by webmaster

Edited to Add: We’ve corrected the comparison between NAP and other SFRPD herbicide use to account for a reclassification of Greenmatch EX, a lemongrass-based herbicide. Details HERE. Even as we celebrate UCSF’s decision not to use pesticides in Sutro Forest, … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbicides, Natural areas Program | Tagged aminopyralid, Garlon, glyphosate, herbicide, imazapyr, nativism, Natural Areas Program, Roundup, triclopyr | 6 Comments

‘Natural’ Areas Program Using Pesticide in Sutro Forest

Posted on January 1, 2014 by webmaster

No sooner had UCSF announced it would not use pesticides than the Natural Areas Program (NAP) suddenly decided that it needed to use imazapyr in SF RPD’s part of Sutro Forest. The Forest is mostly owned by UCSF, but 19 … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Herbicides, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, Natural areas Program | Tagged herbicide, imazapyr, Interior Green Belt, Natural Areas Program, SF Recreation and Parks Department, Sutro Forest | 4 Comments

Bucketloads of Herbicides Coming to Sutro Forest

Posted on March 19, 2013 by webmaster

We’ve often praised UCSF here for keeping Mount Sutro forest pesticide free. No pesticides have been used there since 2008. We’ve said things like “This may be the last pesticide-free wild land in the city. (Thanks, UCSF!)” On the other … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbicides: Roundup, Garlon, Mount Sutro Stewards, Natural areas Program, UCSF | Tagged aquamaster, Garlon 4 Ultra, glyphosate, Natural Areas Program, Sutro Forest, triclopyr | 10 Comments

Mission Blue Butterfly – Uncertainty Saga

Posted on March 1, 2013 by webmaster

Regular readers of this website know that we’ve been following the Natural Areas Programs attempts to reintroduce the Mission Blue Butterfly to Twin Peaks. We’ve just obtained the latest report from San Francisco Recreation and Parks Dept (SFRPD). It’s very … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbicides, Natural areas Program | Tagged environment, mission blue butterfly, Natural Areas Program, Twin Peaks, wildlife | 4 Comments

San Francisco’s Natural Areas: 2012 A Record Year for Pesticide Use

Posted on October 26, 2012 by webmaster

If, like us, you hoped that 2012 might be the year that San Francisco’s Natural Areas Program (NAP) proved us wrong about its escalating pesticide use — it’s not happening. That ship sailed in September. Readers of this site will … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbicides, Herbicides: Roundup, Garlon, Natural areas Program, UCSF | Tagged glyphosate, herbicide, imazapyr, Natural Areas Program | 2 Comments

Insects Don’t Prefer Native Plants

Posted on August 14, 2012 by webmaster

New data, but old theories? One argument that Native Plant Advocates make for their attempts to convert San Francisco’s open spaces to native plants (despite the habitat destruction and pesticide use) is that it’s better for wildlife. In fact, it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, nativism, Natural areas Program | Tagged environment, insects, native plants, nativism, Natural Areas Program | 1 Comment

Measuring Pesticide Use by San Francisco’s Natural Areas Program

Posted on July 10, 2012 by webmaster

As readers of this site will know, we’ve been following the use of pesticides in Natural Areas. At present, four pesticides are mainly used by the Natural Areas Program (NAP): Glyphosate (trade-names Roundup or Aquamaster); Triclopyr (Garlon and its variants); … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbicides, Natural areas Program | Tagged aminopyralid, Garlon, glyphosate, herbicide, imazapyr, Natural Areas Program, San Francisco Department of the Environment, triclopyr | 7 Comments

Pesticides in San Francisco’s Natural Areas: Rising Volumes

Posted on July 1, 2012 by webmaster

Some months ago, we had written about San Francisco’s Natural Areas Program and its escalating pesticide use. The graph below shows the number of applications of pesticides in the years from 2008-2011. The San Francisco Forest Alliance, an organization dedicated … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbicides, Natural areas Program | Tagged aquamaster, Garlon, glyphosate, herbicide, imazapyr, Natural Areas Program, pesticide, Roundup | 4 Comments

Trees and Income Inequality

Posted on June 4, 2012 by webmaster

Many of us intuitively associate trees and “nice” areas. Realtors know this; if a house for sale is on a tree-lined street, the ad always says so. In 2008, researchers looking into the question found that the demand for trees … Continue reading →

Posted in deforestation, Environment, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, Natural areas Program, UCSF | Tagged mount sutro, Natural Areas Program, trees | Comments Off

San Francisco’s Natural Areas Program Ignores Breeding Birds

Posted on April 30, 2012 by webmaster

We’d written earlier about chainsaws in Glen Canyon Park, even though spring is the breeding season for birds and animals, a time when trees and thickets should be left undisturbed. [Click HERE to read that article, Chainsaws in the Nesting … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, eucalyptus, Natural areas Program | Tagged birds, eucalyptus, Glen Canyon, Natural Areas Program, wildlife | Comments Off

Glen Canyon Park: Chainsaws in the Nesting Season

Posted on March 31, 2012 by webmaster

The nesting season for birds is in full swing. San Francisco’s mild winter and recent rains have provided a window for building and breeding, and they’ve grabbed it. The birding reports are full of lovely stories, from humming-birds to Great … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, nativism, Natural areas Program | Tagged birds, Glen Canyon, habitat, Natural Areas Program, wildlife | 5 Comments

Why Low Dose Pesticides are Still Hazards

Posted on March 26, 2012 by webmaster

When we speak up against the Natural Area Program’s frequent pesticide use, its supporters frequently tell us that – compared with say commercial agriculture – the Natural Areas Program (NAP) uses small amounts of toxic chemicals. “The dose makes the … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbicides, Natural areas Program | Tagged endocrine disruptors, herbicide, native plants, nativism, Natural Areas Program, toxic | 1 Comment

The Murdered Tree on Mt Davidson

Posted on March 1, 2012 by webmaster

[Edited to Add: This tree finally went down on April 8 or 9, 2013, following strong winds in the Bay Area.] It’s visible for miles around, the dramatic dead tree high on the brow of Mt Davidson. That’s the Murdered … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, eucalyptus, nativism, Natural areas Program, Neighborhood impact | Tagged Mount Davidson, nativism, Natural Areas Program | 8 Comments

Mt Sutro Forest – Beautiful Evocation of a Lost Tree

Posted on February 26, 2012 by webmaster

We were sent this clip by videographer and artist Lori Ambrosio, who visited the “Kill-trees Trail” (connecting Stanyan x 17th to Medical Center Way). We thought it was a lovely bitter-sweet evocation of the trees that were there – only … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Mount Sutro Stewards, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, Natural areas Program | Tagged environment, eucalyptus, mount sutro, Natural Areas Program, opening up the forest, san francisco, trails, tree killers | 2 Comments

The $3.4 mn “Park” at Sutro Dunes

Posted on February 10, 2012 by webmaster

We’ve driven by there a hundred times, and never noticed it… but it’s a Natural Area and a park, opposite Ocean Beach. It’s just below the bluff topped by Sutro Park, across the road from some neat condos. It’s been … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, nativism, Natural areas Program | Tagged birds, native plants, nativism, Natural Areas Program | 5 Comments

Pine Lake with Pollution and Pesticides

Posted on February 7, 2012 by webmaster

Someone sent us a note, recently. “There was a sign up at Pine Lake today warning people that the water was polluted!” it said. And here is the picture attached: “All around the lake, walkers were talking about the NAP … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbicides, nativism, Natural areas Program | Tagged aminopyralid, aquamaster, glyphosate, herbicide, Milestone VM, Natural Areas Program, Pine Lake | Comments Off

San Francisco Natural Areas and Escalating Pesticide Use

Posted on January 19, 2012 by webmaster

We spent a couple of hours, the other day, in the beautiful McLaren Lodge, leafing through a thick binder of pesticide reports for the San Francisco Rec and Park Department. It was so thick in part because it contained a … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbicides, Natural areas Program | Tagged aquamaster, glyphosate, herbicide, imazapyr, Natural Areas Program, San Francisco Department of the Environment | 6 Comments

Happy New Year, with Pyrotechnics and Pesticides

Posted on January 1, 2012 by webmaster

Last night, we went to watch the fireworks from Twin Peaks as the year turned over. It was a clear night, despite a little fog earlier on. The hill was crowded with cars and buzzing with anticipation. People jogged or … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbicides, nativism, Natural areas Program | Tagged fireworks, herbicide, imazapyr, nativism, Natural Areas Program, New Year, Roundup, Twin Peaks | Comments Off

Mt. Davidson Park – An Open Space Preserved for Recreation or Native Plants?

Posted on December 21, 2011 by webmaster

It’s not just Sutro Forest. Native plant interests threaten trees throughout the city, and in particular, in San Francisco’s other significant century-old forest: Mt Davidson. A favorite area for the residents of Miraloma Park, the Significant Natural Areas Management Plan … Continue reading →

Posted in deforestation, eucalyptus, nativism, Natural areas Program | Tagged eucalyptus, Miraloma Park, Mt Davidson, native plants, nativism, Natural Areas Program, trails, trees | Comments Off

‘Tis the Season… for Poisons on Twin Peaks

Posted on December 19, 2011 by webmaster

And when is it not, actually? Maybe this could be called the Santa Claus mix? The old formula – Glyphosate and Imazapyr, being used against “Road brush” whatever that is, and erhata grass. It’s scheduled for Dec 19-23, 2011. Pesticides … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Herbicides, Herbicides: Roundup, Garlon, nativism, Natural areas Program | Tagged herbicide, Natural Areas Program, Twin Peaks | 1 Comment

The San Francisco Forest Alliance

Posted on December 16, 2011 by webmaster

We’ve been critical of the so-called “Natural” areas program (or officially, the Significant Natural Resource Areas Plan) that covers some 1100 acres across 32 separate parks in San Francisco. While the idea of a Natural Area is appealing (as it … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, eucalyptus, Herbicides, Herbicides: Roundup, Garlon, nativism, Natural areas Program | Tagged birds, habitat, herbicide, native plants, nativism, Natural Areas Program, san francisco, trees, wildlife | Comments Off

Bees, Weeds, and Nativism

Posted on December 13, 2011 by webmaster

Nativists who favor “native pollinators” often believe that these insects – bees, butterflies, moths and similar insects – rely on native plants. The plants and insects co-evolved, goes the argument; and so to protect one, you must plant the other. … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Mount Sutro Stewards, nativism, Natural areas Program | Tagged bees, bumble bees, butterfly, native plants, nativism, Natural Areas Program, Sutro Forest, Sutro Stewards | 5 Comments

The Bees of Glen Canyon Park

Posted on November 3, 2011 by webmaster

This was going to be a post about the San Francisco Natural Areas Program (SF NAP) destroying a hive of feral honeybees in Glen Canyon Park. It still is, but with less anger. In a tree behind the rec center, … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Natural areas Program | Tagged bees, Glen Canyon, Natural Areas Program | 6 Comments

Native Restorations Don’t “Restore” Anything – Professor Arthur Shapiro

Posted on October 15, 2011 by webmaster

We are reprinting, with permission, Professor Shapiro’s comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report on the Significant Natural Areas Program. It was first published on Death of a Million Trees. ————————————————————————- With permission and in its entirety we are publishing … Continue reading →