Tag Archives: Sutro Forest

Destruction of Sutro Forest Likely to Accelerate

With the new revised plan for UCSF’s Parnassus Campus having been approved by the UCSF Regents – despite San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors asking for a delay so the Plan could be studied further – we expect the destruction of … Continue reading

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UCSF Parnassus: December 2020 Meeting Report

In December 2020, UCSF had a public virtual meeting about its further plans, which modify the earlier ones for which it produced an extensive Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Dr Ariane Eroy attended, and sent us these notes. They are published … Continue reading

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UCSF Plans More Damage to Sutro Forest

The main destruction of Sutro Forest – from the so-called “Vegetation Management Plan” of 2018 – is already underway. But a recent Draft Environmental Impact Report (Read it here: UCSF-CPHP-Draft-EIR (1) ) developed because UCSF is making significant changes to … Continue reading

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Trees on Clarendon Avenue Felled

Sutro Forest extended along Christopher to Clarendon Avenue. The section at Christopher and Clarendon was decimated for the rebuilding of the pump station in 2009, possibly poisoned in 2013… and in 2019, it’s been clear-cut. It’s gone. THE FOREST BEFORE … Continue reading

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Dead trees: the life of the forest

UCSF is undertaking an assault on Sutro Forest, starting with trees it classifies as “dead or dying.” We question whether the so-called “dying” trees are actually dying, or merely in a defensive mode against four dry years, from which they … Continue reading

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The Destruction Has Started in Sutro Forest

A short time ago, UCSF sent out a circular saying it was going to start the tree-felling in Sutro Forest. We were surprised, because they’re supposed to avoid doing this in the winter when the ground is unstable with rain, … Continue reading

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UCSF to Start Cutting Trees in Fall 2018 – “Final EIR” Published

UCSF has issued its proposed Final Environmental Impact Report. (You can read it here as a PDF. It’s more than 2000 pages. Mount Sutro Vegetation Management Plan 2018 Final EIR_Full Document They expect to have it certified by the Board of … Continue reading

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Bad News from Sutro Forest – Clearcuts in Interior Green Belt

A forest lover alerted us to some serious tree destruction on the Cole Valley side of Sutro Forest – the Interior Green Belt. This is the city-owned side of the forest. We knew that some tree-cutting was planned. Some months … Continue reading

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Lest We Forget (2): Sutro Forest 2007

This website was set up only in 2009, and except for a few pictures of San Francisco in the old days, most of our photographs come from June 2009 or later. Hiker Tony Holiday (who blogs at Stairways are Heaven) … Continue reading

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Lest We Forget: Sutro Forest – 2004, 2005, 2006

This website was set up only in 2009, and except for a few pictures of San Francisco in the old days, most of our photographs come from June 2009 or later.  Hiker Tony Holiday (who blogs at Stairways are Heaven) … Continue reading

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Furious Letter from a Forest Lover

We received this letter from a long-time hiker in Sutro Forest, who is aghast at the destruction there. We publish it unedited. —————————— “Dear fellow environmentalists and friends of Mount Sutro Forest … I am lately shocked and horrified even … Continue reading

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

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

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What Will Sutro Forest Look Like After the Plan?

It’s going to look pretty awful in Sutro Forest when UCSF implement the Plan. The most immediate action: Cut down thousands of trees. Here’s what the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) says: “The density of the forest would experience the … Continue reading

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

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

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Ecological Novelty is Nature’s Future

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

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April Visit to Beautiful Sutro Forest

“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

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

[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

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Forest- Bathing in Mount Sutro Cloud Forest

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

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

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

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

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

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4th Sutro Forest TAC Meeting: Nativist Coup

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

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

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

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UCSF’s New Draft Plan for Sutro Forest – Aug 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

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

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

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

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

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Two Views of Sutro Forest

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

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

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

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Mount Sutro Forest: Logging a Lovely Forest

“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

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Report: First UCSF TAC Meeting, 14 Jan 2016

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

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Protecting Mount Sutro Cloud Forest Helps Biodiversity

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

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