A Greener Sunset

Tree Planting this Saturday!

The day is finally here. We will have our long-anticipated tree planting this Saturday, February 11, and every Outer Sunset resident is invited to attend and contribute, even if you are not planting a tree in your yard. Over 60 trees will be planted in the Outer Sunset.

Here is a basic outline of the morning for people who may not have received a note from Maria, the Friends of the Urban Forest Planting Manager, because you are not planting a tree. (We don't have room for a tree in our yard but we'll be there digging and planting along with the rest of you.)

Everyone will meet at 8 am at Jimmy and John's house on the corner of 45th and Lincoln - 1201 45th Avenue. All 60+ trees will be divided up and delivered to their new homes.

Note: if you have an open bed pick up and can help with delivery, you will be a big help.  (Or if you can let one of your neighbors drive it if you can't, that would be good.) Please let Maria (of Friends of the Urban Forest, info below) or me know if you can help.

At 9 am there will be a tree planting demonstration at Jimmy and John's. Then everyone will divide up into small groups and plant for a few hours.

After all the trees have been planted, we will have a pot luck lunch to thank the volunteers who help us rookies at a location to be determined. Stay tuned for that info, and be thinking about the dish you would like to share.

If you are wondering what you can do to help, moral support is a good thing, but helping to dig and plant is even better. Bringing coffee and muffins in the morning, or a dish to share for the lunch pot luck, would be very appreciated too.

Here are specific instructions from Maria, Friends of the Urban Forest Planting Manager. Maria can be reached at 415-561-6890 X110 :

1) we will be meeting on saturday, february 11th at 8am, at 1201-1203 45th ave.
    from 8-9am we will be delivering the trees to each individual address.
    if you signed up to bring your pick-up, and something has come up for you between then and now,
    please let me know.
    if you didn't sign up to bring your pick-up, and you have one -
    feel free, the more the quicker we get the trees delivered.
    there are lots of activities for all levels of abilities;
    children and folks with bad backs are encouraged to come and help out in any way they can!

2) between 9-9:45 or so we will be doing a planting demo.
    we have a very successful, standard way of planting street trees.
    we'll show you how it is done,
    and then break down into small groups to plant clusters of trees.
    again, there are lots of activities for all levels of abilities;
    children and folks with bad backs are encouraged to come!

3) after we are done planting, we have a potluck.
    as of yet, we don't have a location.
    the church location is unavailable, i haven't heard back about the school yet,
    and maybe somebody who was on the porch didn't hear the cry for help and would like to use their home, garage, etc.
    please let me know if you know of a space we can use.

4) lastly, some of you signed up to donate something to the potluck,
    some of you haven't signed up yet.
    it is your way of thanking our splendid volunteer force for their time, passion, and skill!
    i have three volunteers who will be in contact with you.
    either to remind you what you signed up to bring, or to cajole you into helping out.
    please plan on bringing enough for 6-8 people, and bring it to the afternoon location,
    unless it's for the morning potluck, of course.

Final Plans for February 11 Planting are Taking Shape

Many people attended the organizing meeting for the tree planting on
Wednesday evening, but since some people were unable to attend, here
is an update.

It was a very informative meeting, and very well attended. There were
at least fifty people there, spilling out of Martha's house onto the
front porch. Looks as thought the Outer Sunset will be getting
considerably greener on February 11, based on the attendance at the
meeting.

I am attaching two documents for your information:

1. Download planning_calendar_for_outer_sunset.doc gives you the schedule of
activities leading up to the planting. Please note that the
Department of Public Works is running behind schedule because of all
the rain, so please keep your sidewalk marked with an X where you
want to plant your tree or shrub until it's clear that they have
marked where the utilties are. You might want to use electric tape or
paint to mark, since the chalk some of us were using is washing out
so quickly. There is payment information included in this doc.

2. Download outer_sunset_species_list.doc gives you a list of trees that have been
very successful or moderately successful in our very sandy, windy
neighborhood. Maria, the Friends of the Urban Forest Planting
Manager, pointed out that FUF will guarantee only the Karo Tree and
the New Zealand Christmas tree, which means that if the trees fail within
a specified period (I'm not sure how long) FUF will replace them. The
other trees on this list have done fairly well in our neighborhood,
but if they fail FUF will replace them for a fee of $60 per tree.

We can only choose trees that are on the Species List that Maria
provided, so please have a look and let Maria know which ones you
prefer. Maria did not talk about plant species that will be available
through Surfrider, so I suggest that you email her directly at
maria@fuf.net for info on that.

On the day of the planting, February 11, we will all meet at 8 am to
learn how to plant a tree, and then we will break into groups and go
out and plant plant plant. Neighbors will bring coffee and goodies in the
morning before the planting, and a potluck for all to contribute to
and enjoy after the planting. If you did not have a chance to sign up to bring morning items or potluck lunch items, please contact Maria or just bring something to share for before or after the planting.

The location of the 8 am gathering place
and the potluck on February 11 will be decided in the next few days. I will post the meeting place and the potluck location on this page as soon as I know it.

Looking forward to February 11!

Planning Meeting Scheduled for January 11th

Please attend the planning meeting that will be held at Martha Abbene's house on January 11th at 7 pm. Whether you have already signed up to plant a tree or shrub or you're still considering it, you are welcome to attend the meeting to learn more. Martha's address is 4316 Kirkham (at 47th). Martha is our neighborhood Friends of the Urban Forest representative, and there will be representatives from FUF and the San Francisco Surfrider Foundation at the meeting to answer our questions.

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

There's still time to sign up for a tree or plant!

You may think you are too late to sign up to plant a tree or some greenery in your front yard, but there's still time!

If you live between 43rd Avenue and the Great Highway and Lincoln and Quintara in San Francisco, you can plant a tree or shrub in your front yard on February 11. You can download the two forms you need to fill out to get a tree or shrub (look in the post below this one to download the forms) and show up to the planning meeting this Wednesday, January 11, at 7 pm. Then come to the planting itself on February 11 and join in with all of your neighbors in peppering the Outer Sunset with trees.

Here is a flyer that describes what you can do to contribute to making the Outer Sunset neighborhood more attractive and livable while benefiting from a green tree or plant: Download tree_flyer_jan_11th.pdf

Download Tree Planting Forms Here

Hello, and welcome to A Greener Sunset. If you are visiting this web site because you received a little flyer in your mailbox and want to learn more, please read the posts below. You should find the details you need to get a tree planted in your front yard on February 11.

If you don't find what you need, please send an email to me, Ginger Tulley, or call our neighborhood Friends of the Urban Forest representative, Martha Abbene, at 664-1860.

To get a tree or some shrubbery planted in your front yard on February 11, please download and fill out the following two forms: Friends of the Urban Forest Letter of Agreement  Download fuf_form_.pdf and the Department of Public Works Tree Planting ApplicationDownload dpw_form_.pdf . You can send your completed forms to Martha. Her address is at the bottom of each form.

There has been great interest in making the Sunset greener and more livable, and we look forward to a very successful planting day. It will be a wonderful community event.
  

Dreaming of a Green Christmas?

The San Francisco Department of the Environment has a new program that lends a resident a living Christmas tree for the holidays, and takes it back after the holidays so the tree can be planted somewhere in the city under the usual Friends of the Urban Forest planting program.

This is a great solution for people who don't like the idea of buying a cut tree and using it for only three weeks, only to discard it after the holidays. True, the city has had a Christmas tree compost program in the past, but this living tree program seems like a more efficient use of resources. Please feel free to leave a comment below this web post if you have an opinion on the subject.

Check out the web page by clicking on the word "program" above.

Benefits of Trees

I am going to shamelessly copy from the Friends of the Urban Forest Neighborhood Organizer's Manual to point out the bene

fits of trees (in case anyone needs convincing).

Here is the list of Benefits of Trees from the manual:

• Trees enhance property values. A block of houses with street trees increases property values by 20%.
• Trees fight pollution by filtering particulates from the air and releasing oxygen.
• Trees increase privacy and help absorb traffic noise.
• Trees create relaxing, beautiful and healthy spaces.
• Trees provide habitat for the city’s wildlife (birds, squirrels).
• Trees shelter homes from strong winds, and reduce energy bills.
• Trees reduce reflected heat and glare.
• Trees provide city streets with seasonal color and fragrance.

Some arguments against trees — and how you can address them

Trees waste water. Not so. A young tree needs a minimum of just 15 gallons of water a week—equivalent to 2% of the average person’s weekly water use (and costs less than $3.00 in the three years it takes the tree’s roots to reach the natural water table).

Trees crack sidewalks. This can be avoided by selecting proper species, providing good maintenance, installing deep-watering tubes and using root guards for certain species.

Tree roots invade underground utilities and pipes. Selecting appropriate species can help avoid this problem.

Trees require expensive maintenance. The cost of maintaining your tree is a fraction of the amount it will add to your property value. A regular tree care program can keep costs low.

Trees create a mess. There are many species of trees to choose from that do not drop flowers or fruits, and trees that drop leaves infrequently.

Trees promote crime. On the contrary, the presence of trees on a block communicates a statement of caring and neighborliness; the absence of trees communicates neglect. Residents, and visitors, do get the message.

Tree basins accumulate debris and attract animals. Simply install bricks in the basin or mulch the surface with shredded bark mulch.

Trees are expensive. Joining a community planting with FUF costs far less than hiring a contractor or planting trees yourself. It’s only $75 for each tree, for neighbors in the Outer Sunset for a limited time only! (this last part was edited by me)

45th Avenue Neighbors plan for LOTS of green

The Neighborhood Watch Association for the 1200 block of 45th Avenue, called 45th Avenue Neighbors, met on November 1 to plan a campaign to encourage as many neighbors as possible to plant trees or plants in their front yards. Three neighbors will go door to door to pass out a flyer explaining the program, along with the Friends of the Urban Forest Letter of Agreement and the Department of Public Works Tree Planting Application. In addition, they will be armed with a wonderful page from the Neighborhood Organizer's Manual that Friends of the Urban Forest provides that details the planting process from beginning to end. The content of that page will be the topic of the next post in this blog.

Here is the flyer for the 45th Avenue Neighbors Greenery Campaign

Here is the Friends of the Urban Forest Letter of Agreement  Download FUF_Form_.pdf

Here is the Department of Public Works Tree Planting Application Download DPW_Form_.pdf 

Neighborhood Meeting Scheduled for November 1

Any Sunset neighbors who are interested in planting a tree or some other greenery in their front yard are welcome to come to a neighborhood meeting on November 1 from 7 pm to 8 pm at 1232 45th Avenue. We will discuss an action plan to encourage our neighbors to help make our neighborhood more pleasant and liveable.

Here is a flyer announcing the meeting. Download flyer_neighborhood_10_19.doc

We hope many neighbors can make it.