TREEscapes - Friends of the Urban Forest

TREE
scapes
December 2013
From
Dan’s Desk
Hi, My Name Is Arbutus Marina
FUF trees getting new “nametags”
Join the campaign to
“Speak for the Trees”
San Francisco must reverse
tree decline
Because we’re determined to reverse the decline of San Francisco’s
urban forest, we’ve launched a
campaign urging San Franciscans
to “Speak for the Trees.”
Once San Franciscans realize that
their city ranks 17th among the 20
biggest U.S. cities in land area
covered by trees, and that the
number of trees in their city is
shrinking, and that the city is
transferring responsibility for tree
maintenance from the Department
of Public Works to property owners,
we believe they’ll join us in pushing
City Hall to do better.
Join us by signing
our petition at
www.fuf.net/petition.
When I tell people I work for Friends of the Urban Forest, they
often say “Oh, I see your stickers on trees all over the city.”
We don’t have much of a marketing budget here at FUF, so our
product has to speak for itself. The crossbraces we use to stabilize every tree we plant
have stickers with information about the organization, how to get a tree, and a tree-related
inspirational quote.
But once the trees have matured, they no
longer need support. After the crossbraces
(and our messages) are removed, you might
say those trees become the “strong, silent
types.” Though they provide us with wonderful
benefits, they sort of fade into the landscape.
Getting San Franciscans
more engaged with
their urban forest
Recently we’ve been thinking about how to get San Franciscans more engaged with their
urban forest, and we had an idea—let’s help the trees re-introduce themselves.
So in 2014 we’ll put “nametags” on mature trees to identify their common and scientific
names. We’ve also created tags that summarize the benefits that urban trees provide.
The tags will include QR codes that link back to our website for people who want more
information.
We’ve received good advice from the Morton
Arboretum in Chicago and the Sacramento
Tree Foundation, which have used similar tags.
This is an example of our increasing collaboration
with other community urban forestry organizations.
So be on the lookout as you travel around
the city next year—FUF trees will be trying
to introduce themselves to you!
Warmly,
Executive Director
Get the new edition of “Trees of San Francisco”
www.fuf.net
415-561-6890
Curious about the rare and notable trees in our midst? Looking
for great local tree-oriented walking tours? Then you’ll like the new
edition of Trees of San Francisco by Mike Sullivan, a former president
of our board of directors. Ask for it at your local independent bookstore, or buy it online at WildernessPress.com (at a 25% discount) or
Amazon.com.
Summary of Audited Financials as of December 31, 2012
Following is an independently-audited financial summary of our most recent fiscal year,
2012. Each year, it takes several months to compile our financial information and undergo
independent auditing. We hope this diligence provides you with the most comprehensive
understanding of Friends of the Urban Forest’s operations.
INCOME
Earned Income
12%
INCOME
Corporate/Foundation
20%
Corporate/Foundation
$385,524
20%
Individuals
$497,582
26%
I speak for the trees.
Government
$797,621
42%
I speak for the trees,
Earned Income
$219,728
12%
I am the Lorax.
for the trees have
no tongues.
—Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss
Geisel, 1904-1991), American
writer and cartoonist, The Lorax
TOTAL INCOME
Individuals
26%
Government
42%
EXPENSES
Programs
EXPENSES
Fundraising
15%
General Admin
11%
Upcoming Events
For event updates, details, and info
about how to participate, see
www.fuf.net/calendar/
If you want a tree, or want to help organize a tree planting in your neighborhood, see www.fuf.net/treeplanting/
If you want a sidewalk garden,
see www.fuf.net/sidewalkgarden/
December 18—TREEage
December 19—TREEage
December 20—No Frown Friday Pruning
December 21—Tree Care,
Visitacion Valley
December 21—Tree Planting,
Visitacion Valley
January 3—No Frown Friday Pruning
January 10—No Frown Friday Pruning
January 11—Tree Care, SoMa
January 11—Tree Planting, SoMa
January 17—No Frown Friday Pruning
January 24—No Frown Friday Pruning
January 25—Tree Planting, Potrero Hill
January 31—No Frown Friday Pruning
February 1—Tree Planting,
Inner Richmond
February 15—Tree Planting,
Mission Terrace
March 1—Tree Planting, Bayview
March 22—Tree Planting, Portola
$1,900,455 100%
$1,398,694
74%
General Admin
$203,187
11%
Fundraising
$288,707
15%
TOTAL EXPENSES
$1,890,588 100%
BALANCE SHEET SUMMARY
Assets
Liabilities
Programs
74%
NET ASSETS
$1,071,334
$153,831
$917,503
Tree Care Chronicles
Dogs and trees don’t mix
by Blake Watkins, Tree Care Coordinator
Dog urine “burns” tree trunks and makes them
more susceptible to diseases and pests, especially
when the trees are young. And dog waste looks
(and smells) bad in your tree’s basin. Here are some
tips for protecting your tree and its basin from dogs.
• The simplest strategy is to place a “No dogs please” sign on the trunk of your tree. At least
a few responsible dog owners will take heed.
• Create a barrier by installing a fence or railing around the basin. City code requires that
it be 6” to 12” high, be continuous, not block rainwater from flowing into the basin, have no
pointed finials or sharp edges, and only be installed if there’s at least four feet of sidewalk
between the basin and a building wall.
• Wire fencing can be effective when it’s simply laid flat on the basin surrounding the tree.
Dogs are reluctant to step on it.
• Lastly, we hear that a San Francisco Zoo worker brought tiger droppings home and placed
them around neighborhood trees. After a sniff, dogs kept clear. So if you have a friend who
works at the Zoo....
Donors & Partners
INSTITUTIONAL DONORS
$20,000 and above
AT&T Foundation, GGS Foundation, Google, Kimball Foundation,
Wells Fargo Foundation
$10,000–$19,999
Odwalla, The JEC Foundation, Oracle, State Farm, Union Bank
$5,000–$9,999
Constellation Energy, David B. Gold Foundation, Genstar Capital,
Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund, Kaiser Permanente, Recology,
Union Bank of California, Wallis Foundation
$2,000–4,999
Ardea Fund, Chevron Humankind Matching Gift Program, Clif Bar
Family Foundation, Commonweal Foundation, Dodge & Cox, Google
Matching Gifts, Parnassus Investments, The San Francisco Garden
Club, Timbuk2 Designs Inc., Walter & Elise Haas Fund
In-Kind
Anchor Brewing, La Boulange, Lagunitas Brewing Company,
Patagonia, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Sports Basement
MAJOR DONORS
$5000 and over
Anonymous, Eliza Brown & Hal Candee, Dan Carroll, Stasia Obremskey & Grace Carroll, Nina de Clercq, John Farnham, Steve & Nancy
Grand, Mitzi Johnson, George Miller & Janet McKinley, Bill & Alice
Russell-Shapiro, Grace & Steven Voorhis, Larry Wasserman, John
Weeden, Rob Weltman
$1000 to $4999
Joy & Howard Bauman, Martin Checov & Timothy Bause, Nick Bell,
Helen Berggruen, John & Barbara Boyle, Jon Braslaw & Robin Flagg,
Dena Bravata & Douglas Patterson, Michael & Miriam Burnside, Dale
Harbour Champion Family Trust, Dr. Seymour Cohen, David Covell,
Jim DeGolia, Tara Delaney, Jan Elizabeth, Paul Feigenbaum & Judy
Kemeny, Marjorie Fochtman, Alison Geballe, Erika & Charles Gebhard,
Norman W. Harris III, William R. Hearst III, Zephyr Real Estate, Barbara
Howald & Michael Blake, Harold Kirker, Paul & Helene Kocher, Neil Koris, Mr. Randall Laroche & Mr. David Laudon, Andrew Martinez-Fonts &
Laura Martinez-Fonts, Lee and Linda Meier Family Foundation, David
Odato, John Osterweis, Jerome Dodson, Todd & Amanda Renschler,
Julie & Christopher Ridley, Thomas & Shelagh Rohlen, Adam Rubinson, Lucretia & John Sias, Rachel Strickland, Jeffrey Terry, Theodore
Tilles & Naomi Mahoney, Judy Wedgley, Marian Beard & Daniel Wehrmeier, Patricia Wilson, Lee & Margaret Zeigler
$500 to $999
Anne Atkinson, JP & Ann Balajadia, Elaine Barnwell, John & Gretchen
Berggruen, Stephen Bramfitt & Kelly Niland, Marilyn Brennan, Cindy
Cobb, Kit Colbert, Clara Daniels, James Darrah, Benjamin De Kosnik,
Ann Doherty, Karen Donovan & Robert Aydlett, Christian & Jacqueline
Erdman, Brian Ferrall & Laurie Poston, Myrna & Tom Frankel, Christian
Gainsley, Marsha Gale, Sachin Ganpule, Diane Gibson, Andrew Goberman, Clare Gordon & Robert Gordon III, Gene Graham, Ira Johnson
& Steven Diller, K Judd, Peter & Nancy Keane, Linda Kendall, Rachel
Kish, Laura Tam & Darryl Knudsen, Robert Lane & Thomas Cantrell,
Mark Leno, Eric Long & Paul Pitts, Judie Lucius, Gina Luzzi & Michelle
Weston, Mike Marshall, Karen Offereins, Julie & Will Parish, Doug
Paxton & Joe Vassallo, Marcia & Robert Popper, Matthew Purdon,
Vail & Claire Reese, Amy Risch & Nancy Andrews, Jeanne and
Sanford Robertson, Arthur & Toni Rock, George F. Salem & Gary
K. Boatman, Elizabeth Seifel, William Singleton, Emily Stauffer,
Frank Stein, Anne Stuhldreher & Timothy Wirth, Daniel Sullivan &
Kathleen Wesner, Mike Sullivan & Paul Loeffler, Patricia Lovett Tai
& Alan Tai, David Thompson & Susan Green, Peter Wiley & Valerie
Barth, Kari Williams, Donald Wyler
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Bay Area Urban Forest Council, Bayview Greenwaste, Boys & Girls
Club of San Francisco - Excelsior Clubhouse, City CarShare,
Community Thrift Store, Double Rock Organic Community
Garden, Education Outside, Goldman Environmental Awards,
Green School Yard Alliance, Hunters Point Family, Jewish Vocational Services, Literacy for Environmental Justice, Mayor’s Office
Of Housing, Mission Graduates, Ocean Avenue Community
Benefits District, Office of Mayor Ed Lee, Office of Senator Dianne
Feinstein, Office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Office of State Senator
Mark Leno, Office of Supervisor Carmen Chu, Office of Supervisor
David Chiu, Office of Supervisor John Avalos, Office of Supervisor
Scott Wiener, Outward Bound California, People Organizing to
Demand Environmental & Economic Rights, Presidio Trust,
San Francisco Board of Supervisors, San Francisco Clean City
Coalition, San Francisco Conservation Corps, San Francisco
Department of the Environment, San Francisco Department of
Public Works, San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce
Development, San Francisco Planning Department, San Francisco
Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco Recreation and Park
Department, San Francisco State University, San Francisco Unified
School District, San Francisco Urban Forestry Council, University of
California, Berkeley, Urban Ecos, Urban Forest Map
DONORS OF CARS
Edith Chan, Steven Hou, Tom Jensen, Milton Marks III, David Page,
Ellyn Shea, Mark Williams
We also extend our thanks to the hundreds of donors who gave us
smaller gifts.
Nonprofit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
San Francisco, CA
Permit No. 13997
Presidio of San Francisco
P.O. Box 29456
San Francisco, CA 94129-0456
Address Service Requested
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FriendsOfTheUrbanForest
Friends of the Urban Forest is a
non-profit organization, founded in
1981, that offers financial, technical
and practical assistance to individuals
and neighborhood groups who wish
to plant and care for street trees and
sidewalk gardens in San Francisco.
Board of Directors
Jim De Golia, Chair
Jon Braslaw, Vice Chair
Tamara Patterson, Secretary
Eliza Brown
David Covell
Jeanne Darrah
John Drexler
John Farnham
Marjorie Fochtman
Noah Goldberg
Kerry Lange
Laura Tam
Steve Ward
Patricia Wilson
TREE
scapes
The Annual Report Issue
Recently FUF’ed
Some FUF staff took a bicycle tour of
Pittsburgh’s trees while there for a national
forestry conference in November. Pictured,
left to right: Doug Wildman, Phil Pierce,
and Michele Palmer.
On September 27 Friends of the Urban Forest
led volunteers in pruning young street trees in
San Francisco’s Japantown neighborhood.
Board Fellows
Cindy Chen
Ray Cummings
Executive Director
Dan Flanagan
Editor: Ben Carlson
Layout: Mari Ann Donnelly
Printed on recycled paper.
If you’d prefer to receive
Treescapes electronically,
please email [email protected]
On November 9 FUF led a neighborhood
tree planting around Westside Courts in
Lower Pacific Heights.
Sidewalk Gardens installed on Hayes and Broderick
Streets in NOPA, completed August 24.