In the Works - Community Newsletter In the Works September 2017 | Page 11
Francisco,” Buck says, and admits
that wind and fog exposure must
be considered when deciding
which species his team can plant.
“In the Mission, we can plant
over 100,” he says. “In the
avenues, we’re looking at probably
five.”
Buck uses the analogy of
automobiles when identifying
trees. “When you see the angle
of a car at a red light, you know
right away it’s a Lexus. When
I see a tree from a distance, I
know it’s a Monterey Cyprus,”
Buck says. But when it comes to
his favorite, the tulip tree, Buck
reverts back to poetry, recalling
Walt Whitman, who coined it,
“Apollo of the woods.”
Buck estimates that, of San
Francisco’s nearly 125,000
street trees, most have been
planted within the past 50 years.
Unfortunately, many were planted
on sidewalks that would prove
to be too narrow for the species
or conflict with stop signs and
utilities. Today, Buck says, “We
study that stuff really closely and
are always looking at changing
and improving the selection of
species – the right tree in the
right place.”
Proposition E, which was
approved by San Francisco
voters in November 2016 and
implemented in July of this year,
has transferred the maintenance
of all street trees to the City. This
means that the Bureau of Urban
Forestry, overseen by Public
Works’ Superintendent Carla
Short, has been exceptionally
busy. In August, Short and
Buck’s team – with help from
more than 600 volunteers –
planted 500 trees in District 11 in
a matter of hours.
“With Prop E, we’re up for the
challenge,” says Buck. “We don’t
plant 20 trees and hope that five
make it. We plant 20 trees with
the goal of having 20 healthy
trees 20 years from now.”
He adds, “We want to focus on
tree protection. We’re finally
managing trees from start to
finish throughout a tree’s life
cycle: planting, structured
pruning, routine maintenance,
sidewalk repair and, when
necessary, removal.”
For some, that may sound like
hard work. For Buck, it’s pure
poetry.
September 2017 - San Francisco Public Works Newsletter