Friends of the Urban Forest

 

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Fiona T.

Walnut Creek, CA

If I could Bart out to San Francisco on my precious Saturday morning from Walnut Creek, anyone can spare some time to plant some trees!!!

Such a good cause, and the people you meet are all so dedicated and truly passionate about beautifying and greening their neighborhoods.  

Tree plantings used to be once a week, but due to less funding, is now about every other week.  

My experience: I got there and breakfast awaits at Luscious Garage, specializing in fixing hybrids.   We got a demonstration on how to plant, then break into small, intimate groups.  You totally make friends!  Then, after we planted a total of 57 (!!!!) trees after only about 2.5 hours, we regroup for the awesome lunch, generously donated by Whole Foods, Extreme Pizza, and awesome volunteers.

Too much fun!!

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Elite '08

68

166

Randy F.

San Francisco, CA

Planting trees.

(let that settle in)

FUF has been greening the city, lining the streets with trees, and caring for our growing urban forest since 1981.  They plant and maintain various species of trees every Saturday.

UPDATE:  Our recent near-hurricane velocity windbag of a storm has flattened new sapling trees throughout the city.  Now more than ever, FUF needs help righting what Mother Nature wronged!  Check them out!

www.fuf.net

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Fallopian Swim Team D.

San Francisco, CA

How many people do you know that talk about improving the city? How many people do you know that actually go out every week and do something about it? Friends Of The Urban Forest does just that. How does 40 trees planted a week sound to you? They are a volunteer driven organization that believes in greening our city. They walk the walk and talk the talk. Next time you stroll by a fresh sapling on the street, l bet you that you will find a FUF sticker.

Tip: You can volunteer to help http://fuf.net/volunte...

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15

Tailypo A.

San Francisco, CA

LIVING CHRISTMAS TREES!!!

Sorry to shout. But seriously, this is nice.  Rather than blow your bucks on some douglas fir who never did anything to you, and have it rain dead pine needles all over your floor so you will be stepping on them til Cinco De Mayo, why not slap 90 bucks to FUF, put up a perfectly happy living (if not exactly piney) tree which will then get to run and play with the other trees after Christmas!

http://www2.sfenvironm...

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7

Barley W.

San Francisco, CA

The sales pitch went something like: San Francisco has only about 17% tree cover, which is shameful, and planting trees prevents crime.  We live in an extremely low crime neighborhood, so I guess we were sold into trying to increase the green coverage of the city.

This past Saturday our neighborhood got together and went out in little teams to plant Sunset-friendly trees (in laymen terms, this means tristania, strawberry, and cherry--wind and sand proof, hopefully).  It was very strange walking down the street with shovels, and passing vehicles slowed down and gave question mark-ish looks.  It took about 20 minutes to half an hour per tree (digging the hole, planting the tree, supporting the tree with stakes, and finally, placing a sticker bearing the name of the tree--ah, the pride of ownership), and at the end of the morning, everyone felt good about themselves, the work done, and the new little baby trees.  

Getting FUF to our neighborhood was through the hard work of one of our neighbors, who took it upon herself to canvass the neighborhood and sign people up for trees.  Trees cost about $150 each, although sometimes, due to PG&E/sewers/other underground obstacles, not every house is able to get a tree in the exact desired location.  Once planted, upkeep consists of mostly watering, and FUF will come and check up on your tree so that any potential deadness may be averted.

Our tree looks wonderful!  This was a great experience.

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Elite '08

25

191

Eric G.

San Francisco, CA

1. Go to the website (http://www.fuf.net)

2. Click "Calendar and News"

3. Under "Tree Planting" find an upcoming planting that appeals to you.

4. Call the number and extension provided to RSVP.  They will give you the meeting location.

5. Go out on a Saturday morning, get free breakfast, and meet some people.  It's fun, it's good for the city, and you get free food.

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Elite '08

218

856

Wes M.

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco is definitely the most beautiful city in the world...where it has trees.  But many of the city's sidewalks are all too barren.  In fact, we have some of the lowest tree coverage in America.  Now, to be fair, most other cities have a head start, as there weren't many trees here to begin with, and there aren't a lot of species that can tolerate the conditions here.  But that's all the more reason for us ordinary citizens to get out there and plant!

Enter Friends of the Urban Forest, my favorite San Francisco organization (after Yelp, which is basically a Forest of Urban Friends).  You can volunteer for tree plantings, or the more intellectually stimulating "tree care", which generally involves pruning and other tune-ups on 3-year-old trees.  Not only do you get the satisfaction of seeing our city become greener before your very eyes, it's also a great way to meet new people, explore the city's many neighborhoods, and simply feel like an active member of the community.  After 7 years of utterly anonymous living in LA, just getting involved in the life of the city has been an exhilarating tonic for me.

I can't recommend FUF highly enough.  Their staff and volunteers are fantastic and fun people and even if you're not particularly fond of getting your hands dirty, you'll find yourself coming back just for the camraderie.  And besides, I'll bet a lot of you could do with a reminder of what being outside at 9 AM on a Saturday feels like.  PS--there's usually coffee!

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suzanne w.

San Francisco, CA

fuf does more than just put trees in our fair city. they give people a chance to get outdoors, interact with neighbors (so much better than staying strangers), and gain a sense of accomplishment and power to do something positive for the planet for a change!

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Emily A.

San Francisco, CA

They're do gooders and a lot of fun to be around.  How can you lose?

 I highly recommend volunteering with them.  A great way to make something out of that lazy Saturday you were going to spend in bed anyways.

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Ellie P.

San Francisco, CA

SF is more beautiful with more trees. Friends of the Urban Forest partners with families and the community to plant and maintain trees all over San Francisco. A neighborhood with trees has better property values, is more pleasant to walk down, and is great for reducing air pollution. Help them keep SF beautiful.

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A P.

San Francisco, CA

Plant a tree and save a life!  What's not to love about a group that helps to plant trees all over San Francisco!

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Rasmus K.

San Francisco, CA

I can't get enough of FUF.  What a fantastic organization... over 40,000 trees planted in SF in 25 years.

Neighborhood tree plantings are such a great way to spend a Saturday - everybody should volunteer for one.  Chances are that folks would find themselves volunteering for many more.

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Arielle L.

San Francisco, CA

Thanks to Friends of the Urban Forest, my ugly, scraggly tree has been replaced by a gorgeous magnolia.  The dogs in my neighborhood and I couldn't be happier!

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