PRESS RELEASE: Celebrate Arbor Day with Tree Plantings and Family-Fun Eco-Fair - 3/16/16

For immediate release: March 16, 2016

Contact: Rachel Gordon, San Francisco Public Works

415-554-6045

CELEBRATE ARBOR DAY WITH TREE PLANTINGS AND FAMILY-FUN ECO FAIR

Hundreds of volunteers to green and clean District 3 neighborhoods

San Francisco – This coming Saturday, more than 400 volunteers will join District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin and Public Works crews to celebrate Arbor Day with the planting of nearly three dozen trees and a family-fun Eco Fair featuring bucket truck rides, planter box-building, carnival games and a friendly herd of landscaping goats.

The annual Arbor Day event is one of the most popular of our monthly Community Clean Team volunteer workdays. This year we will focus on greening and cleaning North Beach, Chinatown and other District 3 neighborhoods. The Eco Fair is free, open to the public and packed with fun.

• Date: Saturday, March 19, 2016
• Time: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. (speaking program starts at 9 a.m.)
• Location: Kickoff and Eco Fair at Francisco Middle School (2190 Powell St., back parking lot, enter from Francisco Street); see below for a list of work sites.
• Who: District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin, community volunteers and City crews
• What: Arbor Day volunteer projects to improve North Beach, Chinatown and other District 3 neighborhoods; Eco Fair with hands-on activities and information booths to learn about environmental stewardship.
• What else: Goats! Feed them, pet them and include them in your selfies.

“Arbor Day in San Francisco reminds us that our urban forest provides cleaner air and supports wildlife habitats," said Supervisor Aaron Peskin. “We’re excited to celebrate the Public Works’ annual Community Clean Team Arbor Day event in District 3. This is a great opportunity to bond with our communities and build a more sustainable living environment by working together.”

This is the 144th anniversary of Arbor Day – an homage to trees that cities and states mark at different times of the year depending the region’s best tree-planting times. 

In San Francisco, we kicked off our Arbor Day celebrations last week with the planting of signature trees in honor of two dynamic community leaders who died this year.

Public Works planted a drought-tolerant cork oak tree on the Mansell Street median to remember Irene Crescio, a lifelong resident of the Portola District who worked into her 80s as a tenacious advocate for her neighborhood.

Public Works also planted a coast live oak tree on the Evans Avenue median in recognition of Dr. Espanola Jackson, a longtime Bayview-Hunters Point resident and community activist with four decades of experience dealing with environmental, social and economic justice issues.

“Arbor Day is very special for us. We recognize community leaders by planting living tributes in their honor, we replenish our urban forest and we join together – volunteers and City staff – to make our neighborhoods more beautiful, healthy and enjoyable. And we also have a lot of fun,” said San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru.

San Francisco Planning also will be on hand Saturday to talk about EveryTreeSF, the first citywide street tree census in San Francisco. Beginning in the Richmond District in January and now headed toward Potrero Hill, a team of tree specialists continues on the path of identifying the exact location, species and current condition of every street tree in the City and surveying vacant sites to help determine locations for new trees to be planted.

Once EveryTreeSF is completed, the data generated will help San Francisco make more informed species selections and identify priority maintenance needs and future planting sites. The census is a priority recommendation of San Francisco Planning’s Urban Forest Plan (Phase 1 – Street Trees), a long-term vision and strategy to improve the health and sustainability of the City’s trees.

“Street trees contribute to a more walkable, livable and sustainable city,” said John Rahaim, Director of Planning. “The information collected through EveryTreeSF will help us provide the proper care they deserve. We’re looking forward to being a part of this celebration of trees.”

Photo opportunities at the March 19 Community Clean Team Arbor event:

• Folks feeding and petting goats
• Tree plantings on Broadway and Columbus streets, and around Francisco Middle School
• Sweeping up leaves on Hyde Street, from Sacramento to Pacific   
• Chinatown alleys cleanup      
• Abating graffiti on private property in Quincy Alley between Pine and California
• Refreshing street furniture on Stockton from Filbert to Bay               
• Beautifying  Washington Square

Sponsors and community and partner organizations include: Recology, CalAcademy, Chinatown Community Development Center, City Grazing, Department of the Environment , Farm Fresh to You, Friends of the Urban Forest, Giant Sweep,  Nature In the City, PlanetXone, Recreation and Park Department, San Francisco Parks Alliance, San Francisco Planning, SCRAP, SF Public Utilities Commission, Shark Stewards - No Butts in the Bay, Starbucks, Surfrider Foundation, 76, Walgreens, Emerald Fund, The Hilton, Academy of Art University, PG&E, Luxor Cabs, SF Clean City Coalition, Local 261, San Francisco Unified School District, San Francisco Housing Authority, Juvenile Probation Program, Project 20 Pretrial Diversion Program, the Garden Project, Climate Action Now, Community Youth Center, Chinese Newcomers Service Center, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, United Playaz, Tzu-Chi Foundation, SF Geo Care, SFPD Collaborative and Gee Yung.

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