FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 12, 2026
Contact: Rachel Gordon, San Francisco Public Works, rachel.gordon@sfdpw.org
IN CELEBRATION OF ARBOR DAY 2026, SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC WORKS WILL PLANT 100 NEW STREET TREES WITH THE HELP OF VOLUNTEERS AND ALSO HOST A FREE, FAMILY-FUN ECO FAIR
San Francisco – San Francisco Public Works’ professional arborist crews will work alongside community volunteers on Saturday, March 14, to plant 100 new street trees in the Chinatown, North Beach, Nob Hill, Lower Nob Hill, Union Square and Jackson Square neighborhoods.
Public Works also will host its annual Arbor Day Fair, a free festival featuring family-fun activities, including building a planter box and then filling it with flowers and herbs to take home; sky-high bucket truck rides; arts and crafts; games; and more. There’ll also be a friendly herd of grazing goats and a face painter on hand.
San Francisco First Lady Becca Prowda and Supervisor Danny Sauter are among the invited guests to help kick off the day’s festivities at Francisco Middle School. The Arbor Day event is Public Works’ most popular volunteer workday of the year, with some 250 people already signed up to pitch in for this year’s one-day mass tree-planting effort.
What: Arbor Day tree planting event and Arbor Day Fair
When: Saturday, March 14, 2026, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Where: Kickoff and fair at the Francisco Middle School yard, 361 Francisco St., SF
“Arbor Day is a reminder that the small actions we take today can grow into lasting benefits for our communities tomorrow,” said Supervisor Sauter. “Planting trees is an investment in cleaner air, cooler neighborhoods and greener public spaces for generations to come. I’m proud to join community members in helping District 3 grow healthier and more resilient, one tree at a time.”
Public Works oversees San Francisco’s 125,000-plus street trees and maintains them under StreetTreeSF, a program approved with overwhelming voter support in 2016 that sets aside approximately $19 million a year for tree care. The department also is making advances to grow the City’s urban forest, planting new trees throughout the year. San Francisco has been designated as a “Tree City USA” by the national Arbor Day Foundation in recognition of the Public Works Bureau of Urban Forestry’s commitment to manage and expand San Francisco’s tree canopy.
The annual Arbor Day event is the single biggest tree-planting initiative of the year in San Francisco, with a goal of both growing our urban forest and raising awareness about the many benefits trees bring to our communities – from cleaning the air, reducing stormwater runoff and producing oxygen to providing habitat for wildlife, beautifying neighborhoods and boosting kids’ capacity to learn.
“Planting trees matters and is a great way to celebrate Arbor Day, working as a team to bring new life and benefits to our neighborhoods,” said Public Works Director Carla Short, a certified arborist. “The opportunity to work alongside community volunteers to grow and care for our urban forest makes this important undertaking even more meaningful.”
Among the species that will go in the ground during Saturday’s workday are Upright European hornbeam, Santa Cruz Island ironwood and magnolia.
More information about Saturday’s tree-planting event and Arbor Day Fair can be found at sfpublicworks.org/volunteer.
