San Francisco faces uphill climb to replace fallen trees
SAN FRANCISCO - A San Francisco non-profit is asking for the city's help in replacing all the trees lost due to this winter's severe weather.
Friends of the Urban Forest says hundreds of trees were lost this year and it will take thousands of dollars to replace them.
Brian Wiedenmeier is the executive director of Friends of the Urban Forest.
"We're waiting for some of the final numbers from public works but several times more than in just a normal regular year. And it's all due to the fact of those circumstances that I talked about, extreme drought followed by heavy rain and then high winds," said Wiedenmeier.
That's a problem Brian says because while San Francisco may seem like a very green city, it actually falls behind most other major cities when it comes to its number of trees.
"Only 14 percent of our streets and sidewalks are covered by trees. That's less than New York City. That's less than Los Angeles. That's less than almost every other major city across the country," said Wiedenmeier.
At that was before this winter's storms. Brian said they're going to need all the help they can get just to replaced the trees that were lost.
And it's not just help with planting, but help with funding. He says just one tree costs them thousands of dollars to plant and care for.
"You know we rely on the generosity of donors to support our work as well as volunteers but we also rely on public support because we believe that street trees are a public good that everybody can enjoy. So we're really calling on the mayor, the board of supervisors, everyone whose involved in city government, the decision makers to make a commitment to helping us and others replace what we lost this winter," said Wiedenmeier.
We reached out to the mayor's office to see if they plan on including funding for Friends of the Urban Forest in this year's budget.
They sent us this statement saying, "Unfortunately, we are facing uncertain financial times and that means we will need to make hard decisions. But we are actively working with City Departments on budget proposals as we manage the City's nearly $780 million budget deficit, and any decision made will be part of the final Budget presentation in early June."
Brian said he understands the city's budget deficit but believes planting new trees, especially after the winter we had, should remain a priority.
"We really think with climate change bringing more extreme weather to our city it's a necessary investment in green infrastructure that's going to help us, protect us from hotter, dryer, windier, wetter future," said Wiedenmeier.
Whether or not they get that funding, Brian says Friends of the Urban Forest will continue to replace as many trees as they can afford.