Jocelyn Cohen: You Can Protect Remarkable Trees

How can we quantify the importance of trees for an individual, community, or the well-being of the urban forest? What does it mean to preserve a small Japanese black pine that symbolizes a long history to the surrounding neighborhood? How can we measure the importance of a single tree (on an otherwise treeless street) that carries stories for generations of inhabitants?

San Francisco recently passed a new ordinance that allows people to tell the City about trees that are special and to help protect and preserve these trees.

The Landmark and Significant Tree Ordinance adds to our City's existing tree laws, defining "significant trees" and establishing a regulatory program that governs their care and removal. The amendments allow community members and city officials to nominate trees for protection.

Once nominated, the tree is evaluated by the Urban Forestry Council, which makes a recommendation to the SF Board of Supervisors, which could ultimately grant the tree landmark status.

The Urban Forestry Council will consider several factors when deciding whether or not to recommend a tree for landmark status, such as size, age, notable visual characteristics and rarity, cultural, ecological or historical importance. Any tree in San Francisco can be landmarked, including street trees, trees on City property, and trees on privately-owned property.

A member of the public who wishes to nominate a tree that is not on his or her property will need to get support from an authorized nominator: the Board of Supervisors, SF Planning Commission, SF Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board, heads of City departments or agencies, or the property owner.

A tree automatically becomes "significant" if some portion of its trunk is within 10 feet of the public right-of-way and meets one of following three criteria: a diameter of at least 12 inches, a height of 20 feet, or a canopy spread in excess of 15 feet. These criteria include all trees under the jurisdiction of the SF Department of Public Works and privately-owned trees within 10 feet of a public right of way.

Unlike landmarked trees, "significant" trees are automatically protected based solely on the size/location criteria and do not need to be nominated. With the new ordinance in place, it's no longer difficult to calculate what a special tree or grove of trees means to you. The Landmark Tree Nomination Form makes the process simple and enjoyable.

How You Can Get Started
• Go to the Web site at www.sfenvironment.org/landmarktree for Landmark Tree Nomination Forms;
• For complete text of the San Francisco Urban Forest Ordinance, visit www.sfenvironment.org/landmarktree.

Jocelyn Cohen, DBA Poetree Landscapes & Arboriculture, works as a certified arborist, garden designer and aesthetic pruner. She is a member of the Urban Forestry Council and was instrumental in drafting the new tree legislation. For more information, contact her at jocelyn@jocelync.com. Learn more about how San Francisco's Environment Department is protecting and preserving the City's environmental well-being at www.sfenvironment.com, visit the EcoCenter at 11 Grove St., or call (415) 355-3700.