Author Archives: SF Forest Alliance

Five Reasons Why it’s Okay to Love Oxalis

This is an updated reprint of a May 2015 article. As of 2023, eight years later, Natural Areas (now called “Natural Resource Areas”) are still being sprayed with powerful pesticides against oxalis. It’s still futile. ************** Five Reasons it’s Okay … Continue reading

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Oxalis and the Herbicide “solution”

This article is republished with permission from Conservation Sense and Nonsense, an environmental blog focused on the San Francisco Bay Area.   THE OXALIS OBSESSION As a long-time reader of Jake Sigg’s Nature News, I am very familiar with his … Continue reading

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Toxic Pesticides in Glen Canyon Park

It’s pesticide season in Glen Canyon Park, with one of the most toxic pesticides in use: Triclopyr. (This is the one that’s brand-named Vastlan.) The target plants are oxalis, as usual! And a new one – Sheep Sorrel. It’s actually … Continue reading

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Season’s Greetings and Happy New Year!

The San Francisco Forest Alliance,  a 501(c)4 not-for-profit organization with a mission of inclusive environmentalism, continues our campaign to protect our environment through outreach and providing information. As we near the end of 2022, we reflect that it’s been 11 years. … Continue reading

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The Forest on Albany Hill

One of the blogs we follow, Conservation Sense and Nonsense, is trying to prevent the destruction of the eucalyptus forest on Albany Hill. This stand of trees sequesters carbon, cleans the air near a heavily trafficked road – and provides … Continue reading

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A tree ponders life upon waking

Someone sent us this charming, incisive, bitter-sweet graphic about a eucalyptus tree. The artist, Charlotte Hildebrand, kindly gave us permission to reproduce it here. This tree, such an important part of the ecosystem – a shelter for birds, a splendid … Continue reading

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Pesticide Usage in 2021: SFRPD Does Better – except for NRD

As we usually do, we compiled the pesticide usage data for San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department for 2021.  (We exclude Harding Park – but not the other golf courses – from this analysis because it’s externally-managed under a PGA … Continue reading

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McLaren Park Loses More Trees

From Lance Mellon: “This nativism is a strange phenomenon. I see every day, next to my community garden at Mclaren Park, the devastation caused when they cut down those beautiful woods to install their native garden. It is an unforgivable … Continue reading

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Good news: Tree Felling Plan in Napa Stops

In recent weeks, we heard of another project to cut down eucalyptus trees, despite the negative impact on climate change, wildlife, and neighborhoods. And today, we were pleased to learn that it had been reversed! Someone wrote to us to … Continue reading

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Still More Trees Cut Down in Sutro Forest – March 2022

The article below is essentially a sequel to the previous one. More Trees Being Cut Down in Sutro Forest  and is also republished with permission from SutroForest.com ——————————————————– As readers of this site will know, a lot of trees are … Continue reading

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More Trees Being Cut Down in Sutro Forest

This article has been republished from SutroForest.com with permission and updates. “Can you tell me what’s happening on the north side of the forest? I’ve been watching them cut down a swath from a lunchroom at UCSF the last few … Continue reading

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Herbicide Time – Triclopyr in Glen Canyon

It’s January, and San Francisco is brightened by the yellow oxalis springing up on green hillsides. Less bright, though, is the usual Blights of Spring – herbicides applied in our parks where our kids and pups play. Here’s an idyllic … Continue reading

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The Environmental Danger of Preferring Native Plants

This article is republished with permission and minor edits from Conservation Sense and Nonsense, an environmental blog about current ecological topics including “native plant restorations.” We are publishing it here because we think the opposition to “invasives” by nativist activists … Continue reading

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EPA Acknowledges Herbicides Harm Wildlife

This article is republished with permission from the site, Conservation Sense and Nonsense. It points out that the Environmental Protection Agency has finally acknowledged what environmentalists have recognized (and nativists denied) – that herbicides are harmful to wildlife. They are … Continue reading

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Season’s Greetings!

This December marks ten years of the San Francisco Forest Alliance. We’d like to reiterate our commitment to protecting our trees and access, and opposing toxic pesticides in the coming years. The San Francisco Forest Alliance wishes all our readers … Continue reading

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Beautiful Trees at Stow Lake to be Cut

San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department (SFRPD) is cutting down more trees. Several supporters alerted us to warning notices on eight large, beautiful trees at Stow Lake that have been marked for destruction. Why? Apparently to repair the perimeter path … Continue reading

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Toxic Roundup Herbicide, Fruiting Blackberry

The SFRPD’ Natural Resources Department (NRD) is spraying toxic herbicides on Golden Gate Heights park. The pesticides being used are Roundup (glyphosate) and Polaris (imazapyr). Someone recently saw this notice: On the next visit, the sign indicated that the spraying … Continue reading

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We Need to Reduce Toxic Herbicide Use in San Francisco

This note is from Anastasia Glikshtern, an officer of San Francisco Forest Alliance and a long-time San Franciscan. Why We Need the San Francisco Toxic Herbicides Reduction Act Most San Francisco residents do not know that the city routinely uses … Continue reading

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Nearly 50 Trees on San Francisco’s Market Street Threatened

Here we go again. San Francisco’s cutting down more trees, as though its paltry tree cover – less than any other major city – needed further depleting. This time, 49 trees on Market Street are planned to be felled to … Continue reading

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Nesting in the Eucalyptus

Of course it’s no surprise to any of our readers that eucalyptus stands are an excellent resource for nesting birds. A colony of double-crested cormorants nests (or did nest) near Lake Merced; great horned owls nest in eucalyptus trees in … Continue reading

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