Public Works Order No: 186300 for 826 Haight Street

City and County of San Francisco San Francisco Public Works GENERAL - DIRECTOR'S OFFICE City Hall, Room 348 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, S.F., CA 94102 (415) 554-6920 www.SFPublicWorks.org Edwin M. Lee, Mayor Mohammed Nuru, Director Public Works Order No: 186300 The Director of Public Works held a Public Hearing on Monday, July 24, 2017 commencing at 5:30 PM at City Hall, Room 416, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102. The hearing was to consider Order No. 186127 for the removal with replacement of one (1) street tree adjacent to the property at 826 Haight Street Findings: Urban Forestry staff testified that the tree was initially posted for removal due to its age, species, structure, and sidewalk condition. Blackwood acacia, Acacia melanoxylon, does not tolerate root pruning well, once the root's of a mature blackwood acacia are significantly pruned they tend to rot quickly. The accelerated root rot can often lead to full tree failures. Currently, the sidewalk is in poor condition, and must be repaired. The main branch union has poor structure, and all of the co-dominant scaffolding branches originate from the same location on the trunk, which can lead to large stem failures. Urban Forestry staff stated that if the tree were to remain, the sidewalk repair would have to be carefully completed without cutting any roots. The tree basin would also have to be expanded to at least 6'x12'. The canopy should be thinned & large scaffold branches with the worst structure should be removed or the weight reduced. The Bureau of Urban Forestry received approximately 20 removal protests from the public in writing, and five (5) members of the public spoke at the hearing against tree removal. A change.org petition was also created which received 117 supporters against tree removal. After the tree hearing Urban Forestry staff surveyed the underground utilities near the tree. It was found that high voltage electric lines run directly beneath the tree basin, and if removed, the tree will not be able to be replaced. Recommendation: After consideration of letters and testimonies presented at the hearing the decision is to reverse the Bureau of Urban Forestry's approval of tree removal with the following conditions: the sidewalk repair will consist of a basin expansion only and no roots shall be cut. Any additional concrete uplift will be shaved/sliced, not replaced. The tree canopy shall be pruned and significantly thinned within three (3) months to reduce the potential for large stem failures. If the Bureau of Urban Forestry concludes that the sidewalk repair cannot be made without pruning the roots, the tree removal will be approved and a courtesy notice and report documenting the roots, the tree removal will be approved and a courtesy notice and report documenting the efforts to retain the tree, will be provided to those who attended the hearing and/or submitted San Francisco Public Works Making San Francisco a beautiful, livable, vibrant, and sustainable city. correspondence. The courtesy notices would also be placed on the trunk of the tree and nearby utility poles. Appeal: This Order may be appealed to the Board of Appeals within 15 days of September 4th, 2017 Board of Appeals 1650 Mission, Room 304 San Francisco, CA 94103 (between Van Ness and Duboce Avenues) Phone: 415.575.6880 Fax: 415.575.6885 Regular office hours of the Board of Appeals are Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm. Appointments may be made for filing an appeal by calling 415-575-6880. All appeals must be filed in person. For additional information on the San Francisco Board of Appeals and to view the Appeal Process Overview, please visit their website at http://sfgov.org/bdappeal/ 8/31/2017 X Mohammed Nuru Nuru, Mohammed Approver 1 Signed by: Nuru, Mohammed