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Supervisor Wiener calls hearing on city—s tree relinquishment policy, calls it unfair and unsustainable
Summary
Supervisor Wiener requested a hearing on the city's policy that places responsibility for street-tree maintenance on adjacent property owners, arguing it undermines canopy cover and is unfair to homeowners; he asked for a policy shift toward consistent city maintenance.
San Francisco'14Supervisor Scott Wiener asked the board to schedule a hearing to review the city's tree relinquishment policy, which transfers maintenance responsibility for street trees to adjacent property owners.
Wiener said the policy is inequitable and impractical, particularly where very large trees (40-50 feet tall) sit adjacent to private homes. He described cases in which the city expected a single homeowner to maintain dozens of street trees abutting a strip of city land and said that approach will produce an inconsistent and declining urban canopy. Wiener noted San Francisco ranks 17th among the 20 largest U.S. cities in canopy cover and said relinquishment discourages new trees because owners fear future maintenance and sidewalk damage.
Wiener asked the board to reconsider the approach and to seek consistent city management of the urban forest rather than shifting responsibility to property owners. President Chiu and Supervisor Cohen expressed support for a hearing; the matter was introduced as a supervisory request for a hearing and will proceed to committee scheduling.
