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Public Works outlines tree‑removal process, replacement rules and new penalties
Summary
San Francisco Public Works’ urban forester told the Board of Appeals the city now posts tree‑removal notices online weekly, must replace removed street trees within 120 days when feasible and can levy a minimum $10,000 fine for illegal removal without replacement.
Chris Buck, urban forester for San Francisco Public Works’ Bureau of Urban Forestry, told the Board of Appeals on Dec. 7 that multiple changes to the city’s tree rules and practices aim to increase transparency and speed replacement planting.
Buck said the bureau currently maintains about 125,000 street trees in the public right of way and is aiming for roughly 155,000 sites over the next two decades. He described routine grounds for removal—scheduled Street Tree SF maintenance, emergency or storm response, construction impacts and individual requests through 311 or inspector reports—and said the city posts notices on the affected trees and on utility poles at least 30 days before removal hearings.
“We post all these notices on our website every Monday,” Buck said, describing a pandemic‑era change intended to make notices…
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