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Rules Committee appoints seven to Urban Forestry Council amid calls for more funding and ecological focus
Summary
The Rules Committee appointed seven members to the San Francisco Urban Forestry Council on Oct. 7, including two reappointments; applicants and public commenters urged greater ecological planning, diversity and more funding after testimony that the city experienced a net loss of trees in the prior year.
The Rules Committee appointed seven members to the San Francisco Urban Forestry Council on Oct. 7, 2019, voting to forward the following nominees: Morgan Vessey Faubert (seat 1, with residency waiver), Andrew Sullivan (seat 2), Pamela Nagel (seat 3), Dan Flanagan (seat 4), Adilco Baloney (seat 5), Michael Sullivan (seat 6) and Edgar Flores (seat 7). The motion to appoint passed without objection.
Applicants and public commenters framed the council’s work as central to the city’s response to climate change and biodiversity loss. Dan Flanagan, an incumbent, emphasized the council’s role in advising city departments and said the nexus between trees and climate policy is growing. Applicants cited experience in volunteer planting, native-plant restoration, professional arboriculture and neighborhood advocacy.
David Christopher Kirby cited the Urban Forest Plan’s planting goals and presented draft-year figures he said show a net loss of roughly 2,781 trees; he urged the council to play a stronger advocacy role to secure funding. Kirby said the mayor’s initial budget allocation for tree work started at $0 and was later increased to $2,000,000, while he characterized the plan’s funding requirement to meet its goals as approximately $14,000,000. Mike Sullivan, an applicant seeking reappointment, also warned that stricter replanting rules and limited funds risk shrinking the canopy.
Public commenters representing conservation and neighborhood groups endorsed several nominees and urged the council to adopt a broader ecological approach to canopy management—emphasizing native species, understory biodiversity and coordinated funding for planting and maintenance.
Deputy City Attorney John Givner reminded the committee that its practice has been to not allow applicants to speak during public comment; the committee followed that practice in this meeting.
Chair Supervisor Hillary Ronan presented the recommended slate and moved to appoint the nominees; the motion passed without objection. The clerk confirmed the committee had completed its agenda, and the meeting was adjourned.
