Supervisors advance street-tree code changes after heated public comment on appeals and in-lieu fees

The Land Use & Transportation Committee on July 27 recommended amended street-tree code changes to the full Board of Supervisors, advancing an ordinance that creates an in-lieu fee option for smaller projects, requires large Better Streets projects to plant trees on-site and shortens appeal timelines for city-initiated tree removal orders.

Department of Public Works officials said the changes aim to speed project timelines and reduce safety risks from high-risk trees. "We maintain about 125,000 street trees citywide," David Moore, superintendent of the Bureau of Urban Forestry, told the committee, and described an operation that plants roughly 2,000 trees per year and has secured roughly $12,000,000 in grant funding for planting and maintenance. Ian Schneider of DPW said the legislation would establish a statutory 15-day posting and a 30-day appeal decision window for city-initiated removals and create a streamlined path for hazard-tree action.

Opponents — including tree advocates, neighborhood volunteers, the Board of Appeals and dozens of residents — told supervisors the ordinance would weaken protections and reduce public oversight. "A fee now may not cover something in the future," said Chris Desby, a neighborhood volunteer, arguing an in-lieu payment does not guarantee eventual tree replacement. The Board of Appeals' executive director, Julie Lamar, said the board had seen very few city-initiated appeals (two since 2024) and warned that removing the board's jurisdiction for city-initiated hazard orders creates an inconsistent adjudication process.

Supervisor Bilal Mahmood proposed an amendment to restore a director-level appeal step for hazardous removals while eliminating secondary appeals to the Board of Appeals. Mahmood framed the amendment as preserving a chance to catch errors: "A second look by a qualified forester prompted by the public changed the outcome for 4 mature trees and didn't hold up the 3 that needed to come down," he said, describing a local review that revised earlier findings.

Vice Chair Supervisor Cheyenne Chen pressed the department on how the proposal would affect equity and tree distribution, and DPW officials said in-lieu funds would be directed toward planting and watering and that staff would prioritize environmental-justice neighborhoods in deployment. "Because a lot of our funding comes from equity-focused grants," David Moore said, "it helps staff to have some discretion in where trees are planted." An amendment from Supervisor Dorsey's office — adopted into the findings — added legislative intent to prioritize environmental-justice communities when spending in-lieu revenue.

After public comment and amendments were adopted, the committee voted to forward the ordinance to the full board with a positive recommendation. The committee recorded three ayes and no recorded noes or abstentions on the motion to send the amended ordinance forward.

The ordinance and its amendments will next be considered by the full Board of Supervisors; the committee's report is expected to appear on the board agenda for 07/28/2026.