Indicator PI.6.b Street tree population
| San Francisco's street tree population by Supervisoral District | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supervisoral District | # of DPW trees* | # of private/public trees** | Total trees | % of total trees in SF | # of residents per tree | # of trees per sq. mile | Filled planting space (%) | |
| 1 | Richmond, Laurel Hts | 2,041 | 3,604 | 5,645 | 5.30% | 12.4 | 79 | 48 |
| 2 | Marina, Presidio, Cow Hollow, Pacific Hts | 1,076 | 7,160 | 8,236 | 7.70% | 8.1 | 110.5 | 67 |
| 3 | North Beach, Chinatown, Russian Hill, Nob Hill, Downtown | 999 | 2,724 | 3,723 | 3.50% | 18.9 | 66.2 | 39 |
| 4 | Outer Sunset, Parkside | 1,453 | 7,115 | 8,568 | 8.00% | 8.2 | 93.8 | 26 |
| 5 | Western Addition, Haight-Ashbury, Cole Valley | 6,151 | 6,747 | 12,898 | 12.10% | 5.6 | 208.9 | 72 |
| 6 | SOMA, Rincon Hill, Civic Center | 1,559 | 9,421 | 10,980 | 10.30% | 6.4 | 136.9 | 42 |
| 7 | Merced, Inner Sunset, Forest Hill, Lakeside | 2,317 | 8,677 | 10,994 | 10.30% | 6.3 | 76.9 | 32 |
| 8 | Castro, Noe Valley, Dolores Hts, Diamond Hts, Duboce Triangle | 1,772 | 12,636 | 14,408 | 13.50% | 4.8 | 146.1 | 71 |
| 9 | Mission, Bernal Hts | 3,352 | 9,063 | 12,415 | 11.60% | 5.7 | 184.1 | 62 |
| 10 | Potrero Hill, Bay View Hunters Point, Visitation Valley | 4,073 | 8,438 | 12,511 | 11.70% | 5.2 | 110.8 | 34 |
| 11 | Excelsior, Mission Terrace, Oceanvw, Merced Hts, Ingleside | 1,696 | 4,714 | 6,410 | 6.00% | 7.9 | 74.5 | 29 |
| Citywide Total | 26,490 | 80,299 | 106,789 | 7.0 | 112.8 | 44 | ||
| * DPW (Department of Public Works) owns and manages some of the public trees in San Francisco. **Private/public denotes street trees that are publicly owned but managed by private individuals and/or property owners. | ||||||||
Data Source
San Francisco Department of Public Works and Friends of the Urban Forest.
Urban Forest Plan, City and County of San Francisco, April 2006. Urban Forest Council and Department of the Environment. Accessed on November 26, 2007:
http://www.sfenvironment.org/our_programs/topics.html?ssi=4&ti=8#Reports
Table from Urban Forest Council and San Francisco Department of the Environment.
Map and table created by City and County of San Francisco, Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Section using ArcGIS software.
Table data is presented at the level of supervisor district.
Detailed information regarding geographic units of analysis, their definitions, and their boundaries can be found in the HDMT at the following links:
http://www.thehdmt.org/etc/Geographic_Units_of_Analysis.pdf
http://www.thehdmt.org/data_map_methods.php
Explanation and Limitations
Street trees are those trees that are within the public right-of-way. Public right-of-way is an area affiliated with alleys, boulevards, courts, lanes, roads, sidewalks, spaces, streets, unaccepted streets and ways within San Francisco under the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Works.
One-quarter of the city (almost 8,000 acres of land) is devoted to these public spaces, and streets and public rights-of-way comprise the most significant opportunity for planting within the city. Along San Francisco"s streets there are approximately 106,789 trees, or 16% of the City"s 668,000 tree urban forest. Street trees, defined by location, illustrate the diversity of ownership and management of the urban forest. The Department of Public Works maintains about 26,490 trees, primarily located along boulevards and arterials. Property owners and Friends of the Urban Forest maintain another 80,299 trees, primarily along residential streets.
Quantitative counts of street trees relative to residents do not provide information on tree health or quality tree size, canopy cover, age distribution, tree species, and tree condition. The city is currently collaborating with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service to track this information.
Why is this a Community Health Indicator?
Trees provide natural cooling through the shading of streets and buildings thereby reducing exposure to UV radiation and the risk of skin cancer, as well as energy demand and consumption. Trees also capture air pollution, reduce carbon dioxide, increase oxygen, and help capture storm-water runoff, reducing the amount of mercury, oil, and lead going into the Bay. Trees can also serve as buffers to traffic, reducing pedestrian injuries. Several studies show that the presence of forests, trees and other vegetation improves adult recovery from mental fatigue, leading to a reduction in socially unacceptable behavior and crime, as well as increased concentration and fewer behavior problems among children.a,b- Kuo FE, Sullivan WC. Environment and crime in the inner city: does vegetation reduce crime? Environment and Behavior. 2001;33(3):343-367.
- Taylor AF, Kuo FE, Sullivan WC. Coping With ADD: The Surprising Connection to Green Play Settings. Environment and Behavior. 2001;33(1):54-77.