The current Friends of the Urban Forest Events Calendar for March and April is available at www.fuf.net/calendar_news/index.html. To join us at one of our upcoming planting or tree care events contact the planting manager or tree care coordinator for more details.
March Email Update:
March - April Plantings and Tree Care Days:
25th Avenue Tree Planting - March 24 - Christian Drake x100
Potrero Hill Tree Care - March 24 - Ellyn Shea x102
Hayes Valley Tree Care - April 14 - Ellyn Shea x102
Marina Tree Planting - April 21 - Christian Drake x100
OMI Tree Care - April 28 - Ellyn Shea x102
Double Rock Nursery Day - April 28 - Doug Wildman x109
Needed: Office Volunteers - Reed Milnes x103
News:
1. Help Save the Cal Oaks
2. SAN FRANCISCO FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW
3. 2007 CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
4. Tree of the Month - Bunya-Bunya
5. Arcadia 2007: Artists Celebrate Trees - Save the Date - April 23
1. Help Save the Cal Oaks
On Saturday, March 17th (St. Patrick's Day) from 10am - 12noon, support the ongoing efforts of the UC Berkeley tree sit to save a grove of oak trees from destruction. Join hundreds of fellow tree lovers in an unusual, exciting, peaceful community art event, the making of a "TreeSpirit Project" photograph by photographer Jack Gescheidt. In TreeSpirit images, people commune naked among trees to demonstrate our vulnerable interdependence with trees. See dozens of existing TreeSpirit photographs here: www.TreeSpiritProject.com
For more information about the Memorial Grove tree sit, click here:
www.SaveOaks.com
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2. SAN FRANCISCO FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW
Don't miss the San Francisco Flower and Garden show. Showcasing what's new and exciting for gardening, this is a great opportunity to get ideas for your own garden. At the Cow Palace March 21 through 25, tickets are $20 for adults. For more information please visit www.gardenshow.com/sf/index/index.asp.
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3. 2007 CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
San Francisco's colorful Japanese quarter will burst into full bloom on the weekends of April 14-15 and 21-22, 2007, when members of Northern California's Japanese American community gather to present their 40th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Anyone with a yen to experience a bit of Japan won't want to miss this wonderfully vivid and varied cultural feast which celebrates the rich heritage of Japanese Americans. The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival is said to be the second largest festival outside of Washington D.C. to celebrate the blooming of cherry blossoms.
Everyone is invited to join in the festivities which will be in full swing by 11 a.m. each day of the two-weekend celebration. Most events are free. A complete schedule will be available in mid-March and may be obtained by visiting our web site at www.nccbf.org or by sending a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope to the Cherry Blossom Festival, 1759 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94115. For information as the Festival draws near, you also can call (415) 563-2313 or fax (415) 563-2307.
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4. Tree of the Month - Bunya-Bunya
One of the most exotic of San Francisco's landmark trees has to be the bunya-bunya tree (Araucaria bidwillii) at the corner of Vicente and Wawona Streets in West Portal. I was introduced to this tree by Scot Medbury, former head of Strybing Arboretum - he drove me out to West Portal just to see it. When you see this large tree, out in plain view in a front yard, you know that you're seeing something out of the ordinary. Like its relatives the Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla) and monkey puzzle tree (Auraucaria araucana), the bunya-bunya has a distinctive silhouette. The tree's branches are spaced evenly along the trunk, giving the tree a symmetrical (some would say "odd") look. Bunya-bunyas are large trees, occasionally reaching over 100 feet, and this mature specimen has developed the tree's characteristic rounded crown. The tree is native to the Bunya Mountains of Queensland in northern Australia.
Perhaps the most unusual feature of the bunya-bunya is its football-sized cone, which can weigh 10-15 pounds (the record is held by a 17-pounder). The cones, which set only every 3 years, are produced high in the tree's canopy and can cause serious injury when they fall. (I'm not aware that this tree has ever produced cones - maybe because there aren't other bunya-bunyas nearby - so this one is safe to visit!) Each cone produces 50 to 100 large edible seeds, or bunya nuts. The nuts were a food source for Queensland's aborigines. When the cones set, the aborigines put aside their tribal differences and feasted. They headed for the Bunya Mountains, where each tribe owned a particular tree. (Visitors to Bunya Mountains National Park can still see the notches that were carved into the trees to facilitate climbing for the harvest.)
Bunya nuts are still eaten today and are a delicacy in Australia. They can be eaten raw or roasted, and the nuts' flour can be used to make breads and cakes.
This is a rare tree in the Bay Area, but some other places where you can see bunya-bunyas: in front of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, at 1517 Shattuck Ave, at 1818 California Street in Pacific Heights; and at the base of Hyde Street, below Bay Street, near Fisherman's Wharf.
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5. Arcadia 2007: Artists Celebrate Trees - Save the Date - April 23
Friends of the Urban Forest again brings you Arcadia: Artists celebrate Trees. The art auction and soiree hosted by Friends of the Urban Forest will be held on Monday, April 23 at the California Modern Gallery located at 1035 Market St. With help from sponsors like Esurance, the event again boasts magnificent tree themes and representations from artists like Paul Madonna, this promises to be an exciting opportunity to enjoy and purchase beautiful art while supporting the beautification of our community. A preview of the pieces for sale will be open Sunday, April 22. For information please contact arcadia@cbcsanfrancisco.com or visit www.fuf.net/arcadia. By phone call (415) 821-9693. We hope to see you there.
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Sincerely,
Friends of the Urban Forest
www.fuf.net
Friends of the Urban Forest · Edie Road, Building # 1007 · P.O. Box 29456 ·Presidio of San Francisco · San Francisco · CA · 94129-0456
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