{"id":19272,"date":"2021-07-04T13:39:49","date_gmt":"2021-07-04T20:39:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=19272"},"modified":"2021-07-04T13:39:51","modified_gmt":"2021-07-04T20:39:51","slug":"nearly-50-trees-on-san-franciscos-market-street-threatened","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2021\/07\/04\/nearly-50-trees-on-san-franciscos-market-street-threatened\/","title":{"rendered":"Nearly 50 Trees on San Francisco\u2019s Market Street Threatened"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Posted on\u00a0July 2, 2021<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0SF Forest Alliance<\/a> (sfforestorg)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here we go again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

San Francisco\u2019s cutting down more trees, as though its paltry tree cover \u2013 less than any other major city \u2013 needed further depleting. This time, 49 trees on Market Street are planned to be felled to make way for fancy new BART station entrances<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BART entrance with trees \u2013 Market St San Francisco. (Copyright Lance Carnes)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These trees are part of San Francisco\u2019s green infrastructure that the city should strive to protect, not heedlessly destroy. And they\u2019re habitat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE WESTERN TIGER SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Aside from providing nest sites for birds, these trees are the nursery tree of the beautiful butterfly, the Western Tiger Swallowtail<\/strong>. As early as nine years ago, when the Market Street trees were threatened by an ill-conceived street plan, these butterflies were documented as breeding in the London Plane trees (sycamore) that line both sides of market street. (You can read about that here<\/a> with photos of a just-born butterfly.) These are the famous \u201cTigers of Market Street\u201d that have been written about in the Smithsonian Magazine<\/a>, in National Geographic\u2019s Field Notes<\/a>, in Bay Nature<\/a>. This little urban ecosystem is a San Francisco treasure \u2013 a street that to a bug or bird\u2019s eye, resembles a tree-lined river canyon. Cutting down 50 of these trees is a terrible idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Though the public hearing is over, please do write to SFDPW, your supervisor and to BART about these trees. The relevant Order numbers are: 204929, 204930, 204931, 204932, 204933, 204934, 204935, 204936, 204937, 204938, 204939, 204940, 204941, 204942, 204943)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOT ENOUGH TREES IN SAN FRANCISCO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trees are a vital part of urban infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n