# Friends of the Urban Forest

> San Francisco nonprofit that has planted nearly 60,000 street trees with neighbors since 1981

Source: https://treerm.org/org/friends-of-the-urban-forest · Updated 2026-11-08 · Data license: CC BY 4.0 (https://treerm.org/about#license)

## Facts

- Type: Nonprofit
- Scope: Local
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States
- Founded: 1981
- Website: https://www.friendsoftheurbanforest.org
- Volunteer sign-up: https://www.friendsoftheurbanforest.org/volunteer
- Donate: https://give.friendsoftheurbanforest.org/give/376943/#!/donation/checkout
- Events calendar: https://www.friendsoftheurbanforest.org/volunteer-opportunities
- Countries where they plant: United States
- Activity types: Urban forestry (primary), Tree care & maintenance, Education & advocacy
- Trees on record: 60,000 (larger of latest cumulative figure and sum of annual figures; trees planted or distributed)

## About

Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF) is a San Francisco 501(c)(3) founded in 1981 after the city cut urban forestry funding; its first planting put about 50 trees in Noe Valley. It runs neighborhood Community Tree Planting days and a Tree Care and Watering program, converts sidewalk concrete into native-plant Sidewalk Gardens, and trains young people through the Green Crew and New Roots workforce programs. FUF says it has planted nearly 60,000 trees, about half of San Francisco's street trees, and planted 1,506 new street trees in FY2025, its largest annual total in over a decade.

## Programs

- **Street Tree Planting Program** — Urban forestry (1981–present): Volunteer-powered Community Tree Planting days that add street trees block by block, prioritizing neighborhoods with the lowest tree canopy. https://www.friendsoftheurbanforest.org/volunteer-opportunities
- **Tree Care and Watering Program** — Tree care & maintenance: Pruning, inspection, hardware maintenance and weekly watering of young street trees until they can thrive on their own.
- **Workforce Development (Green Crew and New Roots)** — Education & advocacy: Paid training programs in which young people plant and care for trees while learning arboriculture and nursery skills; New Roots launched in 2023.
- **Sidewalk Gardening Program** — Urban forestry (2010–present): Removes sidewalk concrete and installs mostly native drought-tolerant gardens around street trees; formally launched in 2010.

## Metrics

> Note: FUF's cumulative total is given only as 'nearly 60,000 trees' on its homepage, so the 60,000 figure is an upper rounding; the 50,000th tree was planted in 2015. The 619 trees planted by workforce-development participants in FY2025 are reported separately and are probably a subset of the 1,506 street trees, not additional. FUF's fiscal year ends June 30.

| Metric | Year | Value | Cumulative | Program | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---:|---|---|---|---|
| Funds raised (USD) | 2025 | 5,232,032 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://www.friendsoftheurbanforest.org/_files/ugd/f2e7e3_ae868b6ce3ba4db3a155370c490f0046.pdf) 2025 Annual Impact Report, p.12 Financials: total income $5,232,031.76 (grants 73%, donations 25%); expenses $5,391,171.48 |
| Trees planted | 2026 | 60,000 | yes (to date) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://www.friendsoftheurbanforest.org/) Homepage: 'We've planted nearly 60,000 TREES', 'half of San Francisco's street trees' (accessed Nov 2026); Our Story page notes the 50,000th tree was planted in 2015 |
| Volunteers engaged | 2025 | 1,846 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://www.friendsoftheurbanforest.org/_files/ugd/f2e7e3_ae868b6ce3ba4db3a155370c490f0046.pdf) 2025 Annual Impact Report, p.9: 'In FY2025, 1,846 volunteers contributed 6,806 hours to planting, caring for, and celebrating San Francisco's urban forest' |
| Trees planted | 2025 | 1,506 | no (that year) | Street Tree Planting Program | Self-reported | [source](https://www.friendsoftheurbanforest.org/_files/ugd/f2e7e3_ae868b6ce3ba4db3a155370c490f0046.pdf) 2025 Annual Impact Report, p.4: 'In FY2025, Friends of the Urban Forest planted 1,506 new street trees across San Francisco' (fiscal year ending June 30, 2025) |
| Trees planted | 2025 | 619 | no (that year) | Workforce Development (Green Crew and New Roots) | Self-reported | [source](https://www.friendsoftheurbanforest.org/_files/ugd/f2e7e3_ae868b6ce3ba4db3a155370c490f0046.pdf) 2025 Annual Impact Report, p.6: 'TREES PLANTED BY WFD: 619' (Green Crew 547 + New Roots 72); likely included within the 1,506 street trees |

Confidence labels: self-reported means the organization published the figure itself; independently verified means a third party confirmed it; estimated means TreeRM worked it out, and the note says how.

## Upcoming events

- 2026-11-14 — Chinatown | Community Tree Planting (Volunteer planting), San Francisco — register: https://www.friendsoftheurbanforest.org/events/chinatown-community-treeplanting — https://treerm.org/events/friends-of-the-urban-forest/chinatown-community-tree-planting-2026-11-14-2.md
- 2026-11-14 — Chinatown | Community Tree Planting (Volunteer planting), San Francisco — register: https://d1qieoeoypx.typeform.com/to/Mhr0fQPN#voljob=a13UN00000vJstXYAS — https://treerm.org/events/friends-of-the-urban-forest/chinatown-community-tree-planting-2026-11-14.md
- 2026-12-04 — Bayview | Community Tree Care (Tree care workday), San Francisco — register: https://www.friendsoftheurbanforest.org/events/bayview-community-tree-care-2 — https://treerm.org/events/friends-of-the-urban-forest/bayview-community-tree-care-2026-12-04-2.md
- 2026-12-04 — Bayview | Community Tree Care (Tree care workday), San Francisco — register: https://d1qieoeoypx.typeform.com/to/Mhr0fQPN#voljob=a13UN00000zXw6wYAC — https://treerm.org/events/friends-of-the-urban-forest/bayview-community-tree-care-2026-12-04.md
- 2026-12-05 — Sunset Phase 3 | Community Tree Planting (Volunteer planting), San Francisco — register: https://www.friendsoftheurbanforest.org/events/sunset-phase-3-community-tree-planting-1 — https://treerm.org/events/friends-of-the-urban-forest/sunset-phase-3-community-tree-planting-2026-12-05-2.md
- 2026-12-05 — Sunset Phase 3 | Community Tree Planting (Volunteer planting), San Francisco — register: https://d1qieoeoypx.typeform.com/to/Mhr0fQPN#voljob=a13UN00000wO2AcYAK — https://treerm.org/events/friends-of-the-urban-forest/sunset-phase-3-community-tree-planting-2026-12-05.md
- 2026-12-19 — Visitacion Valley Phase Two | Community Tree Planting (Volunteer planting), San Francisco — register: https://www.friendsoftheurbanforest.org/events/visitacion-valley-pt2-community-tree-planting-1 — https://treerm.org/events/friends-of-the-urban-forest/visitacion-valley-phase-two-community-tree-planting-2026-12-19-2.md
- 2026-12-19 — Visitacion Valley Phase Two | Community Tree Planting (Volunteer planting), San Francisco — register: https://d1qieoeoypx.typeform.com/to/Mhr0fQPN#voljob=a13UN00000vJw98YAC — https://treerm.org/events/friends-of-the-urban-forest/visitacion-valley-phase-two-community-tree-planting-2026-12-19.md

## Links

- instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friendsoftheurbanforest/
- facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfTheUrbanForest
- linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/friends-of-the-urban-forest/
- youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FriendsUrbanForest

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