It is 9 a.m. on a rainy November Saturday. While most of San Francisco is home sleeping, about sixty central Sunset residents are gathered on 21st Avenue ready to plant forty-three trees in front of homes in the area.

Friends of the Urban Forest, or FUF, is a nonprofit organization that is responsible for the planting of one thousand trees in San Francisco annually, making the organization the forerunner in the promotion of a healthier urban ecosystem since the first planting took place in Noe Valley in 1981. "The biggest thing I think about FUF compared to some of the organizations in the city is that we really are community based. The kids come out, the dogs come out, and you learn a new skill. I don't think there's another organization like it," says planting manager Naomi LeBeau, a FUF volunteer for the past two years.

Residents from all over the city contact the organization to request that a tree be planted in front of their home. A minimum of twenty people must request trees from the same neighborhood before a planting is organized. To make this happen, one community member promotes the service. When an adequate number of requests have been placed, community members move forward with organizing the plantings, usually held on Saturdays.

FUF makes trees more accessible to residents by removing sidewalk concrete, supplying planting materials, and providing the trees at a fraction of the amount that it would cost if residents were to contact all of the appropriate people and make all of the efforts themselves. "It saves a lot of money and time spent on the phone," says Martin Turkis, who had a flowering cherry tree planted in front of his home through FUF. Having a tree planted would normally cost a hefty four hundred dollars while planting a tree through FUF costs residents an affordable seventy-five dollars.

Pacific Gas and Electric has donated a large sum of money to help make the plantings possible. "We've donated about four thousand dollars to help make trees cheaper for residents," says Adam Byrnes, a PG&E public affairs representative and FUF board member. "We've also gotten about fifteen employees to help plant [them]."

Once all volunteers are present and accounted for, they are divided into planting groups, each with about four trees to plant. Volunteers who pay for a tree to be planted in front of their house are able to participate in the planting of their own tree.

Eric Bauer, 35, demonstrated the need for taking safety precautions when he hit his head on the stake pounder while driving in one of three stakes used to hold a tree in place. "I'll survive," he says, clutching his blood-soaked baseball cap. "It's a good excuse to sit on the couch all weekend." To avoid such incidents, volunteers are encouraged to wear hard hats.

The planting wrapped up around noon with a potluck and friendly conversation. All were in good spirits, and many had new trees to care for. [X]