The Trees of San Francisco

The Trees of San Francisco introduces readers to the rich variety of trees that thrive in San Francisco’s unique conditions. San Francisco’s cool Mediterranean climate has made it home to interesting and unusual trees from all over the world – trees as colorful and exotic as the city itself.

This new guide combines engaging descriptions of sixty-five different trees with color photos that reflect the visual appeal of San Francisco. Each page covers a different tree, with several paragraphs of interesting text accompanied by one or two photos. Each entry for a tree also lists locations where “landmark” specimens of the tree can be found. Interspersed throughout the book are sidebar stories of general interest related to San Francisco’s trees. The Trees of San Francisco also includes a dozen tree tours that will link landmark trees and local attractions in interesting San Francisco neighborhoods such as the Castro, Pacific Heights and the Mission – walks that will appeal to tourists as well as Bay Area natives.

Mike Sullivan grew up in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York, where his love of trees began. He graduated from Williams College in 1981 and the University of Michigan Law School in 1984, when he moved to San Francisco to become a corporate lawyer. In the early 1990s he joined local tree planting organization called Friends of the Urban Forest as a volunteer, later serving on the group’s board of directors for 12 years and as President of the Board for several years. Sullivan served on the San Francisco Urban Forestry Council from 2003-2005, and on the City’s Recreation and Park Commission from 2007-2010. He lives in San Francisco’s Parnassus Heights neighborhood with his husband Paul and 9 year old son Joseph, who was born the same week the family planted the now 25 ft. soapbark tree (Quillaja saponaria) in front of the family home.

Preface
Introduction
The Trees
Walking Tours
The Best Trees
Selected Bibliography
Index of Trees by Common Name
Index of Trees by Scientific Name