Street Tree Nursery
San Francisco’s Street Tree Nursery is sprouting up between two freeways and the downtown skyline. Amidst the whiz of cars and trucks, Public Works’ new nursery will grow up to 1,000 trees for future planting on city streets. The facility provides a locally based system of tree propagation and care as well as volunteer, educational and workforce development opportunities.
The Street Tree Nursery will be the headquarters for street tree planting in San Francisco. Thousands of trees are scheduled to be grown and planted thanks to a recently awarded $12M Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Grant. Neighborhoods at-risk from climate change - including the least leafy and most prone to heat waves – will be prioritized for planting. The nursery complements Public Works’ StreetTreeSF program, which is responsible for ongoing maintenance of the City’s 125,000 street trees.
Situated on a once-vacant 14,000-square-foot freeway parcel, the nursery features a central growing area, outdoor gathering spaces, landscaping, classroom and offices. An onsite solar system powers all buildings, computers, and appliances with 100% greenhouse gas-free electricity. The nursery brings more trees and green space to the South of Market neighborhood boosting its small tree canopy and filtering pollution from freeway traffic.
The Street Tree Nursery at 415 Fifth St. is uniquely located between the Fifth Street on and off-ramps to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Left photo 2020 (before); Right photo 2023 (after).
GET INVOLVED
Visiting the Street Tree Nursery
Currently, the nursery is only open to the public during special events. If you are interested in learning about upcoming events or scheduling a tour, please contact: streettreenursery@sfdpw.org
Volunteer Opportunities
To become a volunteer at the nursery or to be alerted to upcoming volunteer activities, please contact: streettreenursery@sfdpw.org
Green Jobs Training
Find out more information on the New Roots workforce development program or to apply for a position.
Public Works Director Carla Short, Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor London Breed and Public Works Deputy Director of Operations DiJaida Durden celebrate the ribbon-cutting of the Street Tree Nursery (November 2023) with Bureau of Urban Forestry staff Christopher Reed, Salina Mickles and Jay Ford.
Mission
San Francisco Public Works is one of the largest and most complex municipal operations in the City, with a 1,600-member workforce and a $384 million annual operating budget. The department's active capital project portfolio exceeds $3 billion. As one of San Francisco oldest City departments, it is also one of the most forward-thinking. Keeping San Francisco beautiful, safe and sustainable.
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