Presidio has big natural resource plans
'Sneak peek' focuses on trees, overlooks and counting bats, Tree crew works to extend the life span of 123-year-old forest

by Eric Cagan

More than two dozen Presidio sites will be transformed during the next year as restoration, maintenance and other projects get underway. Scattered across the park landscape, the projects will further enhance the 1,000 acres of wildflower meadows, gardens and forest groves that comprise the Presidio's natural areas.

The Presidio Trust offered the park's outdoor enthusiasts a glimpse of the array of projects at an open house June 17, at the Golden Gate Club in the Presidio.

"We want to let people know what they can expect to see on their walks and bike rides around the park - not only so they won't be taken by surprise by the work, but also to get them excited about the changes and improvements they'll see throughout the Presidio," says Damien Raffa, the education and volunteer program manager with the Presidio Trust.

Among the projects to be undertaken are trails, bikeways and overlooks.

Construction of the National Cemetery Overlook will begin this summer. The Presidio's fourth major scenic overlook will offer sweeping views beyond the cemetery to the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands and San Francisco Bay. Work will begin in the fall on the next major section of the Park Trail, a major north-south trail that connects Mountain Lake to Crissy Field. The final leg of the Presidio Promenade, which links the Lombard Gate to the Golden Gate Bridge, will be completed in July.

Work will begin on the Lobos Creek Valley Overlook, located on the western edge of the Public Health Service Hospital site near Lake Street and 15th Avenue, and on a section of the Juan Bautista de Anza Trail that passes through the site. Improvements to the Presidio's network of trails, bikeways and overlooks are made possible by a gift and challenge grant from the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr., fund, and are being undertaken in partnership with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the National Parks Service.

Natural Resources Staff and volunteers at the Presidio nursery will plant more than 67,000 plants this year, the largest concentration of which will be at El Polin Springs, where more than 19,000 seeds will be planted as part of the larger Tennessee Hollow Watershed restoration project.

With seeds for more than 100 species collected, the project is the most biologically diverse restoration project undertaken so far at the Presidio.

Following similar surveys of bees and spiders, a year-long bat inventory will be completed this summer. Preliminary data has confirmed three bat species in the Presidio.

Forestry
As part of the ongoing Redwood reforestation project, 100 young Coast Redwoods will be planted this fall in the Presidio along Arguello Boulevard, south of Thomas Avenue.

As well, this fall 100 young Monterey Cypress will be planted in the third phase of the Julius Kahn reforestation project and 100 young Monterey Cypress will be planted in the fourth phase of the West Pacific reforestation project.

Landscape Crews will put the finishing touches on a major expansion and upgrade of the Rob Hill Campground, San Francisco's only overnight campground, which is scheduled to re-open in time for the 2010 season. For details and a complete list of projects, visit the Web site at www.presidio.gov.

Volunteerism
Park visitors are encouraged to help restore and enhance the Presidio's natural areas. The Trust offers a broad range of weekly and monthly volunteer opportunities, everything from habitat restoration to trail maintenance and reforestation.

In addition, groups and organizations including businesses, churches, schools and others can schedule their own group service days.

For more information on volunteering at the Presidio, visit www.presidio.gov/experiences/volunteer or contact the volunteer coordinator at (415) 561-5333 or via e-mail at volunteer@presidio trust.gov.

The Presidio Forest
On Arbor Day, April 24, the Presidio forest celebrated its 123rd birthday. The historic forest is one of the Presidio's defining features, with 300 acres of eucalyptus, pine and cypress.

The forest is the most dramatic example of how people shaped the Presidio's landscape. Its 40,000 trees provide an important wildlife habitat (the forest is home to more than 250 different species of birds) and contributes to the Presidio's National Historic Landmark status.

In the late 1800s, the Army began the difficult task of transforming the Presidio from mostly open sand dunes to a richly forested, park-like reserve, similar to New York's Central Park. Following a plan developed by Major William A. Jones, the Army planted some 100,000 trees over 14 years along the Presidio's ridges and entrance gates. The first trees, donated by Adolph Sutro, were planted in 1886, on Arbor Day.

The eucalyptus, pine and cypress groves accentuated the post's size, sheltered it from wind and created a clear visual distinction from the surrounding City. It was one of the Army's most impressive accomplishments in landscape architecture. No other military installation in the nation has ever undertaken landscape planning on such a grand scale.

The relatively short period of time during which the trees were planted, however, created an "even-aged" forest. And while the eucalyptus have thrived, the cypress and pine have begun declining simultaneously.

Presidio forester Peter Ehrlich is leading an ambitious effort to revitalize the forest over the next several decades.

"The goal," says Ehrlich, "is to create an 'uneven-aged' forest that can be more easily sustained and will be a healthier forest in the long run."

Each year the Presidio Trust replants two to three acres of pine and cypress. Since 2002, more than 2,000 trees have been planted, with a careful eye "towards preserving the qualities that define the forest's character, like the orderly, military alignment of the trees," according to Ehrlich.

Ehrlich said staying one step ahead of nature is a daunting challenge, one that often requires use of the latest scientific methods. Several years ago, in the face of an outbreak of pitch canker disease among Presidio Pines, Ehrlich and his staff, along with foresters from UC Davis, identified, then cloned Presidio Pines that showed resistance to the disease. In 2004, more than 140 of the experimental, disease-resistant trees were planted. Five years later, they appear to be thriving.

Current efforts are focused on finding a less aggressive and invasive replacement for the Tasmanian blue gum, a eucalyptus tree that can live to be 300 years old and is the most populous tree in the Presidio. The new tree, Ehrlich says, would look the same as a blue gum and be the same height, "only without the aggressiveness."

Ehrlich came to the Presidio in 2000, after serving as San Francisco's urban forester, a role in which he oversaw the care of trees in Golden Gate Park and all of the city's neighborhood parks, golf courses and open spaces.

"Hopefully people will enjoy watching the growth of the new forest," Ehrlich said. "Through our education efforts, we can create a better understanding that what we're doing is best for sustaining the long-term health of the forest."

For more information about the Presidio Trust's reforestation efforts, visit the Web site at www.presidio.gov/nature/forest.