Muni Forward, the SFTMA's ongoing project to improve bus and train service around the city, is currently slated to arrive in the Haight in 2017. The SFMTA will add bulb-outs, move and eliminate some Muni stops along the 7 line, and bring in some pedestrian upgrades, like sidewalk leveling.

The project has been a point of contention with some neighborhood groups, particularly the Haight Ashbury Merchants Association, for two reasons. The first is that 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love, and the neighborhood is expecting a huge influx of people. Ongoing construction could make that process more difficult.

The second is that, while the Muni Forward plan has been funded and is being implemented, the Haight Ashbury Public Realm Plan still hasn't received funding, despite years of work on the part of HAMA. Some components of the PRP overlap with Muni Forward, but many do not.

Specifically, the plans diverge on concept of greening in the Haight. A popular element of the PRP was to include additional trees or planters with drought-resistant greenery on Haight, with an ongoing maintenance plan built into funding.

The Muni Forward Plan, however, calls for several trees to be removed and relocated in the neighborhood. So far, SF Public Works is aiming to remove about 35 trees along the Haight's commercial corridor between Masonic and Stanyan Streets, a number that could go up or down depending on how things shake out once work begins.

The tree pictured is slated for removal, due to larger limbs and several structural injuries to the trunk.

Removing 35 trees would mean axing more than a third (37 percent) of the trees on Haight Street, along with up to 8 percent more that are currently on a "maybe" list for removal.

Chris Buck and Martha Ketterer at SF Public Works say the goal is to do a one-to-one replacement for the removed trees, and possibly add more trees overall. The difference will be that the new trees, by and large, won't be along the Haight corridor. Instead, they'll be placed around corners and on side streets, so that the streetscape will still seem green without the issues of crooked sidewalks and blocked street lights.

The tree on the Haight side of Magnolia Pub is on the "maybe" list. It has structural damage, but could potentially survive sidewalk re-leveling.

Generally speaking, the trees marked for removal are coming down for one of three reasons. The first is that the tree has seen extensive damage to its trunk or limbs and therefore has "reduced vigor," which makes it a public safety issue. The second is that the sidewalk has extensive damage and needs to be re-leveled again as a public safety concern, and the tree cannot endure that kind of maintenance. The third is that when the tree was planted, it was either planted too close to streetlights or utility poles and is now dangerous, or it has begun to lean in toward a building or a nearby pole and now poses a danger.

The tree on the corner of Haight & Ashbury is slated for removal because it's too close to the streetlight.

The timeline for the project is still open-ended, as HAMA is currently trying to persuade the city to put off the project until 2018, so as not to coincide with the Summer of Love anniversary. Once a firmer timeline is drawn up, SF Public Works plans to meet individually with property owners who are losing trees or whose trees are on the 'maybe' list, to discuss removal and replacement options.

The tree outside Distractions is slated for removal due to several cracks in the trunk, one of which was caused by the signpost nailed into it.

As of this writing, SF Public Works didn't have a map available of all the trees scheduled for removal/replacement, but they will in the near future. We'll keep you posted, as always.