If you have any questions about these projects, please contact the Presidio Trust Public Affairs Office at (415) 561-5418.

Julius Kahn Reforestation

Julius Kahn Playground is located on the Presidio’s southern board between the Arguello and Presidio Gates. In summer 2007, eighteen aging Monterey cypress and one Monterey pine tree were removed from the area near the tennis courts. Approximately 100 young Monterey cypress seedlings were planted in winter 2007.

The Julius Kahn Reforestation project continues in 2008 with the removal of 30 aging Monterey Cypress. In fall/winter, approximately 120 young Monterey Cypress trees will be planted.

Arguello Historic Stand

At the Arguello Historic Stand, located near the Presidio Golf Course clubhouse, 60 unhealthy trees were replaced with 200 young Monterey cypress in 2005. In 2006, 48 dying Monterey cypress were replaced with 130 young Monterey cypress. In 2007 and 2008, a total of sixty aging Monterey cypress trees were removed. In fall/winter 2008, the site will be replanted with approximately 100 young Monterey Cypress trees.

Kobbe Key Historic Stand

Revitalization of the Kobbe Key Historic Stand, located near the World War II Memorial, began in 2004, when 30 unhealthy trees were removed and 100 Monterey pine and cypress were planted. The project entered its second phase in September 2005 with the removal of 25 declining trees and the replanting of 100 Monterey pines selected to be tolerant of pine pitch canker. In 2006, 40 dying trees were replaced with 120 Monterey pine and cypress. In 2007, 30 aging Monterey pines and Monterey cypress and 10 Blue gum eucalyptus will be removed. In winter 2007-08, 140 Monterey cypress and pine pitch canker tolerant Monterey pine were planted.

In 2008, approximately 15 aging Monterey Cypress and Pine will be removed from this area. In fall/winter, the site will be replanted with 150 young Monterey Cypress and Pine trees.

Redwood Reforestation on Arguello Boulevard

In summer 2006, the Presidio Trust began establishing a redwood grove near the park’s Infantry Terrace neighborhood (at the intersection of Arguello and Thomas). Crews removed diseased and aging trees, including 30 Blackwood acacia, four Monterey pines, and one eucalyptus. They were replaced with 100 coast redwoods. Currently, Redwood trees constitute almost 5 percent of the Presidio’s 300-acre historic forest.

In 2008, approximately 50 Blackwood acacia and four Monterey Pine trees will be removed. In fall/winter, the site will be replanted with 120 young Coast Redwood trees.

Pine Experimental Site

In 2003, nearly an acre of unhealthy trees was removed from the west side of Highway 1 north of Kobbe Avenue. Foresters from U.C. Davis and the Trust identified and cloned Presidio pines that showed resistance to pine pitch canker disease. In 2004, more than 140 of the experimental disease-resistant pines were planted at the site and appear to be thriving.

Oak Reforestation Site

Aging cypress trees located south of the Infantry Terrace neighborhood have been removed and replaced with 74 healthy coast live oaks. Oaks were selected for the site due to its rich soil and ample moisture. The oak typically grows slowly, but the new trees are healthy and growing well.

West Pacific Grove Reforestation

After years of poor maintenance and “topping,” trees near Julius Kahn Playground have become misshapen and diseased. The grove is now being replanted in phases. Revitalization began in 2002/03, when 150 thriving Monterey and Gowan cypress replaced dying trees. The young trees are now more than 25 feet tall. Thinning to give the trees proper spacing will occur over the next two years. In 2004, a 1.8 acre area to the east was reforested with 250 cypress trees. The third phase of replanting took place in 2007/08 as ten aging Monterey cypress trees were removed to allow for the winter planting of 60-75 young Monterey cypress trees just west of Lovers’ Lane.