San Mateo Park

Island Captains   

Street Trees Care

Street Tree Designations      

Island and Tree Plan

Tree Info and Lore

Island Cleanup

Park Re-forestation Continues per Master Plan

The Park’s trees help define our neighborhood (check out an aerial photograph of the Peninsula if you doubt this!) and, for many residents, are among its most precious resources. Famed landscape architect John McLaren (who designed Golden Gate Park) laid out our wide winding streets. He conceived of our islands as focal points for a carefully planned landscape of small “parks” and complementary street trees. However, McLaren planted the area at the beginning of the 20th century. Those original trees that survive are nearing the end of their expected lives, and the Park is facing several decades of replacement planting. 

Fortunately, re-forestation of the Park is well underway. About 15 years ago, the Park Association Board surveyed Park residents about our impending tree crisis. There was overwhelming support for maintaining the flavor of McLaren’s original design, including using tall trees and a relatively small number of different species. In particular, residents did not want a hodgepodge of street trees, varying house by house along our blocks. Instead, they wanted to maintain McLaren’s consistency and harmony between street and island trees in the Park’s many micro-neighborhoods. Based on this feedback, we commissioned urban foresters very familiar with McLaren’s work in Golden Gate Park to recreate his vision for our neighborhood. Working with the City of San Mateo, we updated McLaren’s original plan, maintaining his species list but replacing trees that are not viable in today’s urban landscape with species of similar form and size. (For example, Chinese Hackberry replaces the disease-prone Elms that were Clark Drive’s original street trees.) We now have a master planting plan that will guide the City’s street and island tree planting for the next 50 years. 

Phase I of this plan, replanting our islands, is essentially complete. These days, work on the islands consists mainly of replacing individual trees as they die and cleaning up the “understory” or groundscapes. Now, in Phase II, our principal focus is on replenishing our street trees and correcting some of the ad hoc planting that has occurred. The island and street trees are all public property or public easements: both planting and removal require City approval. But we are fortunate that the City is a full partner in our plan to perpetuate McLaren’s unique landscape.

From Park residents we need continued cooperation and support. Please don’t plant trees in our islands and sidewalk strips that are not part of the plan for restoring McLaren’s unique urban forest.  Do volunteer to give our new trees a good start by watering them.

You can see the difference planned, coordinated planting makes by comparing streets and blocks around the neighborhood. Hurlingham, for example, has quite a hodgepodge of street tree species that vary from property to property, as well as in front of individual homes. Although we have started replanting this street according to the master plan, it will take cooperation from its residents and many years of thoughtful replacement planting to restore an integrated landscape design to this area. By contrast, the lower West Bellevue streetscape is united by a stand of locusts. (Note the many new locusts that have been planted to refurbish this area.)

Unfortunately, some areas of the Park have had street or island trees planted  without a permit and not in accordance with the master plan. When you have street trees in front of your house that need replacement, please consider that what is planted will affect the appearance of your block and this neighborhood for the next 50 – 100 years! And remember, a permit from the City of San Mateo is required to plant trees in the sidewalk easement strip in front of your house. Consulting the master plan for the Park and planting within its guidelines will enhance real estate values from the “street appeal” of your block. Beyond that, it is the neighborly thing to do! Only through Park-wide adherence to the master plan can we restore the original, cohesive and elegant look of our streets.

If you need a new or replacement street tree in front of your property, please contact Park Association Board member Sue Lloyd at 347-6871. She can tell you what trees are sanctioned by the plan, and arrange for the City or the Park Association to acquire and cover the costs of the tree(s). If you have questions about the master plan and how it affects “your” island or street trees, please explore our website for more information, ask your island representative or contact any member of the Park Association’s Board of Directors. Working together, we can preserve and restore the heritage landscape that defines the Park.

FINANCING THE PARK'S RE-FORESTATION: With the help of Park resident Mike Strambi, we have won three successive grants from the RELEAF organization, enabling us to purchase over 300 trees for our streets and islands in recent years.  Park Association Board member Sue Lloyd has put in innumerable hours on these grant projects, identifying where trees were needed, contacting homeowners and pulling it all off in wonderful community tree planting days. Thanks to the many volunteers from the Park and the City (especially our terrific allies, Dennis Pawl, Mark Camfield, Tony Zumba and their colleagues in the Landscape Maintenance Dept.) for your efforts!