Friend of the Month | David Moore

Meet David Moore, an urban forestry leader who spent seven years overseeing the City of Oakland's Parks and Tree Services Team—and became one of FOSC's most valued partners along the way. We'll miss working with David in Oakland, but we're thrilled to see him take on his new challenge leading San Francisco's Bureau of Urban Forestry.

FOSC: What first drew you to the field of forestry?

David: I spent my childhood summers on Lake Champlain in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State at a sleepaway camp called Dudley. My family is from that part of the country and spent many generations living humbly in the woods — so I probably had it baked into my genes! I really enjoyed AP Biology class in high school, and when it came time to apply for college, I took interest in programs with the word “forest” in them. As a 17-year-old, I figured it sounded like fun.

But then, a year or so into my Bachelor of Science at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, I realized that my “forestry” major actually pertained to the profession of managing and cutting down trees for timber (and all the sciences associated with that). I was kind of surprised by that — but stuck with it. I loved being immersed in trees but figured I wasn’t meant to live in a remote area managing timber harvests. I’d rather be around people and trees.

So I pursued my Master’s in Public Policy and soon after started a career with trees in big cities like London, England; New York City; Oakland, California; and now San Francisco.

FOSC: What is your connection to the Sausal Creek Watershed?

David: As a relative newcomer to California, I read up on local history to better understand the region. I learned that Oakland has (or had) several creeks running from the hills down to the Bay — but they are mostly hidden or underground due to development. What treasures we have buried!

Working for the City of Oakland, I knew there was a long-standing partnership with Friends of Sausal Creek. FOSC has taught me quite a bit about the sections of the creek you have adopted, including Fern Ravine — which is definitely the best section of Joaquin Miller Park, thanks to your stewardship.

FOSC: Looking back at your time with the City of Oakland’s Parks and Tree Services Team, what accomplishments are you most proud of — especially those tied to ecological restoration and wildfire resilience in the Sausal Creek Watershed?

David: I think that the partnerships with Friends of Sausal Creek, Friends of Joaquin Miller Park, and Cal Fire in Joaquin Miller Park stand out as being really important. Due to a lack of funding, deferred maintenance in the park led to tons of downed trees and vegetation piling up — which was unsightly and raised concerns about wildfire risk.

In early 2024, Cal Fire offered their hand crews to remove downed trees and vegetation, and they've been working in the park for over a year. City staff tackled the larger trees, Friends of Joaquin Miller Park continued filling dumpsters with smaller vegetation, and Friends of Sausal Creek performed biological monitoring to ensure no one accidentally removed protected native plants during the operations.

The partnership continues to this day, and everyone feels good about the accomplishments and teamwork out there. The park hasn’t looked this good in over a decade — though there’s still more work to be done.

FOSC: You and your team have been incredibly attentive and collaborative partners, especially around forest health in Joaquin Miller Park and Dimond Canyon. What helped foster that level of responsiveness and care in your approach to this work?

David: During those big storms in January through April 2023, we were working non-stop for months, and it took us until June to finish cleaning up the downed trees. Under a mess of fallen pine trees in Joaquin Miller Park was a pallid manzanita, and our contractor broke off a branch during the cleanup.

Friends of Sausal Creek brought this to our attention and made sure we performed mitigation. That moment turned out to be a blessing — it brought us together to focus on strategies for accomplishing more work collaboratively. We found we had a lot of common ground.

This marked the beginning of a new phase of partnership, where we assisted their work at several locations including Barry Place and Fern Ravine. It’s rewarding to see these accomplishments, and that motivates people to continue doing the work.

FOSC: From your perspective, how has the partnership with FOSC shaped or supported the City’s goals around forest management and public safety?

David: FOSC has played a critical role in the partnership with Cal Fire performing vegetation management in Joaquin Miller Park. Cal Fire is relieved to see FOSC at each job site so they can ensure there is no collateral damage while removing invasive plants.

Forest health and fire prevention goals often overlap — so it's a win-win for everyone.

FOSC: Congratulations on your new role! Can you share what you’ll be doing in this next chapter?

David: In May, I started a new position as the Bureau of Urban Forestry Superintendent for the City and County of San Francisco. Our bureau manages the City's 100,000+ street trees, the landscaping of boulevards and medians, and concrete repair. We have our own street tree nursery, which is pretty amazing.

There are about 120 employees in total, plus many contractors. Overall, I enjoy the brisk pace of San Francisco and the density of so many people — it’s very interesting. The work is very diverse, and I’m still coming up to speed with all aspects of it. Ask me again in a year and I’ll have more to share!

FOSC: Looking ahead, what emerging practices or tools do you think will shape the future of forestry in California?

David: I’m always curious to learn more about climate change modeling, tree species migration, and fire ecology. Matt Ritter from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Dave Muffly are two practitioners who have a lot of knowledge on these subjects. They have recommendations for which types of native tree species from the south have a likely future in the Bay Area.

I’m also keen on California ReScape — they have great resources to inform the average person on how to make landscape decisions that work with the land and reduce unnecessary consumption of resources. I hope for a future where people’s yards look less like mini-golf courses and more like native plant gardens.

Though David will be missed, our partnership with the City of Oakland's Parks and Tree Services Team lives on through our ongoing collaboration with Gordon Matassa, Isaac Harvey, and Tod Lawsen—ensuring the important work in the Sausal Creek Watershed continues.