Planting the right trees in the right place with the right long-term care constitutes a major focus of our organization across all projects and programs. As an essential environmental, economic and community asset, a healthy urban “forest” ensures that Sausalito is a healthy and attractive location for residents, businesses, and visitors alike. For more insight on the importance of trees in Sausalito, please read The Power of Urban Forests.

Sausalito Beautiful’s beginnings are rooted in trees, as our very first completed project was to prune and fertilize the mature trees around Caledonia Street and the Civic Center in 2014.  Since then we have led or partnered on tree projects both large (planting 38 trees of 11 different species at MLK Park) and small (donating 1 olive tree to Cascais Plaza). Our projects have included planting, fertilizing, and pruning trees in Sausalito’s green spaces and even raising money to pay for large plantings. We have also advocated for the preservation of historic trees slated to be removed, and guided the species selection for new development projects. Our primary focus is on caring for the trees we have, and secondarily planting more trees while keeping in mind both climate change and fire safety. In fact, if any organization would like to plant trees on public property, Sausalito Beautiful would like to donate the trees.

Although most of our work thus far focuses on tactical projects on public land, eventually we aim to work towards a more strategic Urban Forest Master Plan which involves public and private trees, serving to guide Sausalito towards a healthy, sustainable, and resilient urban forest.  Trees on private land make up the bulk of our urban canopy thus deserve attention but of course, the City’s care for public trees is paramount—not only because they are a beloved community asset, but also because they set a highly visible example for those who own and care for private trees.