About us
CityTrees is a volunteer-run organization in Redwood City, CA that works with local partners and community volunteers to promote a vibrant urban canopy within our community. The team works to ensure an equitable spread of trees across all areas of our community, wherever possible.
Our Mission is to improve the quality of life in the greater Redwood City area through a coordinated program of education, outreach, and advocacy for tree planting, maintenance and support.
Our history
In 1998, Jane Taylor volunteered to help the Public Works Department track trees planted on Redwood City-owned properties. In working on the City’s database, Jane noticed that her hometown was sadly lacking in trees. She enlisted neighbor Jack Stephens to establish a group that would help plant and maintain trees in public spaces in Redwood City. Then-mayor Ira Ruskin and the city arborist supported the concept.
The pair established a steering committee and began to search for funding. In the summer of 2000, CityTrees was officially established. A grant for operating expenses was awarded by Safe Trees and a second grant to purchase trees came from California ReLeaf.
Since the beginning, CityTrees has fostered a strong relationship with Redwood City’s Public Works Department, which assists the organization in planting and pruning trees on city-owned property. CityTrees provides planning, volunteers, and tree expertise. The Department of Public Works provides infrastructure support.
During the last 20 years, CityTrees Board members and volunteers have planted nearly 4,000 trees and pruned over 4,000. Hundreds of youth and adults have benefited from educational programs and events, such as school plantings, tree walks, demonstration plantings, pruning seminars, and a hands-on urban forestry program for middle school students.
Board of Directors
President
Filip Crnogorac has been volunteering with CityTrees since 2015, serving as past Events Co-Chair, Pruning Program Director and now President. His first civic involvement in Redwood City was an ordinance update to allow beekeeping. Now he hopes to update the tree ordinance to protect our heritage oaks.
Filip is excited to plant drought tolerant native trees that will contribute to the city’s urban forest for generations to come. Filip also serves on the Redwood City Planning Commission.
Vice President
David Grabel has been volunteering with CityTrees since 2013 and has been on the Board of Directors since 2016.
David is a 25-year resident of Redwood City. His daughter Elana (which means “tree” in Hebrew!) has been known to occasionally show up at Prune and Pubs.
David is now retired after working in the high tech industry for over 30 years.
Treasurer
Brooke Olson is a native of California, and has lived in Redwood City since 2018. Brooke is a longtime fan of trees and the positive environmental impact the forest has on the surrounding world. Brooke works in the tech industry by day and when not supporting CityTrees, loves to scuba dive and participate in other outdoor activities.
Planting Program Manager
Pat Sehl has called Redwood City home since 1997 and has volunteered with CityTrees since 2005. She also volunteers as a tutor with Healthy City Tutoring, working with students in the Redwood City School District. As part of Redwood City’s 150th anniversary celebration, she was selected as one of the participants in The Faces of Our Community Project to acknowledge her work and volunteer efforts in the community. Pat enjoys gardening, hiking, and watching Warriors basketball. Before retiring, Pat worked in the biotech industry as well as in education.
Education
Tom Cronin has lived in Redwood City for 40 years. He has been on the Board of CityTrees since 2002. Tom has been active on the board in many roles including chair, program manager, fundraising and the education coordinator. He enjoys getting out with community members to plant and prune trees in greater Redwood City. As the education chair, Tom has worked with students from elementary to college to get them excited about our urban forest.
Pruning Program manager
Simms Duncan has served on the CityTrees’ Board since 2012, most recently as Board President, and he volunteered with CityTrees for 5 years before that. Simms also served on the Board of Port Commissioners for the Port of Redwood City from 2014-2022. In his professional life, Simms is a finance executive in the solar energy industry. Simms has lived in the Mount Carmel neighborhood of Redwood City since 1999. He is married and has 2 sons.
Arborist
James Biddle is originally from Annapolis, MD; his wife and him (along with their dog, Oliver) are newer residents of the Bay Area. His most recent professional role before relocating to Stanford was as an Urban Forester for the city of Washington, DC. James graduated from the University of Vermont in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry. Having grown up and worked in the Mid-Atlantic region, James is excited to take on the new challenge of learning the ecosystem of the west coast. Outside of work, James enjoys cycling, reading, watching Survivor, and exploring new places with our dog
Georgi LaBerge, a native of Colorado, has lived in Redwood City for more than 60 years. Her professional career includes serving as executive director of the San Mateo County Community College Foundation and the Redwood City Library Foundation. Georgi was elected to the Redwood City Council in 1986, serving for three terms, two years as mayor.
John Lombardo is a native of the Bay Area, has lived in Redwood City since 2010, and started volunteering with CityTrees in 2017. In addition to CityTrees, he is an active volunteer with his local St. Vincent de Paul chapter as well as Habitat for Humanity Global Village. He has spent his career working in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, and also enjoys cooking, gardening, and rooting for his local sports teams.
Autumn Quinn is a native of California, and has lived in Redwood City since 2012. Autumn’s interest in CityTrees began with their pruning program, and her passion for pruning fruit trees for better productivity and tree health. She’s thrilled to expand her knowledge to also pruning & planting street trees to beautify her city. Autumn works in the tech industry by day, and also assists with the CityTrees web presence.
Jack Stephens has been a Redwood City resident since 1994. He helped to found CityTrees, and served as Secretary until 2018. He has developed industry standards and benchmarks in the database and storage industry for 30 years. In addition to his work at CityTrees, Jack is active in the Peninsula Starlight Rotary Club, and its many hands-on projects.
Nancy Radcliffe joined CityTrees in 2000 when she met founder Jane Taylor at the Partnership Academy for Community Teamwork (PACT). Nancy has served CityTrees in many capacities, including VP of Marketing and Outreach (2016-2018), and now another term as Vice President.
You may also find Nancy volunteering at the Library Foundation, Redwood City International, neighborhood co-chair or as a Chairperson of the Planning Commission. A native Californian, Nancy is proud of her multi-generational connection to Redwood City.
John Crowell has lived in Redwood City for nearly 30 years. He started planting trees with City Trees over twenty years ago as a way to serve his community with his kids and increase our tree canopy. In addition to his interest in trees, John serves as a program manager for the collective impact organization Redwood City Together, sits on the board of Sustainable San Mateo County, tutors multiple Redwood City School District students, and helps prepare meals for distribution by Meals on Wheels. John is a certified California naturalist and an ever-aspiring amateur photographer.
Emeritus
CityTrees Co-Founder Jane Taylor is no longer active in the day-to-day activities of CityTrees, but she remains involved on select projects, is vigilant in watching out for the trees in our community, and educates about the value of trees in urban settings and about how critical trees are in the fight against climate change. Jane lives in Redwood City with her husband Paul and two teenage daughters. She continues to be an active community volunteer for a wide variety of causes, but in particular, for the Girl Scouts, the Redwood City Woman’s Club and as a Sequoia High School Parent. As a fun fact – Jane has had trees in her family going all the way back to ancestor Johnathon Chapman, a.k.a. Johnny Appleseed.
Emeritus
Dan Beeder grew up in Arizona and Colorado and always had a love of the outdoors and a long-time fascination with trees. He first became involved with CityTrees in 2001, becoming a board member shortly thereafter. Dan acted as the CityTrees tree maintenance (pruning) director for about 9 years. He is currently serving as Board Member Emeritus.
Partners
Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE)
CityTrees’s fiscal sponsor is the Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE).
As a fiscal sponsor, SEE incubates projects that will make a cultural impact by creating progressive, social, and environmental change. Their projects provide constructive innovations at grassroots levels and long-term cultural transformation to create a more socially just and environmentally sustainable world.
SEE handles the back office work so that the CityTrees Board time is freed up to focus on fieldwork such as tree planting and pruning. SEE processes all donations for the individual projects, files appropriate paperwork with government agencies, pays the project’s related bills, issues tax receipts to donors, and maintains a professional office for the projects.
Redwood City Department of Public Works
The Redwood City DPW serves our community – to build it, operate it and maintain it so that the community gets the maximum benefit.
Redwood City has been a proud member of Tree City USA for over 35 years! This means the City has made a concerted effort to help trees thrive in Redwood City. The standards for being a Tree City include having the following (per the Arbor Day Foundation):
– A tree board or department.
– A tree care ordinance.
– A Community Forestry Program With an Annual Budget of at Least $2 Per Capita.
– An Arbor day celebration.
Redwood City is one of the longest tenured members on the list, and is proud to support tree care. Trees significantly enhance the overall beauty of the environment and raise the quality of life. They provide value to the community, including environmental, property, and aesthetic benefits. To learn more about Tree City USA or how you can take better care of the trees in your neighborhood, click here.
California ReLeaf
California ReLeaf works statewide to promote alliances among community-based groups, individuals, industry, and government agencies, encouraging each to contribute to the livability of our cities and the protection of our environment by planting and caring for trees. California ReLeaf also serves as the State’s volunteer coordinator for urban forestry in partnership with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.