The campus has grown over time, with new buildings bringing new, unique landscapes resulting in a lack of cohesion. The urban forest–established with the campus–is aging and beginning to decline, triggering the need for reforestation.
The LFFMP provides a framework for these efforts, and will guide future development toward a unified vision. Strategies include creating a diverse canopy in terms of age, species, and layers. Trees will be located to consider future development, view corridors, wayfinding, utility easements, and maintenance needs. The understory draws from the ecology of Lake Merced, pulling it into campus along the historic creek corridor. The understory then transitions to the urban streetscapes along 19th and Holloway Avenues. Strategies include using primarily native species with a natural or contemporary aesthetic depending on location, reducing lawn to high use areas, and reinforcing zones (i.e. living/learning), within the campus through planting palettes and composition.
