Grand jury warns Glen Canyon Park needs wildfire vegetation management

Glen Canyon Park’s aging blue gum eucalyptus could turn a foggy canyon into a wildfire corridor if dry winds and red flag conditions line up. The June 4 report, Red Flag Warning: Wildfire Risk in San Francisco’s Glen Canyon, calls for vegetation management to reduce the chance of fire in one of the city’s least expected risk zones.

The city’s low CAL FIRE wildfire rating does not mean zero risk, especially when red flag warnings and Diablo wind events can quickly raise danger in a dense urban park with heavy fuel loads. The 2025 Pacific Palisades fire in Los Angeles showed that fire can erupt in places people assume are safe when vegetation is not properly managed.

Management of eucalyptus and other vegetation is split among the Recreation and Parks Department, the Department of Public Works, the Public Utilities Commission and the San Francisco Unified School District. That division complicates coordination, even as the canyon remains a place where nearby residents, schools and evacuation routes could face consequences if a fire starts.

San Francisco Recreation and Park Department documents identified Glen Canyon Park as a high-priority tree-risk assessment site years ago. A 2012 tree assessment and preservation plan, funded through Proposition 84, evaluated tree health, structural condition, risk of failure and the effects of park renovation work. That assessment examined about 427 trees in the park and found roughly 80 percent in poor condition.

The 2012 renovation process included more than 12 community meetings. A 2012 project update said 6 trees would be removed because of the new park design, 52 because of poor health, structural defects or hazards, and 163 new trees would be planted.

A resolution was introduced at the Board of Supervisors on June 16, 2026, to respond to the grand jury findings and urge implementation of the accepted recommendations.