Giving New Life to an Old Cedar: A Sustainable Tree Removal Story in Noe Valley

Revitalizing a Beloved Garden with Deep Roots in Family History

In the heart of Noe Valley, one of San Francisco’s most charming neighborhoods, stands a family home rich with memories. Its garden—once shaded by tall evergreens and old shrubs—was ready for a new beginning. The owners, who had grown up in this house, wanted to redesign the landscape while honoring its sentimental past. 

That’s where Arborist Now joined the story. 

Working alongside Cobble and Forge, a San Francisco-based landscape design and build company known for crafting modern, nature-integrated spaces, we were asked to help prepare the property for transformation. Our role was to remove the existing trees and vegetation safely, making space for a new landscape design—while preserving what truly mattered to the family. 

A Tree with History and Heart 

Among the trees slated for removal stood an old incense cedar leaning heavily toward the house. Its trunk had split into multiple stems over the years, its health declining and its structure becoming unstable. For most people, it might have looked like a simple tree removal. 

But for the homeowner, this tree carried deep emotional weight. It had stood there for decades—a familiar sight outside the window since childhood, a living piece of the family’s story. 

When we learned about the sentimental attachment, we knew this wouldn’t just be a removal job—it would be a transformation project. The goal wasn’t to erase the tree’s presence but to give it a second life. 

Protecting the Home, Respecting the Space 

Working in tight urban yards is something Arborist Now has become known for. San Francisco homes — especially in Noe Valley—often have narrow side access, steep slopes, or no room at all for machinery. Hauling large wood sections out can be nearly impossible without creativity and precision. 

For this project, we had to remove the declining cedar entirely by hand and rigging, piece by piece, without damaging the home or the surrounding structures. Our crew installed protective measures throughout the site—plywood barriers, tarps, and paper shields—to guard walls, windows, and pathways. Every cut was calculated, every piece carefully lowered and staged. 

This type of detailed work is where our technical arboriculture expertise shines. It’s not just about taking a tree down; it’s about doing so safely, respectfully, and with the property’s integrity intact. 

Milling On-site: Turning Memory into Material 

Once the cedar was safely dismantled, the story didn’t end there. Instead of hauling the logs away to a landfill or green waste facility—a sadly common practice—we brought in our portable Alaskan Chainsaw Mill and milled the wood right on-site. 

There was no easy way to move large logs out of the property, but there was plenty of value locked inside them. By milling directly on the grounds, we were able to salvage and repurpose the wood, transforming it into usable slabs and beams that will later be incorporated into the property’s redesign by Cobble and Forge. 

This approach is at the core of our philosophy: urban wood upcycling. Every tree that must come down still holds potential—for benches, steps, planters, or custom wood elements that continue the story of the landscape. The incense cedar, once leaning and hazardous, will soon return as part of the garden it once shaded. 

Collaboration and Craft 

Partnerships like this are what make San Francisco’s sustainable design community so strong. Working with Cobble and Forge allowed us to combine our strengths—their vision for reimagining space and our expertise in responsible tree removal, protection, and milling. 

Projects like this demonstrate how collaboration can produce not just beautiful landscapes but meaningful ones. Each step of the process—from planning to milling—was handled with care and intention, ensuring that the property’s transformation stays true to its emotional roots. 

Looking Ahead 

The landscape is still being crafted, and we can’t wait to see the final result—especially how Cobble and Forge will reintroduce the cedar wood into the design. Once the garden is complete, we’ll share a follow-up blog showing how the story comes full circle—from removal to rebirth. 

For now, we’re proud to have played our part in giving this family’s beloved tree a new life, keeping its spirit rooted in the very soil where it grew.