City Trees

City Trees Sept. / Oct. 2018 Volume 55, No. 5 F E A T U R E S 10 Urban Forestry 2020: Recommendations for Strategic Actions 14 SMA 54th Annual International Conference and Trade Show Program 18 Storm Readiness and Recovery Collaboration in Illinois: A Mutual Aid Approach by Reinee Hildebrandt 26 MFI 2018: Lessons from My Colleagues by Jamie King 31 The Visual Tree Assessment One-Third Rule: Frequently Applied, but Mostly Irrelevant by Frank Rinn D E P A R T M E N T S 6 Officers' Messages Sarah Morris, Jerri LaHaie 8 SMA Membership Information 12 Contributors to This Issue 39 SMA Tree of Merit – Fall Fiesta sugar maple (Acer saccharum 'Bailsta') by Jennifer Jolliff Cover: Smoketree (Cotinus coggygria) by Michelle Sutton These strategic recommendations address the challenges uncovered by Urban Forestry 2020's nationwide research on the urban forestry profession. We have provided these recommendations to the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council to assist in their efforts to support sustainable management of urban forests in the United States. Our recommendations are tied to strategic actions that the professional community within urban forestry can undertake to address the challenges we have discovered. Building Career Networks for Advancing, Promoting, and Communicating Expertise in Urban Forestry Networking and professional development at a national level are challenging because urban foresters and managers of urban greenspaces are found in many employment sectors and have a wide variety of disciplinary affiliations. Many urban forest management networks operate at local, state, or regional levels. STRATEGIC ACTIONS 1. Invest in national networks that focus on career professionals in urban forestry and their development, particularly early- career professionals from under-represented groups. 2. Strengthen links between national networks and regional and local networks. 3. Continue to rigorously assess networking opportunities and how they support meaningful professional development and career advancement for urban foresters. 4. Create multiple career development paths from high school to university to both public and private sector employers. 5. Explore ways to expand private sector opportunities (both profit and nonprofit) to create a more resilient job market for the urban forestry profession. Shaping Professional Identity and Public Perception of Urban Forestry Public awareness of the urban forestry profession is low, and even among practicing professionals and their employers, "urban forester" is not clearly defined or differentiated from its allied professions. STRATEGIC ACTIONS 1. Identify what differentiates an urban forester from allied professions working with urban greenspace planning and management. 2. Continue to formalize descriptions of the specialized expertise of urban foresters and align these with qualifications to communicate that expertise to employers 3. Initiate national conversations and systems that foster ongoing professionalization and public awareness. 4. Communicate professional identity with new stakeholders in higher education both within and beyond land-grant institutions. 5. Build connections with a wider array of urban stakeholders to foster awareness of professional identity of urban foresters. Recommendations for Strategic Actions

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