City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/105677
Kelly Swarthout (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point) My majors are urban forestry and land use planning, and my minor is GIS/spatial analysis. This summer I worked with Bath, Maine City Arborist Tom Hoerth. We covered a lot of ground over the summer, and I learned quite a bit. Tom got some grant money, so much of my summer focused on planting trees and watering them. I planted approximately 40 trees, including street trees and 16 apple seedlings for an orchard in a park. I also tried climbing for the first time and learned to fell a tree. I learned it is important to stay professionally involved, because we attended many meetings and volunteered at the Up by Roots conference with Jim Urban in Brattleboro, VT. These were great opportunities to network with others in the field. Kelly Swarthout It surprised me how involved the Hunter Gosda (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point) community was with their urban forest. We taught high school students the basics of street tree inventories, and they helped us gather data. The students also helped assemble a maple tubing system in a forested area where they harvest sap every year. One woman involved with the school had an idea to plant an apple orchard by the middle school, where the students would plant the trees and teachers could incorporate it into their curriculum. I was happy to hear that it was planted successfully this fall. Overall, this was a great learning opportunity, and these were just a few highlights of the things I did this summer; I could go on and on. I was able to work outside everyday and enjoy beautiful Maine. Tom was so much fun to work with and made the experience even more enjoyable. I recommend this internship to any urban forestry student wishing to gain experience and get a feel for what the industry is about. Beyond the political side, though, I conducted a partial inventory of trees planted within the past five years to identify any mortality or diversity issues. The opportunity gave me a great experience in data collection and interpretation while providing added insight into the department's management. This task of course required me to learn a new plant palate which kept me very busy. I could not get enough of the longleaf pine saplings, the Southern magnolias, and the southern red oaks, and I even got to see an endangered Florida torreya (Torreya taxifolia). I am an urban forestry student with minors in soil science and German. Last summer I worked for the municipal forestry division under the direction of Eric Gansauer in Columbus, Georgia. Columbus is a flourishing military town that has seen its share of development. Interning with Eric I witnessed many of the inner workings of municipal government, from the judiciary system to citizen work orders. I had the opportunity to sit in on several development proposal meetings as well as take part in numerous development inspections. As the forestry administrator of Columbus, Eric wears many different hats. One aspect of his job is that he has the authority to issue a citation to any unlicensed tree worker practicing arboriculture in the city. I actually served witness in one of these hearings which was held in environmental court. www.urban-forestry.com My time in Georgia provided me with immeasurable confidence as well as a broader sense of the world through living in an almost polar opposite part of the country. Although this internship experience gave me many tools that I will take with me through my career, there were many things that I will miss and I hope that I can get back to see the Chattahoochee River soon. Cecil Poole spent much of his internship identifying hazard trees. Cecil Poole (Southern University and A&M College) I'm a student at Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. My major is urban forestry and graduation year is Spring 37