City Trees

March/April 2013

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!

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President's Messages Executive Director's Message Nick Kuhn Jerri J. LaHaie R ecently, the SMA Board met to discuss this year and the next. We spent two long days discussing the major programs we consistently provide and where our focus should be for the near future. Our eight main programs are 1) Arborist Exchange 2) Annual Conference 3) Accreditation 4) City Trees magazine 5) Municipal Forester Institute 6) Website 7) Municipal Forester Intern Program and 8) the Urban Forest Foundation. The SMA Board determined that we need to get existing and potential new members to fully recognize what we can provide. To that end we decided that all our work—and hopefully that of committees—will be directed towards Membership and Accreditation, with initial plans to use the SMA EAB Toolkit (available on the front page of the website!) as a tool to increase awareness of these primary foundations of SMA. Many have said the way they learned about SMA and eventually chose to join was by meeting and working near other SMA members. Whether our colleagues are called city forester, public works director, or planner, if they are helping manage city trees, then we should be showing them our confidence as leaders in our industry, competence as urban forest experts, and camaraderie in willingness to include them in what we all consider so very important. To that end, while we want new members, we also want to ensure our existing members are getting the full benefit of SMA membership—and one of the best ways is to participate! I have learned to supplement conferences by reading, writing, and discussing with other city foresters all of the issues we all face. The interaction at the SMA conference, on the listserv, and through committee work has led to me being able to do my job more effectively and still have time for family and my Xbox! If you have a feeling that you can help but aren't sure how, or have ideas specific to membership, please contact any board member or your state SMA municipal liaison. In our profession, we think of the future with every tree planted and with every tree saved. Future possibilities motivate me to combat the daily grind. It gives me confidence to know that I'm not the only one facing issues that once seemed beyond my control. And with the support of SMA, I'm reminded of the quote by Walt Disney: "It's kind of fun to do the impossible." 4 The 8th Municipal Forestry Institute (MFI) is now behind us. In the next issue of City Trees you will read about the week of personal and professional growth the Class of 2013 experienced. In the meantime, I want to give a big shout out to those who make it possible. Without the support of the United States Forest Service (USFS), most things SMA does would simply not happen, and MFI is no exception. Beyond providing scholarships to attendees, the USFS supports MFI by sending U&CF Program Manager Keith Cline to be a part of the teaching cadre each year; by promoting MFI at the state level; and by attending or sending a message to the class, which reinforces the importance of leadership training. Both Davey and Valley Crest have supported MFI since year one. Valley Crest makes sure we all look good by providing shirts. Davey provides two cadre members, Andy Hillman and MFI Graduate Al Zelaya. The Arbor Day Foundation provides administrative support in addition to sending Randy Gordon to be a cadre member. This year Oregon State University provided the online training module, an important part of the training. And I can't say enough about the support we receive from the staff at Lied Lodge—they are at the ready to ensure our stay is pleasant. This year's class had the added benefit of hearing from John Rosenow, founder of the Arbor Day Foundation, and Nebraska State Forester, Scott Josiah. Training in communications by both the Ammerman Experience and Vital Smarts rounded out the week. Some of you may not realize what a commitment it is for the members of the training cadre. Besides the intense week spent at MFI, we work around the calendar on planning. The days at Lied Lodge are long ones, where things like exercise and sleep take a back seat to preparation and evaluation. However, there is no better feeling than mentoring others and giving back to the profession, even if it does come with being tired. Besides the cadre members I have already mentioned, Paul Ries, Owen Croy, and Steve Shurtz were back this year for repeat performances. New to the cadre this year was MFI graduate Marla Eddy. It is truly a team effort and this year's team was one of the best. Thank you to each of you, as one of the members of this year's class said, you are all rock stars! If you are an MFI graduate, you completely get all this. If you're not, and you're wondering what it's all about, get the dates for next year's MFI on your calendar. We will be back at Lied Lodge from February 23-28, 2014. MFI year nine, here we come! City Trees

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