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/475555
www.urban-forestry.com 13 www.urban-forestry.com 13 A view from above the Schuylkill River demonstrates the legacy of William Penn's "greene country towne." Photo by B. Krist for Visit Philadelphia Joan Blaustein is the Director of the Urban Forestr y and Ecosystem Management Division of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. Can you tell us about your educational trajectory? Joan Blaustein: I grew up surrounded by woods, and my mother's entreaty to all seven of us children was "go play out- side." We did so happily, and it led me to develop a deep connection to the natural world. When I began college in 1970 at the University of Pittsburgh, I studied a variety of sciences, focusing on biology and chem- istry. Environmental science programs were just starting to enter the curriculum, but one course—ecology—was enough to spark my interest in that field. My first job was as an environmental technician working in public health, primarily on water quality issues. The rest of my education has been purely on the job. Your career trajectory? JB: My whole career has been geared toward natural resource management— particularly the intersection of land and water. With each job change (and I have had several, but all in the public and non-profit sectors), I looked for an oppor- tunity to delve deeper into the issues of preserving natural resources for the public good. That work led me from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia in 2006 to direct the Environment Stewardship & Education Division of Fairmount Park (the municipal park system of the City), which included the management and steward- ship of 5,600 acres (2266 ha) of natural parklands. In 2009, Mayor Nutter released a sus- tainability plan for the City, Greenworks Philadelphia, which stated our commitment to make Philadelphia the greenest city in America. One of the 13 goals in that plan was to increase tree canopy in every neigh- borhood to 30%.