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/701610
6 City Trees Summer is a great time to get together with family and friends. Whether its Fourth of July picnics or family reunions, to me it seems to be human nature to gather amongst your people in the summer. With conference season upon us, it's time for our family of professionals who create and sustain community forests to come together and revel in the camara- derie. Conferences are a great way to learn about the latest science and trends and connect with fellow professionals from around the world. Nothing beats the energy and inspiration following a great conference and I always seem to leave with a few new friends and contacts. The SMA Professional Affiliate Day coming up at the ISA Annual Conference and Trade Show August 13th - 17th in Fort Worth, Texas is going to be a great get-together. If you have not been to an ISA Annual Conference, I highly recommend going and assure you that it will be well worth your time. For those who are thinking about pursuing the ISA Certified Arborist Municipal Specialist credential, there's a great oppor- tunity for Municipal Specialist Exam Prep that will take place during the ISA Conference—you'll learn from some of the best. Now is also the time to be on the lookout for registration for our own SMA Annual Conference in Indianapolis November 14th - 15th, which immediately precedes the Partners in Community Forestry Conference. The SMA Conference Committee has been busy preparing and planning what is sure to be a rewarding experience. The SMA Board set the goal of 200 conference attendees this year and we certainly have the programming to draw a crowd. We have an exciting tour routed, a great lineup of speakers, and a healthy focus on the camaraderie that is in our mission. Be sure to start making plans to join us in Indy and we hope to see you there! With elections and the annual awards right around the corner as well, it is also time to start thinking about nominations for annual awards and the executive board. You can find details about each of these in this issue of City Trees. So, we look forward to seeing you at the upcoming gatherings and hope you'll take a moment to submit a nomination for an executive board member, an award, or both! Last year I wrote about attending a meeting for Urban Forestry 2020, a grant project looking at urban forestry as a profession from top to bottom. SMA Board Member Keith Cline and I have served on the UF 2020 steer- ing committee; it has been a deep look into every aspect including engaging students, the range of job titles held by those who practice urban forestry, and how urban foresters are perceived by oth- ers. We are so fortunate that Dr. Susan Day will be presenting the findings her UF 2020 research team has compiled at our SMA Annual Conference in Indianapolis this fall. This will be a great opportunity for you to have input before the team makes their final recommendations. Speaking of our annual conference, we have just completed the agenda and it looks to be another outstanding program. The local Indiana team has created a great tour for Monday afternoon. We had more high-caliber speaker proposals than we can accommodate in just one day. The usual favorites will take place, including the Municipal Forestry Institute (MFI) Reunion for alums and those interested in knowing more about MFI, the Fun Run/Walk/Watch that supports the Urban Forest Foundation, and the silent auction where you can find good deals that support the SMA Arborist Exchange program. All this, along with a new Tree of the Year to sing about. We hope you will be there, too. Having just attended a leadership workshop for associa- tion executives, perhaps the best program I have ever been through, I can't help but think about MFI, SMA's own leader- ship program. If you have never attended, you should start budgeting now to attend in February 2017. While we have not set the location yet, it most likely will be in California, where it all began 11 years ago. You can find out what it's all about from the many graduates who will gather at the MFI Reunion at our conference this November. It's a great time for alums to share experiences and for future alums to get the skinny. Enjoy your summer activities, but don't be a stranger. We encourage you to post questions, share pictures, broadcast news or just say hello to your fellow SMAers on our Facebook page. When you need advice, the SMA Listserve is just a click away. And if you have an idea or just want to chat it up, we're always here via phone and email for you! President's Message Jeremy Barrick Executive Director's Message Jerri J. LaHaie