City Trees

November/December 2016

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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6 City Trees Among a myriad of activities, each fall we municipal arborists ready ourselves for leaf season, prepare for snowfall, order trees and materials for spring planting, rededicate ourselves to long- range planning, and equip for storm response. Life at SMA is equally full. Under the leadership of the many commit- ted volunteers who have led this organization and the very capable support of our accomplished and well-respected exec- utive director, SMA has strived to excel in service to our mem- bership. We work hard to provide support and build the con- fidence, competence, and camaraderie of our members, yet there is still work to be done, past practices to be examined, new programs to implement, and new leadership to be sought. Our world is constantly changing. Science changes, politics change, values change. Even trees change, adapting to new conditions and revolving seasons. Yet we don't change just to change. We change to improve ourselves. To not be aware of a dynamic environment and adapt imperils not just our organiza - tion, but ourselves. If we ignore change, we become ignorant. Each of our past leaders, officers, board members, and com- mittee volunteers has pushed SMA to be on the forefront of municipal arboriculture so that SMA is relevant and valuable to you. Ten years ago, our conferences focused on basics: planting, pruning, and equipment. Our 2017 annual conference program covers urban trees and storm water management, dealing with the devastating effects of EAB, inventories, risk, communication, new tree survival research, and future pros- pects for urban forestry professionals. Each annual conference and trade show is about embracing change, learning new ideas, debating old ones, and connecting or reconnecting with colleagues—but it doesn't happen if you're not there! Bring an open mind, a challenge, or a new idea and share it. That's why SMA exists … for you! I am extremely grateful for the leadership and devotion of now past-president Jeremy Barrick; current board members Sarah Morris, Keith Cline, Darren Green, Casey Jogerst, and Nathan Slack; ISA Representative Bob Benjamin; and SMA Executive Director Jerri LaHaie. These individuals and many others have worked so hard to make SMA what it is today. I am honored to follow in their footsteps. With your support, we look forward to even further elevating SMA's leadership role in municipal arboriculture and to serving you, our members. It's that time of year again— time to ramp up preparations for the Municipal Forestry Institute (MFI) and time for you to get registered or, if you have already attended, time to urge your col- leagues to attend. We are so excited to be returning to the scene of the first-ever MFI, Lake Arrowhead, CA. John Melvin and the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection have made it possible by providing the local assistance we need to pull off a week-long program. As an MFI grad himself, John recog- nizes the value of this program, and we're happy to report that scholarship funding will be available to Californians to help defray the cost of attendance. We like to say, "MFI is an investment." It truly is an investment of time, money, and commitment. The training cadre invests a lot more time than the week they are there instructing, and participants invest time before MFI in preparation and time afterwards in follow-through. While the total cost to attend MFI is substantial, it is still a tremendous (I resisted the urge to say treemendous) value compared to typical leadership training programs and continuing education in general. At the SMA conference in Indianapolis, many MFI grads and training cadre members will gather at the MFI reunion. We all look forward to reconnecting and hearing from our grads about how they have put the things they learned at MFI into practice. If you have not attended MFI, but would like to learn more about it, the MFI reunion at the annual conference is a great place to get the scoop straight from the horses' mouths. Even though February seems like a long way off, registration for MFI ends in December in order to prepare ourselves for a week of learning, and more importantly, a week of change. MFI has the power to bring positive change to your life. It can change your mind, your attitude, and your opinions. When you put people together and create an environment where every- one learns from one another, amazing things can happen. I hope you will take what might be an uncomfortable step, what might be a budget buster, or what might be a challenge to arrange in your personal and professional schedule so that you can be gone for a week, and join us at MFI 2017. President's Message Joe Benassini Executive Director's Message Jerri J. LaHaie

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