toed boots, ladders, and tree canoes—
the whole nine yards! I'm thankful for the
opportunity to have included my sister
in the day, reconnect with familiar faces,
and meet many new women.
During my doctoral work I interviewed
many arborists and collected stories
about language, labour, agency, and edu-
cation (
Bardekjian, 2015). Many of the
stories from women arborists included
perspectives on their often-underrepre-
sented roles. Stories also surfaced that
just didn't sit well with me, including
tales of being sexualized, disrespected
by clients and colleagues, and a series of
other derogatory gender biases. Women
voiced the common observation that
they needed to work harder to prove
themselves—whereas male ability was
assumed.
Despite the challenges that women have
faced in the urban forest and arbori-
cultural industries, we are seeing more
young women embrace opportunities and
pursue careers in the field. Part of this is
attributable to women better understand-
ing what the job options are; for instance,
Women in Trees conferees climbing trees! More than 100 women attended the conference.
Women in Trees panelists were asked to
share lessons and offer suggestions to
young women who want to get into the
industry or who are considering a change.
Drawing on some of the experiences
and challenges that were instrumental
in shaping my own career, here are ten
lessons I learned:
1) Try everything: Embrace new expe-
riences and oppor tunities despite
reser vations. My introduction
to urban forestry began when I
embarked on a Masters of Forest
Conservation at the University of
Toronto. For my thesis, I had an
oppor tunity to work with the Toronto
District School Board in developing
a tree inventory and management
plan. The learning curve for me was
steep—I knew nothing about trees
or inventories—and terms like "attri-
bute data" and "quantitative anal-
ysis" were a new language for me.
This experience launched me into
the following years of learning to
conduct tree inventories with map-
ping, design management plans,
develop funding proposals, deliver
overcoming the misconception that
career options solely involve labor-inten-
sive fieldwork and operating machinery.
Another part is equipping women with
personal and professional development
tools to navigate the workforce.
Events like the Women in Trees
Conference offer invaluable networking
opportunities for young women getting
into the industry. At Women in Trees,
participants were exposed to multiple job
options and perspectives from diverse
cultures and different generations. In
addition, networking groups like
Women
in Wood
provide online forums for women
to exchange ideas and share experiences
and knowledge.
"Women voiced the
common observation
that they needed to
work harder to prove
themselves"
www.urban-forestry.com 11
