On a personal note, I recently took part in two activi-
ties that better informed my perspective on our collec-
tive urban forestry efforts in Canada—regarding how
we share knowledge and foster cross-cultural collab-
oration. Last summer I was invited by the US Forest
Service International Programs to represent Canada in
their inaugural International Urban Forestry Seminar,
with 19 participants from 16 countries worldwide
(Chicago & New York; June 4-17, 2017). I wrote about
my experience in the Nov/Dec 2017 issue of City Trees.
I also participated in the Peter Wall Institute for
Advanced Studies International Roundtable (October
23-25, 2017) called, "Do Rainbows Come in Green?
Urban Forests and Multicultural Citizenship," orga-
nized by my mentor and academic supervisor, Dr.
Cecil Konijnendijk van den Bosch, University of
British Columbia. This three-day workshop explored
the theme of diversity in urban forestry across dis-
ciplines from both theoretical and practical per-
spectives. I participated on a panel with leading
global experts on multicultural engagement within
urban forestry, and I co-curated a digital photo
exhibit titled, Human Faces, Forest Places (Nesbitt &
Bardekjian, 2017), profiling the diversity in peo-
ple and their experiences with urban trees.
As a social scientist and Postdoctoral Research
Fellow with the University of British Columbia exam-
ining gender equity in arboriculture and urban
forestry, and by working with Tree Canada and
other organizations, I am proud to be contribut-
ing to urban forestry interests in Canada, and I
look forward to seeing how our field evolves in the
coming years. In the meantime, I encourage SMA
members from any country to sign up for and
use the CUFN listserv as a tool for sharing sto-
ries, projects, successes, and challenges.
Citations:
Bardekjian, A. & Chiriac, G. (2018). Interests and
Expectations: Results of the Canadian Urban Forest
Network Member Survey. Tree Canada: Ottawa, ON.
Bardekjian, A., Kenney, A., & Rosen, M. (2016). Trends
in Canada's Urban Forests. Tree Canada.
Gosselin-Hebert, A., Bardekjian, A., Quann, S., &
Crossman, V. (2018). Urban forestry in Indigenous
Communities across Canada: Exploring the
Impact of Greening Initiatives. [forthcoming]
Larouche, J. (2017). Research Needs in Urban
Forestry in Canada. Unpublished master's
thesis, Laval University, Quebec, QC.
Nesbitt, L. & Bardekjian, A. (2017, October 23). Human
Faces, Forest Places. Curation of Photography Exhibit
at the Peter Wall Institute for Advance Studies
Roundtable: Do Rainbows Come in Green? Urban
Forests and Multicultural Citizenship. Vancouver, BC.
Puric-Mladenovic, D., Yung, Y., & Bardekjian, A. (2017).
Canada's Urban Forestry Footprint: Mapping the Extent
and Intensity of Urban Forestry Activities. (2017).
Wolf, K., Lam, S., McKeen, J., Richardson, G.,
van den Bosch, M., & Bardekjian, A. (2018). City
Trees and Public Health: Diverse Benefits,
Diverse Beneficiaries. [forthcoming]
Dr. Adrina C. Bardekjian (left) and Dr. Lorien Nesbitt were co-curators of the "Human
Faces, Forest Places" photography exhibit at the University of British Columbia.
20 CityTREES
