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: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1088324
different capacities. I'm grateful to the orga- nizing and program committee of IUFC for accepting our proposal to present at this event. Lastly, our panel at WFUF was hosted by the U.S. Forest Service Office of International Programs, introduced by Rachel Sheridan, Program Specialist, U.S. Forest Service International Programs, and facilitated again by Dr. Lindsay Campbell, Research Social Scientist, U.S. Forest Service. In addition to myself, panelists included: Elida Fundi, Community Development Specialist, Tanzania Community Forest Conservation Network (Tanzania); Radmila Ustych, Economic Specialist, NGO FORZA Agency of sustain- able development of Carpathian region (Ukraine); Rossana Landa, Program Manager, Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (México); and Maria Arroyave, Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering at Universidad EIA in Envigado (Columbia). What was particularly eye-opening to me during the WFUF panel was hearing from international colleagues about the differences in how women experience gender inequity. One of the main ques- tions with which we contended was: What are some of the greatest challenges or barriers facing women in urban forestry and natural resource management in your country? Responses ranged and included issues of discrimination, lack of infra- structure, racism, and more. Where in North America we deal with more glass ceiling issues such as pay gap and promotion bias, in the other countries rep- resented, panelists described conditions of severe poverty and physical violence against women. During the opening panel of the WFUF conference, Director of Forestry Policy and Resources with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Eva Muller represented the gender balance on an originally all-male panel. She addressed the need to keep women and children in mind when planning for urban green spaces. The inclusion and overt acknowledgement of gender equity set a tone for the rest of the conference and kept the conversa- tion going throughout the week. I'm grateful to the U.S. Forest Service International Programs Division for inviting me to represent Canada as part of their delegation at this event and supporting my participa- tion. This panel was video taped (see facing page). Panel at the World Forum on Urban Forests (November 28, 2018), from left to right: Maria Arroyave, Radmila Ustych, Dr. Adrina C. Bardekjian, Dr. Lindsay Campbell, Rachel Sheridan, Elida Fundi. 14 CityTREES