SMA members and guests gathered at the Cleveland
conference to celebrate and network over lunch. One of
the primary purposes of the conference luncheon is to
announce the winners of the SMA's annual awards. The
2019 honorees were all highly deserving and took home
handsome plaques presented by President Keith Cline.
i-Tree Innovation Awards
The i-Tree Innovation Award was created by the SMA
Executive Board to stimulate interest in greater use of
i-Tree in its many applications. We were delighted to have
an honoree this year who used i-Tree creatively and effec-
tively in her community to enhance their precious urban
forest canopy in a critical watershed area. She used GIS
and i-Tree to secure over $200,000 in grant funding to
plant trees along riparian corridors throughout the City
of Canton, Ohio, with the aim of enhancing water quality
well beyond the City's borders. Working with the City Tree
Commission and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources,
she engaged in extensive public outreach and educa-
tion. The project also acted as a catalyst to improve the
City's comprehensive urban forest management program.
The Society recognized Civil Engineering Technician Kris
Griffith of Canton, Ohio with the i-Tree Innovation Award.
Accreditation Awards
SMA Accreditation brands municipal programs as being
among the elite programs across the globe. SMA was
proud to announce an additional program that achieved
this milestone in 2019: Portland, Oregon. Congratulations
to Portland for their commitment to exemplary profes-
sional management of their urban forest, and for being the
latest City program to earn accreditation by the SMA.
2019 SMA Awards
Presented at the
Cleveland Conference
The Society recognized Kris Griffith with the
i-Tree Innovation Award. Kris used GIS, i-Tree,
and public outreach/education to secure
over $200,000 in grant funding to plant trees
along riparian corridors throughout the City
of Canton, Ohio. Photo by Michelle Sutton
18 CityTREES
