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/1243254
On February 14th, 2020, I joined the ranks of retired municipal arborists after more than 34 years with the City of Columbia, Missouri Parks and Recreation Department. When I began working at the Parks Department in the fall of 1985, I assumed it would be only temporary. I had been doing landscaping on my own and had planned to get back to that. I quickly realized, however, that working for a municipality offered opportunities and rewards worth staying around for. At that time, I had a B.S. in Horticulture and so I had a fairly decent grasp of tree biology and related concepts, but I was lacking in hands-on experience such as operating heavy equipment. My coworkers at the City of Columbia had a wide range of talents and knowledge to share. Over the years I reaped the dividends—many generously gave me guidance on all kinds of useful trades such as plumbing, construction, and equipment repair. As I progressed up the ranks into a leader- ship position, the City provided managerial and supervisory training that I took full advantage of. One outcome of this training was developing skills in successful grant writing, which I often used to obtain funding for professional development for myself and other City staff. Attending the Municipal Forestry Institute (MFI), earning Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ), and obtaining an ISA Certified Arborist cer- tification are just some of the opportunities these grants provided myself and many others in the Columbia Parks Department. The rewarding work of planting, protecting, and managing community trees hooked me from the beginning. Of course there were some rough days along the line, as is true for anyone working in municipal for- estry. For me, the key for getting through these days was focusing on the mission— caring for Columbia's city trees and other natural resources. In retirement, I see my role in this mission as changing to that of advocate and supporter. It's why I plan to stay actively involved with the Missouri Community Forestry Council, the Midwestern Chapter International Society of Arboriculture, and of course, the SMA. I'll be spending my time on the 33 acres (13 ha) of Missouri woodlands I call home with my spouse, Carrie, pursuing projects of interest. In fact I've already completed one of these projects, having recently inoc- ulated 40 oak logs with shiitake mushroom spawn. If all goes well, my newly inoculated logs will begin fruiting this fall, providing a bounty of delicious mushrooms to enjoy. As with many things in life, reaping the rewards of this project will take some time, patience, and good fortune. —Brett O'Brien 28 CityTREES Brett O'Brien with oak logs prepped to grow shiitake mushrooms.