City Trees

6 CityTREES Bob Dylan's 1964 anthem, "The Times They Are A-Changin'," has never rang more true than today. We are truly living in historic times, and rapid change seems part of our normal existence now. The COVID-19 pandemic with its economic and social fallout, along with the massive protest response to the murder of George Floyd and to other recent (and historical) acts of violence and injus- tice against Black people, have created a historic movement for change. These events, along with years of frustration at the systemic problems that still plague our country, were the catalyst needed to begin to steer our society in a better direction. So, you might be wondering what any of this has to do with municipal arboriculture. Everything. Along with the larger societal effort to become more inclusive, we have to be aware that the opportunity exists for us to make changes in our programs more so now than ever. Nothing should be static or unexamined. Who can we include that hasn't been heard from or listened to? What new opportunities for community engagement are pre- senting themselves? Are there better and smart- er ways of delivering the services we provide? True leadership involves seeing possibilities by looking through a new lens, and then acting early and with purpose on those possibilities (a concept our own Municipal Forestry Institute drives home well, by the way.) I encourage all of you to take advantage of the opportunity for positive change we find ourselves presented with at this time. Finally, we should all realize that individually, we can each be part of the solution to some of the problems in our communities and worldwide. And, as with our SMA commitments, we can pur- sue that mission earnestly, seeking out camara- derie, connection, and inclusiveness as we go. SO MUCH has hap- pened in the past few months, and as President Green notes, it has a big impact on municipal arboriculture. It also has a huge effect on the SMA. We are sharpening our pencils as we look at ways to cut costs, reach our mem- bers in new ways that still provide value, and offer support to members as they navigate all the current events in their communities. We were fortunate to be able to hold MFI 2020 right before the COVID-19 outbreak, but having to postpone our annual SMA Conference has been disappointing. Virtual meetings are great, but nothing beats being able to gather together to learn, meet new members, and celebrate accomplishments. Trying to predict when people will feel safe congregating again in order to schedule future events is challenging at best. In the mean- time, we are exploring the various online technologies that are proliferating to see how we can use them to connect with you. If that seems like something you would like to work on, we would love to hear from you! With the support of the U.S. Forest Service and Southern University, over the past few years we have attracted significantly more participants from historically underrepresented groups to MFI. Together, we are working to diversify urban forestry leadership. Diversity and inclu- sion are not just words, they are goals that take continued and consistent work if we are to realize them. Let this be our opportunity to work even harder, to support one anoth- er, and to make positive change in municipal arboriculture, in SMA, and in our world. President's Message Darren Green Executive Director's Message Jerri J. LaHaie

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