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/1322557
4 CityTREES President's Message Scott Altenhoff Executive Director's Message Jerri J. LaHaie Wow, what a conference week! Despite much trepidation on the part of the organizers, the Partners in Community Forestry and Society of Municipal Arborists conferences were both a huge success. It is so rewarding to hear about the important work urban forestry professionals are doing in their communities. Despite being virtual this year, we had a lot of fun with the annual awards lunch, Tree of the Year presenta- tion, and the videos of the Past Presidents passing of the gavel. We have so many creative and witty people in our ranks who manage to make all our gatherings a lot of fun. If you weren't able to join us for the SMA Conference, you're in luck because we recorded it. A spe- cial thank you to Josh Behounek and Davey Resources Group for hosting and for running the IT for us. I joined the SMA Past Presidents at their virtual happy hour the night before the conference. As I listened to them reminisce about their respective time with SMA, I had to smile as I remembered all the fun we had togeth- er during their tenures. Each President brings their own sense of humor and ways of dealing with things, and every one of them was just a pleasure to serve alongside. While there are a lot of organizations you can join, I think you will find it difficult to find a more passion- ate, devoted, and sharing group than SMA. A special shout out to Darren Green, who now joins the ranks of Past Presidents. We had quite a year dealing with unexpected challenges, but he brought his Louisiana humor to the table and made it all bearable. Let's hope 2021 brings us all back together. We will con- tinue to find ways to connect our members virtually until that day comes. I hope you will get involved in SMA and get to know your fellow members. I'm sure you will find them to be knowledgeable, experienced, and willing to share their knowledge and experience with you. When you think about where to invest your time and energy and your membership dollars, you will find SMA to be well worth it. Well now, 2020 is officially behind us, and wasn't that one for the history books? If only the chal- lenges that this past year gave us were behind us as well, right? Not quite. 2020 seems to have been the year in which worst-case scenarios became enduring every- day realities. While I think it is important to acknowledge how difficult things have been for so many people and organizations, I also think it is important to celebrate the hidden opportunities and small blessings that we've been provided in the midst of all this adversity and uncertainty. This global crisis has really forced us to pause, reflect on things, acknowledge historic problems and injustices, reassess our goals and priorities, and make some needed course corrections and adaptations. We've been compelled to consider how much we take for granted in our modern world, and just how precious and fragile life really is. While it's easy to focus on the negatives, I prefer to dwell on the positives. Stress, hardship, and uncertainty can bring out the worst in people, but these things can also bring out the best in us; this is precisely what happened in the case of our organization over the last year. Thanks to the steady, capable leadership and determina- tion of SMA Executive Director Jerri LaHaie and outgoing SMA President Darren Green, I'd say that SMA is on track to not just make it through these trying times, but to emerge stronger and more nimble than we were before. I believe the success of our first virtual conference in November is a clear testament to this fact. Thanks again to everyone who helped make that great event happen, and look for coverage of the conference in the March/April 2021 edition of City Trees. I am so honored and humbled to serve as SMA President this year. Our work has never been as important or rele- vant as it is today. It's clear to me that trees and urban nature are a powerful remedy for what currently ails us. I am so excited to work with the SMA team to help cultivate and support leaders in the field of municipal arboriculture who will continue to bring this "good med- icine" to our world's cities. Stay safe and be well!