Legacy Project of the Year
The Legacy Project of the Year award recognizes a member
or organization who has raised awareness, enhanced urban
forest management with best management practices, and/
or boosted appreciation of urban trees or green infrastructure
through innovation, partnerships, and engagement. In grati-
tude for their extensive, collaborative work on a new Syracuse
Urban Forest Master Plan, SMA gave the Legacy Project of the
Year award to Syracuse City Arborist Stephen Harris (image
right) and to Onondaga Earth Corps (OEC) Executive Director
Greg Michel (image left). Steve and Greg led an impressive
coalition of organizations and consultants to craft the Plan,
with OEC Staff and Crew Members leading a multi-faceted
community outreach effort which then shaped the vision and
recommendations of the new Plan. Their model sets a high
standard for public involvement and effective partnerships.
Award of Achievement
The Award of Achievement is presented to a member who
has shown exceptional commitment to the urban forest
resource and/or to the public that we serve. In 2020, SMA
presented awards to two SMA members who have given
generously of their time and talents both to the SMA and
to urban and community forestry. The first awardee is City
of Toronto, Ontario Tree Planting Strategy Manager Amory
Ngan (above left). MFI graduate Amory has had amazing
success in Toronto leading a planting and stewardship
program on private land, awarding grants and leveraging
over $9 million in matching funds. Look for an-depth profile
of Amory and his work in an upcoming issue of City Trees.
The second recipient of the Award of Achievement is David
Bienemann (below left), a past SMA Board Member and
the current ISA Ohio Chapter President. David has exten-
sive experience in conference planning, EAB research and
management, utility forestry, drone operation, and of
course, municipal arboriculture. He currently serves as the
Hamilton, Ohio Municipal Arborist and Utility Forester.
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