City Trees

4 CityTREES President's Message Sam Oludunfe City Trees Editor Guest Message Michelle Sutton Later this summer, the inimitable Dr. Nina Bassuk (she prefers "Nina") is retiring from Cornell University. Nina and I are planning an inter- view later this summer for a story in which her decision to retire, career reflections, and future plans will be explored in-depth. I'm look- ing forward to this conversation with my most important professional mentor (I earned my master's degree under Nina in 2000, and we have collaborated in var- ious capacities since). I'm also currently working on an essay about what her mentorship has meant to me, to be read (at least in part) at her retirement celebration in Ithaca on July 29 th . For me to be at Cornell as Nina's student was to be a little fish in a big pond, in more than one sense. The academic rigor at the graduate level across the University was intimi- dating. I found Nina to be simultaneously down-to-earth and one of the most charismatic people I'd ever met. I observed why she is the world's foremost expert on street trees and urban forestry, and one of our field's most in-demand speak- ers. I marveled at her level and pace of achievement. A perfectionist at that time, my inability to see myself as ever accomplishing a fraction of what Nina was accom- plishing sent me to Cornell's student counseling center. The therapist helped me see that I didn't have to aspire to anything like Nina's level; rather, that my task was to find my own way of contributing, my own path. To learn all I could from Nina, but not compare myself to her. As my own accomplishments grew, such as publishing arti- cles with the help of Nina's co-authorship, I experienced the thrill of achievement. However, over time, that thrill would last only a day or two and then I'd be back to feelings of inadequacy. This happened repeatedly, until I realized that I had to find my happiness outside of achievement alone. This epiphany—and being a little fish in the big Cornell pond—helped break me of life-diminishing perfectionism. I developed a different relationship to achievement. I worked on things that interested me and gave me joy, things that I was good at. Nina supported me in this. "What do you want to do?" she'd asked when I arrived in her office in June of 1997. I found my own sweet spot with writing and editing in urban for- estry, and with mentoring other people in my own ways. This has led to deep happiness in my life. This is just one of the many reasons I am indebted to—and extremely fond of—Nina. As foresters, we must consider many factors in our work, such as existing tree canopy, water resources, and the climate. But I would like to submit that we need to consider history as well. In this issue, Alex Martin, Co-chair of the Canadian TREE Fund and Director of Ironwood Urban Forestry Consulting, examines a little-known episode in the history of Central Park in New York and what it can teach us about urban forestry. "To many urban planners and urban foresters, Central Park is the epitome of urban greenspace design objec- tives," Martin writes. "However, an underacknowledged impact of the creation of Central Park was the dislocation of a predominantly Black community called Seneca Village that was expropriated in the making of Central Park." Seneca Village was an enclave, where 300 free Black resi- dents of New York purchased plots of land and built homes from the early to mid-1800s. The middle-class community also welcomed Irish and German residents. It included churches, schools, and a cemetery. Voting laws in New York at the time allowed only homeowners to vote, so Seneca Village allowed Black men to be active participants in the political process. But in 1853, Seneca Village was zoned to become part of Central Park. City officials could use eminent domain to take over the land but had to convince public opinion that this was war- ranted. City officials worked with local newspapers to engage in a smear campaign, [falsely] describing Seneca Village as derelict. The City subsequently took over the land and evicted residents. They were compensated, probably inadequately. Martin argues that the story of Seneca Village is an example of how we as urban foresters need to be mindful of the impact our work can have on underrepresented and vulnerable communi- ties. A more recent example of this, according to Martin, is the eviction of homeless encampments from public parks during the COVID-19 pandemic. He writes, "How do we approach planning and management decisions when we are pitting minor bene- fits for many against major benefits for few?" Martin's piece is an important call to make sure that we recognize and address the systemic inequities we are dealing with in our work. On a lighter, personal note, I am pleased to say that the City of Chula Vista in California, where I am the city forester and open spaces manager, celebrated 30 years of receiving a Tree City USA recognition on April 29 th . In celebration, we plant- ed 350 trees to add to our urban forest tree inventory. Be well and stay safe.

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