City Trees

4 CityTREES President's Message Sam Oludunfe Executive Director's Message Leslie Berckes Wow! What an honor to write for the first time as your new Executive Director. I'm incredibly excited to help lead the Society of Municipal Arborists alongside the dedicated and inspiring SMA Board and committee members! I'm eager to learn more about all of you, but for now, a bit about me. I live in Des Moines, Iowa and am a born-and- raised Midwesterner. I have over a decade of experience in urban forestry, most recently serving as the Executive Vice President and Des Moines Program Director for Trees Forever, an Iowa-based non-profit focused on getting more trees in the ground by engaging volunteers. I'm married to Jeff Berckes, an environmental scientist, and I am a cat mom to two felines named after Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson. In my spare time I like to sew, hang out with friends, travel, and take pictures mostly of trees, naturally. Throughout my career, I've used three ideas to help guide me: "ego is the enemy," "imperfect action is better than perfect inaction," and "the answer is no if you don't ask." As we advance the important work of urban forest- ry, know that I'll use these philosophies to serve you. There is no better time to be in the tree business. The recent Inflation Reduction Act outlined by Sam is his- toric. Start thinking now about projects and ideas for your city so you can capture those dollars. Companies and political leaders are investing in trees for green infrastructure, carbon reduction, and to build livable cities. Individuals are demanding action to address our climate crisis and stand ready to help through the simple and powerful act of planting a tree. You, the members and supporters of SMA, are on the front lines doing the important work to safeguard our future. I look forward to seeing you in Seattle at SMA's International Urban Forestry Conference and Tradeshow, November 14-15, and the Partner's in Community Forestry conference November 16-17. I LOVE this con- ference and always leave energized and full of ideas! You can reach out to me by phone, 515-681-2295, or email, SMAExecDirector@gmail.com. I want to hear from you and learn what you value and need from your membership with SMA. Let's work together to make your community the greenest of them all! W f d B I' l b You'll notice that Leslie Berckes is now occupying the column next to mine. After an extensive search, the SMA Board was thrilled to offer Leslie the position of SMA Executive Director, which she starts in September. You will get to know her more in depth in a profile in the November/December issue of City Trees. Welcome, Leslie! We are excited that you are bringing your many talents to SMA. There's more great news. Urban forestry got a huge boost in August with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. In supporting the legislation, SMA was joined by American Forests, the Alliance for Community Trees, the Society of American Foresters, and many other stakeholders. I am thrilled that our work on urban forests is not only getting the recognition it deserves, but also a significant investment from the U.S. federal government. The IRA will allow us to plant 23 million trees in cities across the country, especially in low-income, under-served areas. Specifically, the legislation allocates $1.5 billion to urban and community forests over ten years. It's worth noting that most of these funds will be distributed via competitive grants. This funding is part of a $5 billion investment in forestry funding, which in turn is part of a plan to fight climate change. The IRA is also projected to create more than 142,000 green jobs. Additionally, those of us working at the urban-wildland interface will be happy to learn that the legislation includes $1.8 billion for hazardous fuel reduction in these areas. The IRA will lead to an estimated 40% decrease in carbon emissions by 2030 when compared to 2005 level. That is a huge victory for those of us who see climate change as an existential threat to humanity. I saw the impact of climate change firsthand this summer when I traveled to Nigeria. The country has experienced a cycle of longer dry seasons, leading to droughts, followed by short, intense rainy seasons, leading to catastrophic floods, especially in the coastal areas. This has resulted in low crop yields and food shortages, as well as many displaced persons. On my travels, I also stopped in the United Kingdom and France and both countries were expe- riencing unprecedented heat waves—a direct result of the global temperature rise caused by climate change. So, the IRA is definite- ly a bright spot in what has been a difficult summer worldwide. It is not too late to register for the 2022 SMA Conference and Trade Show, which will take place in Seattle, Nov. 14 and 15. I am looking forward to reuniting as a community, learning, and sharing good news about urban forestry! Y a issu

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