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/1482923
8 CityTREES In This Issue: Contributors Andrew Benjamin is an Urban Forester for Alexandria, Virginia. He has degrees from Virginia Tech and West Virginia University and is a former Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA) intern (2011). Leslie Berckes is the Executive Director of the Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA). She brings over a decade of experience in urban forestry to the organization, having served as the Executive Vice President and Des Moines Program Director for Trees Forever, a Midwest-based non-profit. Leslie is an ISA Certified Arborist and holds a master's degree in Public Policy with an Envi- ronmental Policy emphasis from the University of Northern Iowa in addition to a bachelor's degree in Marketing. Eva Marie Bonanno is studying Arboricul- ture and Environmental Sustainability at Cabrillo College on the California Central Coast. She is preparing for the ISA Certified Arborist exam and hopes to find a municipal arborist position that will utilize her background in the restoration and rehabilitation of native plant communities, and in maximizing tree diversity. Jamie King is the Urban Forest Manager and University Arborist for Virginia Tech. He serves on the boards of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and the Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA). Jamie is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist and Municipal Specialist and is TRAQ certified. Alicia Gibson-Cooper graduated with honors from Eastern Michigan University (EMU) in August of 2022, earning a bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Environmental Science and Society, with a concentration in Environment and Society/Political Science/Law and a minor in Plant Biology. Tyler Doucet has a Bachelor of Urban Forestry (BUF) from the University of British Columbia and is currently pursuing a Masters of Environmental Studies (MES) at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Alexander Martin is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist and TCIA Certified Treecare Safety Professional. He currently works as the Director of Ironwood Urban Forestry Consulting Inc., a research and consulting firm based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is also the Co-Chair of the Canadian TREE Fund where he hosts the monthly webinar series. Michael (Mike) Martini is an Urban Forestry Consultant for PlanIT Geo. He started his SMA Board service in 2021. Mike is an ISA Certified Arborist, an ISA Municipal Specialist, a New Jersey Licensed Tree Care Operator, ISA TRAQ certified, and a 2020 Municipal Forestry Institute (MFI) graduate. Ian "Mac" McDermott is, after retiring from 40 years in the municipal sector, currently working as an Educator and Trainer in Arbo- riculture with the Birmingham Tree People. You can reach Mac via his LinkedIn page. Samuel Zhang is a Natural Areas Urban Forester for Surrey, British Columbia. He has two degrees from UBC: a bachelor's in Urban Forestry, and a master's in Sustainable Forest Management.