City Trees

20 CityTREES The most fun I had in Seattle was being in the company of old friends and colleagues at SMA, particularly at the MFI Alumni Reunion, where we were able to catch up and share the new challenges and suc- cesses of the past year in our respective workplaces. The talk that stuck with me the most was by Cecil Konijnendijk on Governing the urban forest: changing models and municipal forester roles for new demands. He discussed the importance of cooling centers in Barcelona, which included outdoor green spaces. In Washington, D.C., we also experience very high summer temperatures. I'd like to see us adopt a similar approach that includes outdoor cooling areas (in addition to existing indoor centers) to provide relief during summer heat extremes. I really appreciated the opportunity to meet and speak with Los Angeles's first City Forest Officer, Rachel Malarich. It was great to hear about all the new urban forestry initiatives and the emphasis on tree equity in Los Angeles. It was a nice connec- tion to home for me to learn more about urban forestry in California, as it is my home state. —Kasey Yturralde, PhD, Forest Health and Community Outreach Specialist, Urban Forestry Division, District Department of Transportation For sheer fun, the Municipal Forestry Institute (MFI) Reunion is the place to be!! Getting reacquainted with folks I've met in the past and meeting others that have been through MFI was fun, and a long time coming. When I get the opportunity to travel to a conference, I get lost in a neighborhood or two to see what's going on in the local urban forest and get ideas to try out in Watertown. I was thrilled to meet Ian Gray, Urban Forester and Natural Resource Manager at the City of Renton, Washington. Ian's pre- sentation on Renton's interdepartmental collaborative efforts to improve storm- water mitigation through design-based solutions and compromise was inspiring. I look forward to reconnecting with Ian. —Mike DeMarco, Watertown, New York Planner & Urban Forestry Coordinator Special thank you to Arbor Day Foundation Program Manager Lauren Weyers, shown here with Seattle City Arborist Nolan Rundquist, and to Lauren's colleagues for keeping things running so smoothly at the Partners in Community Forestry Conference. SMA appreciates all that ADF does to put together this amazing event! Photo by Adelayde Rivas Sotelo City Trees Editorial Review Committee Chair Allison Craig shows off a lovely entry in the SMA silent auction: a sycamore leaf made by SMA Board Member Rachel Habig-Myers. Photo by Adelayde Rivas Sotelo

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