City Trees

HONORING THE PAST, LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE Since our founding in 1964 as the Society of Municipal Arborists, the organization has been a sound and steady presence for the people who manage trees in munic- ipalities. Our history (posted on our website) is well documented and outlines SMA's beginnings when 21 founding members formed this professional society and established the municipal arborist as a profes- sional within the fields of arboriculture and forestry. The original SMA Constitution and the main objective laid out within rings just as true today, nearly 60 years later: The purpose of this Society shall be to represent to the public, to public officials, and to other profes- sionals within horticulture the manifold benefits that accrue to people, cities, and countries when municipal arboriculture is conducted on a scientific plane and as a major ingredient of city planning. Just as the founders of the organization knew that municipal arboriculture had evolved to a point of needing a dedicated professional society, we too look at the moment of time we occupy and see an inflection point. A changing climate and rapidly urbanizing commu- nities urgently demand our attention—all while residents, businesses, and governments more deeply appreciate the value of trees, looking for more green initiatives and, in some cases, providing historic funding for tree efforts. Lucky for us, more people are taking the mantle of tree work within communities; their backgrounds and entry points into the profession are wonderfully varied and unique. In asking members about their current urban forestry positions, we learned that the term "municipal arborists" is a door-closer to many, as this organization has members who work for county, state, provincial, and national government; for non-profits; and for corporate entities for whom the term "municipal" does not apply. For instance, we heard from members in Australia that "municipal" is not a term used to describe communities. Universities are investing in urban forestry degree programs because these programs take a wide, multi-dis- ciplinary approach to managing trees in communities. Looking to the future, we understand that "municipal arborist" within our name simply does not encom- pass the wide breadth of people working in the field. It is because of our founders and the work of so many members and leaders over the years that we find ourselves at this threshold of a new name so that we can continue to ensure urban for- estry is "a major ingredient in city planning." >> (left) SMA's original logo. (right) The Founders of the Society of Municipal Arborists, 1964. ucfsociety.org 11

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