The Resilient Canopy Returns
and Goes to Columbia, Missouri in the July/August Issue of City Trees
40 CityTREES
Longtime UCFS Member Brett O'Brien worked
for the City of Columbia, Missouri for nearly
35 years before retiring four years ago; his
last and longest position was as Natural
Resources Supervisor, which included over-
sight of the urban forest. O'Brien has STORIES.
This Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus),
photographed in March in downtown Columbia,
survived being run over when it was young and
survived a fire that burned the building behind
it to the ground. Photo by Brett O'Brien
Stephens Lake Park in Columbia, Missouri has a built island that is,
as one might imagine, extremely popular with the public. Stephens
Lake Park also has an ArbNet Level II Accredited Arboretum.
Photo Courtesy Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau
• How did a tree farm donation to the City back-
fire? What was the silver lining?
• How many doors did creating the city tree nursery open
in terms of the diversity of Columbia's urban forest?
• What are the Columbia urban forest's current
and near-future climate-related challenges?
• What unassuming hybrid evergreen has O'Brien found to
be one of the toughest trees for drought in Missouri?
• What underutilized (in the U.S.) small fruit tree does
O'Brien think is a game-changer for city residents?
• What model of community forestry does O'Brien
think is (and should be) the path forward?
Answers to these and more questions
in the next issue of City Trees!
