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/1519614
I was excited to go to MFI because I'd heard good things from my colleagues in the Los Angeles area. It lived up to the hype! Meeting people from different parts of the country who are doing jobs that are related to mine but very different, like state coordi- nators and nonprofit program managers, was really cool. It helped me see possibilities for my future. I loved Darren Green's lesson on "Find the Why." I came back and asked "why" about the way we do things we do, especially as regards tree protec- tion after the permit has been issued—but before the construction starts. In talking with fellow MFI participant Andres Solis, I got a template for how they do things in San Mateo, California—how they protect the trees all the way through the process. They have the ability to pause permits before the work starts if the tree protection isn't correct. It was eye-opening to me, and I am pursuing that here. My big goal that I went into MFI with was to restart our tree planting program—in a strategic way. I learned from other folks about making tree planting cyclical and programed in the same way we have established pruning cycles. That way if a home- owner wants a new tree, we can tell them, "We will be planting in your neighborhood in spring of 2025," for example. That will make our work more efficient and give a clearer road map for us and for the residents. It will also ensure that we are rotating through all of the City districts evenly. Even while at MFI, I was texting colleagues saying, "You need to come to this!" I told them about the connections, the shared passion, and the way that the week can change your way of thinking. I've used my MFI network already—like being in touch with John Ide from San Diego, sharing information about concrete cutting programs. I'd never been further east than Atlanta, so spending a week on the Atlantic Coast was amazing, even though there isn't a lot of time to explore because MFI is so packed. We stayed on a barrier island sur- rounded by beautiful swamps—so unlike home in arid Southern California. I liked how the training and the accommodations were all in one venue. —Robert Castañeda, Urban Forest Coordinator, Santa Monica, California Even while at MFI, I was texting colleagues saying, "You need to come to this!" I told them about the connections, the shared passion, and the way that the week can change your way of thinking. ucfsociety.org 17