ordinances, and the like. I would like to know more
about writing policies that are flexible enough to
evolve with a changing environment and adapt to the
unique conditions found in urban environments but
that also have enough weight to bring about a change
to the norm of clear-cutting and improper planting.
I do wish I'd been exposed to urban forestry sooner.
I really value my time at New College as well for the
interdisciplinary and sociological grounding it gave me,
but looking back if I'd had more insight into the avail-
able career pathways I may have chosen a more forestry
focused school such as University of Florida. When I
came to Winter Haven, I started out in a paid intern-
ship as a scientific aide. It was in this role I first started
getting involved starting with urban forestry projects,
starting with our annual Florida Arbor Day events.
While it is overwhelming to embark on creating a ded-
icated urban forestry program, I am fortunate to have
been a part of the 2023 Municipal Forestry Institute
and still use the LinkedIn page from our class fre-
quently. People ask questions there and get responses
and support, it's dynamic. MFI taught me how to
set big goals and then break them down into action-
able objectives, year by year. I've attended a bunch
of UCFS Learning Series topics, read City Trees, and
joined the UCFS Young and Emerging Professionals
(YEP) Committee. I'm also fortunate to have a unified
Urban Forestry Advisory Board behind me.
Advice that I'd give to young or new people getting
started in the field: Go to all the conferences and webi-
nars and meetings that you can. That's where a lot of my
learning still takes place. I'm also learning a lot on the
YEP Committee, a new kind of experience for me. The
group is full of ideas and energy. I would also love to be
a mentee in the UCFS Mentoring Program in the future
and/or participate in the UCFS Arborist Exchange.
Savannah Winstanley taking in the giant sequoia trees
(Sequoiadendron giganteum) in Sequoia National Park.
40 CityTREES
