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/306909
ÌÞÊ/Àiià #PBSE.FNCFS1SPGJMF +PF#FOBTTJOJ #AN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR PATH TO URBAN FORESTRY *OE "ENASSINI &ROM AGE TO ) GREW UP IN "RAZIL WHERE THE DIVERSITY OF THE !TLANTIC 2AINFOREST WAS NEVERENDING !S A YOUTH ) WAS CAPTIVATED BY NATURE AND THE OUTDOORS 7HEN ) RETURNED TO THE 53 MY INTEREST CONTINUED ! SUM MER JOB AT A LOCAL NURSERY EVOLVED INTO A CAREER IN HORTICULTURE AFTER COLLEGE AND ) EVENTUALLY SETTLED ON TREES AS A SPECIALTY ) DISCOVERED THE PROGRAM TO BECOME A #ERTIFIED !RBORIST WHILE ATTENDING A UNIVERSITY EXTENSION CLASS IN NORTHERN #ALIFORNIA BACK THEN CERTIFICATION WAS STILL A REGIONAL PROGRAM UNDER THE )3! 7ESTERN #HAPTER %VENTUALLY ) WENT TO WORK FOR A LOCAL TREE CARE COMPANY AS A COMANAGER THEN FOR A LARGER FIRM AS A CON SULTING ARBORIST WITH AN EMPHASIS ON NATIVE OAK PRESERVATION DURING DEVELOPMENT )N ) WAS APPOINTED AS THE FIRST CITY ARBORIST FOR THE #ITY OF &OLSOM AND IN ) WAS APPOINTED AS THE FIRST URBAN FORESTRY MANAGER FOR THE #ITY OF 3ACRAMENTO 0LEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR POSITION NOW *" !S THE URBAN FORESTER FOR THE #ITY OF 3ACRAMENTO ) HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY AND DISTINCT HONOR OF MANAGING ONE OF THE #ITYS GREATEST RESOURCES 3ACRAMENTOS URBAN FOREST HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF ANY NUMBER OF RESEARCH PROJECTS AND THE PROGRAM HAS A LEGENDARY PAST 3ACRAMENTO PASSED ITS FIRST TREEPLANTING ORDINANCE IN ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE CITYS FOUND ING 4HE #ITY ALSO HAS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL NONPROFIT PARTNERS IN THE NATION WITH THE 3ACRAMENTO 4REE &OUNDATION 4ODAY THE DAILY OPERATIONS ARE DIRECTED BY A COMANAGER AND ) AM CONCENTRATING ON POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND LONGRANGE PLANNING 7E ARE HEADED TOWARDS A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY AS A BASIS FOR DEVELOPING AN URBAN FORESTRY MASTER PLAN 4HIS WILL INCLUDE ALL OF THE COMMONLY RECOGNIZED ELEMENTS AS WELL AS THOSE RELATED TO HEALTH AND WELLNESS WHERE EMERGING RESEARCH SUGGESTS A STRONG LINK TO TREES (OW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED IN 3-! AND IN WHAT CAPACITIES *" ) JOINED 3-! SOON AFTER ) BEGAN WORKING FOR THE #ITY OF &OLSOM ) HAD ALWAYS MAINTAINED SOME LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT IN REGIONAL AND STATE URBAN FORESTRY INTERESTS AND AS A FIRST CITY ARBORIST IT WAS A STEP TOWARDS CONNECTING WITH OTHERS IN A SIMI LAR CAPACITY ) ATTENDED THE -UNICIPAL &ORESTRY )NSTITUTE -&) IN AND MY FIRST 3-! CONFERENCE THAT SAME YEAR IN (OLLYWOOD &LORIDA ! PARTNER FROM 2IO DE *ANEIRO AND ) WERE SELECTED FOR THE -UNICIPAL !RBORIST %XCHANGE IN 7ITH HELP FROM OTHER MEMBERS ) HAVE CHAIRED THE %XCHANGE COMMITTEE SINCE THEN 3ACRAMENTO HOSTED THE !NNUAL 3-! #ONFERENCE ALONG WITH THE 0ARTNERS IN #OMMUNITY &ORESTRY EVENT 7HAT HAS YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN 3-! MEANT TO YOU *" 3-! PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL OF US TO LEARN HOW OUR COLLEAGUES COPE WITH THE SAME CHALLENGES WE FACE OFTEN WITH DIFFERING PERSPECTIVES AND STRATEGIES 4HERE ARE CERTAIN COMMONALITIES IN OUR ISSUES BUT THERE ARE ALWAYS UNIQUE CIR CUMSTANCES AND POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CULTURES THAT LEAD US TO DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS 3-! ALSO ALLOWS ME TO BE IN THE COMPANY OF GREAT MENTORS /WEN #ROY 'ORDON -ANN 0AUL 2IES $OUG 3TILL AND MANY OTHERS OFFER INSIGHT AND INSPIRATION BY GENER OUSLY SHARING THEIR OWN EXPERIENCES (AVING A ROLE IN THE DIREC TION OF 3-! IS AN HONOR PARTICULARLY AS WE APPROACH OUR TH !NNIVERSARY 4HE CONFERENCES -&) AND THE !RBORIST %XCHANGE 0ROGRAM EXPERIENCES HAVE CREATED LIFELONG FRIENDSHIPS 7HAT ASPECTS OF MUNICIPAL ARBORICULTURE INTERESTEXCITE YOU MOST *" /NE ASPECT OF MUNICIPAL ARBORICULTURE THAT ) FIND INTEREST ING IS THE EVERINCREASING BOUNDARIES OF WHAT WE INCLUDE IN OUR DEFINITION OF URBAN FORESTRY 7E TYPICALLY ASSOCIATE URBAN FORESTRY WITH TREES BUT MORE AND MORE WE SEE URBAN FORESTRY MANAGERS AS PLANNERS AND GREEN RESOURCE MANAGERS AND THE URBAN FORESTERS REALM IS EXPANDING TO INCLUDE PARKS OPEN SPACE AND THE ENTIRE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS INTERWOVEN INTO MOST MUNICIPALITIES 9ESTERDAYS URBAN FORESTER WAS A TREE SURGEON DEDICATED TO PUBLIC TREES 4ODAYS URBAN FORESTER IS A PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR LONG RANGE PLANNER RISK MANAGER AND PROGRAM LEADER DEDICATED TO URBAN WELLBEING THROUGH AN AGGREGATE OF HEALTHY TREES AND LANDSCAPES /N THE ARBORICULTURAL SIDE ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY THROUGH RESEARCH AND PRACTICE ARE DRIVING RISK ASSESSMENT AND TREE MANAGEMENT TO A NEW LEVEL 5NDERSTANDING DECAY DETEC TION ROOT MORPHOLOGY SOIL AND WATER RELATIONSHIPS AND ALL OF THE SCIENCE THAT SUPPORTS OUR ROLE MAKES US MORE EFFECTIVE PROGRAM LEADERS 4HERE WILL ALWAYS BE A SUBJECTIVE ELEMENT IN TREE MANAGEMENT BUT THE MORE OBJECTIVE INFORMATION WE HAVE THE MORE EFFICIENT WE CAN BE 7HAT ASPECTS OF MUNICIPAL ARBORICULTURE DO YOU FIND MOST CHALLENGING *" 4WO THINGS COME TO MIND 4HE FIRST IS THAT THE 3ACRAMENTO 6ALLEY AS WELL AS MUCH OF THE 7EST IS IN AN ARID CLIMATE /UR RAINS COME TO A SCREECHING HALT IN !PRIL AND WE HAVE NO MEA SURABLE PRECIPITATION UNTIL THE FOLLOWING /CTOBER OR .OVEMBER *UNE *ULY !UGUST AND 3EPTEMBER AVERAGE AROUND DEGREES & # !LMOST ALL OF THE TARGETED NEW TREES THAT WE PLANT ANNUALLY MUST BE HANDWATERED 5NLIKE MANY OTHER AREAS