City Trees

14 City Trees ity and as a project sounding board to date. However, next steps call for developing mechanisms for sustained action, networking, organization, and conversation. This is where the steering committee members and individual urban foresters around the country need to come together to suppor t their profession. In addition, the SMA is a member of the Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition (SUFC). This organization includes over thir ty professional and nonprofit organizations that par tici - pate in urban forestry (see sufc.org) and is a potential avenue for an inclusive organization that would bring all those who practice urban forestry together. The Issues In January 2017, UF2020 held a series of frank meetings with the members of its steering committee about a plan of action for the profession of urban forestry. The committee addressed the following issue: In spite of projected increasing need for urban for - estry expertise, professional urban foresters are not present in many communities and their value and expertise are not always recognized by col- leagues, employers, and the public—endangering the sustainability of the profession. Yet, success- ful management of our national urban forest eco- systems relies on professionals with specialized knowledge in urban and community forestry being deployed in cities and towns and integrated into community decision making. National leadership is needed to foster the emergence of urban forest - ry as a fully recognized and valued profession with the professional support mechanisms to ensure its sustainability and effectiveness. UF2020 seeks to identify a path through which this national leadership can emerge and take effective action in both the shor t and long term. The project has identified a suite of issues facing the urban forestry pro- fession. All of these relate to some degree to the public image of urban forestry—how urban forestry is commu- nicated, institutionalized, and practiced. In a nutshell, UF2020 research found: 1. There is signif icant confusion about what urban forestr y is, who practices it, what an urban forester should know, and what they bring to the decision-making table. 2. There is no clear and acces sible career path for those who wish to be urban for - ester s and no recognized path to profes- sional advancement. There are signif icant gaps in the career ladder available to potential urban forester s. 3. With the exception of the SMA, most profes sional net works for urban for- ester s appear to be regional or local and there are insuf f icient avenues for addres sing critical is sues of profes- sionalization at a national level. One potential challenge in this arena is the multiple profes sional identities of those who practice urban forestr y. 4. There are substantial geographic gaps in job oppor tunities for urban forester s acros s the U.S. 5. Univer sities have developed urban forest- r y programs, but low enrollment jeopar- dizes their continuation. 6. High school and college student s have vir tually no awarenes s of urban forestr y as a profes sional career. The steering committee additionally identified issues within our profession and strategies for addressing them. These include: • def ining the boundaries and scope of what it means to be an urban forester; • having national and inclusive meetings or engaging meta organizations to bring diver se profes sions together to discus s these is sues and take action; • strategizing to diver sif y job set tings for urban forester s. For example, can pri- vate sector oppor tunities be expanded? What t ypes of organizations (corporate campuses?) would benef it from urban forester s? and • analy zing the urban forestr y career lad- der to f ill in gaps and create mentor ship oppor tunities.

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