City Trees

Please tell us about your career trajectory. Mike DeMarco: Prior to any thought of a career in urban forestry, I spent most of my early and mid-20's following an obsession with creating music and working as a master control operator at WWNY- TV7, a local news station in my hometown of Watertown, NY. After a few years of work in TV, I felt that something was missing in my life—that is, until 2008 when I found Tree Watertown (Watertown's Street Tree Advisory Board). I began attending meetings and quickly discovered my love for the urban forest. Before I knew it, I was being mentored by On Mike DeMarco and MFI two individuals that have since played a huge part in my journey. They encouraged me to pursue higher education and in the fall of 2012, I graduated from SUNY-ESF with a BS in Natural Resource Management and a minor in Urban Forestry. However, I couldn't rely on my course work alone to find the knowledge and experience that I was in search of during my time at SUNY-ESF. I became a CommuniTree Steward through Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County, worked as an urban forestry assistant for the City of Watertown, and became a student ambassador to the NYSUFC Board. With other Council mem- bers, I took part in lobbying for urban forestry in Albany at Forestry Awareness Day 2012. Prompted by good advice from Syracuse City Arborist and SMA Board Member Steve Harris, I jumped at an internship opportunity sponsored by SMA and spent the summer of 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana shadowing and assisting City Arborist Paul Pinco and former City Forester Andrew Mertz. Upon graduation I accepted a position with Davey Resource Group conducting tree inventories throughout the Midwest and the East. While working with Davey I proudly became an ISA Certified Arborist. Seeking hands-on understanding of the arboricultural practices being prescribed in the inventory process, I transitioned to Bartlett Tree Experts in Springfield, Virginia. There I was able to study under some of the most talented arborists in our field. In an effort to transition back to municipal forest management, I began working with the NYC Parks Department as a forester in the Manhattan bor- ough office. Among numerous duties and adventures as a forester, I had the privilege of co-managing Manhattan's contracted street tree pruning efforts. Please tell us about your current position. MD: I am a plan- ner with the City of Water town. Although some of my responsibilities are focused on important projects that are not specif - ically urban forestry related, many of my duties revolve around the City's urban forestry program. Although we do not have full-time urban forestry field staff, we are always working to advance our urban for - estry program and improve the community forest as a whole. I'm primarily focused on administrative duties such as overseeing Watertown's upcoming tree inventory, managing the urban forestry assistant summer intern- ship program, working to maintain Watertown's Tree City USA status, assist- ing with urban forestry grant application opportunities, organizing the City's bi-an- nual volunteer tree planting projects, organizing our DPW's young tree pruning New York State Urban Forestry Council (NYSUFC) Board Member Mike DeMarco attended the 2017 Municipal Forestry Institute (MFI) on scholarship from the Council and NYSDEC. Here, we learn about DeMarco's takeaways from MFI, his current position, and his work and educational background. The graduating class of MFI 2017. Can you spot Mike DeMarco? Photo credits, left by Paul Ries / top: Mike DeMarco SMA Board Member and recent MFI grad Mike DeMarco. MFI 2018: Registration See more

• Cover