City Trees

really enjoyed working to create connections and help educate people about trees and the various ecosystem services they provide. One area of urban forestry that I am especially interested in at present is environmental justice and equitable access to nature. I believe we have a lot of work to do to balance the playing field in our cities. Are you experiencing shrinking resources? If so, what are some of the ways you have managed that? SA: When I first joined our organization, our workgroup had just experienced significant bud- get cuts and a major downsizing. Fortunately, over the last 13 years we have slowly been building public trust and confidence in our team and have been gaining additional resources/ support little by little. That said, we have def- initely also been trying to "do more with less" and have tried to get creative wherever we can. A prime example of this would be our collab- orative work with individual property owners, homeowners associations, and neighborhood associations. We've been able to incentivize many of them to pay for the pruning or removal and replacement of problematic, publically-owned street trees. We've offered them simplified permitting and discounted contractor rates along with expedited service; we've also pro- vided them with a tax letter for the Internal Revenue Service that allows them to claim those expenses as charitable deductions. This is just one example of many; ultimately, we rely heavily on good stakeholder leadership. What do you like to do in your free time? SA: Free time? What's that? Just kidding (sort of). I'm trying to get better at work/life balance, but I am just not that good at it yet. When given the chance to do what I want, I love to travel internationally and explore new places with my wife and daughter (especially wilderness areas), climb big trees, and sea kayak. At home, I like to cook and go for long runs/hikes/bike rides. Without Mycorrhiza With Mycorrhiza Soil MoiSt ™ PolyMer & Mycorrhizal ProductS: the Beauty of doing More with leSS. www.soilmoist.com 1-800-962-4010 © 2016 JRM Chemical, Inc. Grow stronger, more vibrant plants and improve soil conditions, while saving time and money. Soil Moist water management products help keep your landscape healthy and beautiful, with less maintenance: • Reduces plant watering by 50% • Ideal for trees, shrubs, beds & containers • Reduces plant stress and maintenance • Boosts root development, increasing growth rates • Improves soil porosity • Watering lasts up to 50% longer for 3-5 years • Eco-safe and easy to use • Available in a variety of forms, formulas & custom blends Learn more today at:

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