Northern Research Station Senior
Scientist Dr. Dave Nowak gave MFI
attendees the definitive i-Tree update.
Photo by Owen Croy
Communications Specialist
Rosa Linda Perez worked
with MFI participants on
presentation style and
proactive media presence.
Photo by Owen Croy
and Wednesday afternoon was a balmy 70°F/21°C
degrees with bright blue skies. Any potential
cabin fever was staved off for this lucky group!
Our SMA President and MFI Alum Sarah Morris
came up from Charlotte, North Carolina. President
Sarah shared her experience and her vision for
SMA, MFI, and the future of urban forestry.
Thursday evening the Connecticut Tree
Wardens generously provided local
refreshments for the MFI social.
Our Friday morning panel discussion was pre-
sented by three New England MFI grads. Ken
Placko and Heather Dionne, both from Connecticut,
along with Mollie Freilicher from Massachusetts,
talked about their post-MFI experiences. We
were then joined virtually from Washington
DC by USFS Assistant Director Jan Davis, who
gave her annual congratulatory speech.
If you have ever used i-Tree, you undoubtedly know
who Dave Nowak is. Dave is the Senior Scientist and
i-Tree Team Leader for the USDA Forest Service.
With some scheduling luck, and the personal per-
suasion of Cadre member John McNeil, Dave gra-
ciously agreed to come to MFI to discuss advances
in i-Tree and how leaders can use the software suite
to better manage the urban forest. Somehow we
convinced Dave to play a part in the dysfunctional
tree board skit we do each year. He was a hit, and
perhaps has a second career in comedic acting.
The following evening, in the intimate setting
of the chapel, Dave told us about his love of
nature as a Boy Scout in Buffalo and his edu-
cation in science that took him from Syracuse,
to Berkeley, and back to Syracuse via Chicago.
Dave's career trajectory and leadership jour-
ney was as motivating as he is modest.
Congratulations and best of luck to
the MFI Class of 2018!
20 CityTREES
