Conference
The 2011 California Urban & Community Forest Conference was held September 15-17 in Palo Alto. The conference was a great success. We’d like to thank our speakers, conference sponsors, and attendees for making this year’s conference one of the best yet! View all of the pictures taken by our photography volunteer Emina Darakjy on our Flickr page.
Participant Reviews:
“Excellent cutting edge topics and high quality speakers. The networking opportunities were second to none.”
John Melvin, State Urban Forester
“I thoroughly enjoyed the 2011 conference. There was a great diversity of relevant topics and speakers with varying expertise that related to the common interest of healthy community urban forests. I am already looking forward to next year’s conference.”
Nathan Higgins, CSET
“The collaboration of California ReLeaf and California Urban Forest Council for the 2011 Palo Alto Annual Conference produced an amazing variety of speakers that presented the best of the current state of the art in urban forestry. These conferences are vital to keeping volunteers and professionals alike informed and inspired.”
Ken Knight, Goleta Valley Beautiful
“I loved this year’s conference in Palo Alto! Not only did I learn the latest information in urban forestry, I was able to reconnect with old friends that I only get to see once a year. It was a pleasure to be there. Thank you!”
Melissa Iger, Tree Foundation of Kern
Presentations
Economy 2012: Recovery/Recession, Myopia/Vision
Robert Eyler, Professor, Economics; Director, Executive MBA program, Sonoma State University
The presentation will review the latest macroeconomic issues and provide a brief forecast of where the national economy is headed as well as California. The presentation will also discuss the role of business investment as a way to clarify a path to recovery long-term and why investing in scientific solutions to environmental issues is a strong way to view both business investment and governmental incentives toward business and jobs. An international perspective is also provided, as the global economy is a partnership in achieving economic and environmental goals.
A Message from the California Department of Natural Resources
John Laird, Secretary for Natural Resources, California Natural Resources Agency
John Laird brings 35 years of public service and leadership in California environmental policy. Secretary Laird will contextualize urban forestry in the broader landscape of investment in urban greening and ecosystem services throughout California.
Funding Local Projects: Beyond the Urban & Community Forestry Program
Moderator: John Melvin, State Urban Forester, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Connie Gallippi, Senior Policy Consultant, Conservation Strategy Group
Brian Kempf, Director, Urban Tree Foundation
Claire Robinson, Executive Director, Amigos de los Rios
Voter approved bond funding has supported urban forestry for over a decade in California, with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection being the go-to agency for most of us. As the value and scope of urban forestry continues to expand in California, doors have opened to other state funding sources that are available now, and ready to fund local projects.
You’ll learn about these state-level funding sources, and hear from two local organizations about how they made the connection for their projects. The discussion will be facilitated by John Melvin, State Urban Forester with the California Department of Forestry Protection.
Fruit Tree Planting Programs
Jacobe Caditz, Director of Sacramento Shade, Sacramento Tree Foundation
Steve Hofvendahl, Fruit Tree Program Manager, TreePeople
Through various funding sources, both the Sacramento Tree Foundation and TreePeople work to increase the number of fruit trees in their areas. In this session, you’ll learn about each organizations’ fruit tree planting program, their processes for growing and providing trees, who they partner with, and their lessons learned.
California ReLeaf Network Retreat
The California ReLeaf Network consists of 70 nonprofit and community tree groups from throughout the state. During the Retreat, Network members will have the chance to share the year’s successes and challenges, get an update on ReLeaf programs, and help drive the direction of the ReLeaf Network.
A Guide to the Trees Among Us
Matt Ritter, Associate Professor, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Matt Ritter will speak about the diversity of different tree species found in California’s urban forests. During the research for his new book “A Californian’s Guide to the Trees among Us”, Dr. Ritter surveyed the commonly planted trees in all of California’s most populated cities. He will present information about changes and trends in widely grown trees and will give examples of undeservedly rare trees—those species that seem to perform well in California and have many desirable traits, yet are planted far less frequently than they should be.
Best Management Practices in Urban Forestry
Dorothy Abeyta, Special Districts Arborist, City of San Jose
In the City of San Jose the community forest is managed by several different departments. The City of San Jose “Tree Policy Manual and Recommended Best Management Practices” is the result of a demand by the public to know and understand how trees are managed by the various departments. This presentation addresses the public outreach, the process of information gathering, the material included in the final publication and explores the question “Where do we go from here?”
Downtown Foresters: Maintaining San Luis Obispo’s Way of Life by Offsetting Budget Reductions
Ron Combs, Arborist/Municipal Specialist, City of San Luis Obispo
Earlier this year, San Luis Obispo was touted as the happiest place in the United States. Broad sidewalks, outdoor cafes, plazas and green spaces are hallmarksof this happy town. But what do you do when there’s trouble in paradise? As city budgets were reduced, SLO’s City Arborist had to get creative to continue tomaintain the trees that helped make such a bucolic environment. Starting with the initial idea through the first contact and training of volunteers, Ron Combs will discuss how SLO’s urban forest functions today through donations, hard work and a love of community.
Tree Toolmania
Kelaine Vargas, Ecology Consultant, Urban Ecos
Paula Peper, Ecologist, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station
Urban forestry is going digital, and we’ll help you keep up to date with the latest technology–from tools for your phone to software that models canopy cover-related changes in hydrology. We’ll demo SmartPhone and PC computer apps that provide information about trees. Get the scoop on Leafsnap, Design, Canopy and others, along with updates on the latest developments to the Urban Forest Map family of projects and the Urban Tree Key.
All Weather Fundraising: Getting the Money You Need for the Cause You Love
Kim Klein, Principal, Klein & Roth Consulting
This fast paced workshop will review the core principles of fundraising and present some practical strategies for raising money and building a broad base of donors. Kim will help you get over any anxiety you have about asking for money and help you understand how to frame a request for your organization. You will see why building a broad base of individual donors makes the most sense financially and in terms of mission, and you will be clear about what your next steps ought to be.
OR
Green Cities for Good Health – Building Community Partnerships
Kathleen Wolf, Research Social Scientist, Human Dimensions of Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, University of Washington
This combined presentation and workshop will build on a new science-based communications tool. The topics of public health and human well-being are becoming increasingly important in local government policy and funding programs. First will be presentation of current research on the relationship of city trees and urban greening to human health. The workshop group will then review and revise communications products that can be used to connect to nontraditional partners in support of urban forestry and urban greening. Workshop outcomes will be used to develop outreach products that can be shared in communities across the state and nation.
To view this presentation, visit Kathleen Wolf’s website.
OR
Structural Pruning Workshop
Brian Kempf, Director, Urban Tree Foundation
Dave Muffly, Board-Certified Master Arborist, Canopy
Pruning young trees for long-term structural integrity is one of the most important parts of establishing new trees, yet it is rarely done consistently or effectively. In this workshop, we will be working with trees planted in the last 5 years in East Palo Alto. We will be pruning both small, moderate vigor trees (‘Natchez’ Crape Myrtle) and large, highly vigorous trees (‘Frontier’ Elm). This is a hands-on workshop. We will begin with a brief classroom discussion of the basic concepts, followed bya tour of nearly 1,000 young trees that have been structurally pruned to a high standard in a very challenging environment. After seeing the concepts applied, we will spend the remainder of the workshop working with real trees.
