We had a tree-mendous time at our 2023 ReLeaf Network Retreat in Sacramento! Below are all our presentation recordings from the Network Retreat. We hope you will find these presentations to be a useful resource.
Download the 2023 Network Retreat Agenda Packet
Keynote Presentation – Justice in the Trees
Speaker: Wanda Stewart, Executive Director, Common Vision
Presentation Description: While we all recognize the need to plant trees and grow environmental awareness in urban environments, we must grow our individual awarenesses and abilities to embrace the diversity of experiences and engage across culture. Through a sharing of Wanda’s real world stories from “the ‘hood” and beyond, this is an opportunity for reflection on how we can all work – individually and together – to cultivate a world that thrives for all.
A Resilient Community: Growing Equitable Tree Canopy and Youth Leadership in Watsonville
Speaker: Jonathan Pilch, Executive Director, & Yesenia Jimenez, Education and Restoration Specialist, Watsonville Wetlands Watch
Presentation Description: When Watsonville Wetlands Watch began the Watsonville Community Forest Project in 2017, our goal was to increase urban tree canopy in the City of Watsonville from 7% to 30%. Since this time, we have refined our canopy goals and methods, learned many lessons along the way, and developed an effective youth leadership and training program called the Climate Corps Leadership Institute. This presentation will share lessons learned in developing a community-based urban forest program in Watsonville, youth leadership development, and how we are connecting this work to broader goals for equity and environmental and watershed restoration and conservation.
Trees PLEASE – School & Park Tree Planting Program
Speaker: Miranda Kokoszka, Natural Resources Program Manager, Butte Environmental Council
Presentation Description: Butte Environmental Council developed the Trees PLEASE (Planting Literacy in Environmental Action & Stewardship Education) program to plant trees and engage students with hands-on learning at school campuses and parks in Butte County.The presentation will provide an overview of the program, lessons learned, as well as challenges, victories, and feedback that we have received from teachers and the community who have participated.
New Tools From the Urban Forest Ecosystem Institute
Speakers: Dr. Matt Ritter, Dr. Jenn Yost, Dr. Natalie Love, Graduate Student Camille Pawlak of The Urban Forest Ecosystem Institute at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Presentation Description: The Urban Forest Ecosystem Institute at Cal Poly has developed several tools for cataloging and understanding California’s urban forest, including the California Urban Forest Inventory, a collection of 7 million tree data points taken by arborists, the Tree Detector, which has predicted locations for every urban tree in California, and a set of range maps for California’s native trees. In this talk, we describe each of these data sources, how they can be used to describe and manage California’s urban forests, patterns in urban trees across the state, and how the data can be accessed.
Urban Wood: Waste to Wonder
Speaker: Jennifer Szeliga, Director of Operations, Sacramento Tree Foundation
Presentation Description: This presentation will explore the fate of urban trees after they are removed. Typically, the majority are sent to landfills, with only a small percentage repurposed for mulch, firewood or biofuel; however, there are alternatives. By salvaging the logs from removed trees, we can transform them into useful lumber, giving them a new lease on life and continuing to provide benefits to our communities. The presentation will discuss opportunities for salvaging urban trees and creating sustainable lumber and beautiful products.
Learning As We Grow
Speakers: Adrienne Thomas, President, and Vanessa Dean, Vice President, SistersWe Community Gardening Projects
Presentation Description: SistersWe, based in the County of San Bernardino, was established in 2018 as the brainchild of three biological sisters who wanted to bring their community together by establishing environmentally friendly, green living spaces and community gardens and donating and planting more urban trees in their area. This presentation will discuss how SistersWe came together to build and develop their 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Learning as we grow SistersWe and trees!
CAL FIRE UCF Program Update
Speaker: Walter Passmore, State Urban Forester, CAL FIRE
California ReLeaf Advocacy and Funding Update
Speaker: Victoria Vasquez, Grants & Public Policy Manager, California ReLeaf