Jennifer Alger is President of Far West Forest Products and has been working with urban salvaged woods for over 20 years. She is the director of the Urban Wood Network Western Region, and the founder of USRW Inc. that has developed the first-ever Urban Lumber Standards for North America. She is working with an expert team of developers and customer experience specialists on the build-out of an inventory management system and enterprise application that will allow users to easily adhere to the Industry Standards.

Scott Altenhoff is an urban forester with the City of Eugene and currently serves as President of the Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA). Scott has a long-standing interest in promoting urban sustainability via trees and green infrastructure and believes that closing urban wood/green waste loops is a critical piece of the puzzle.

Mike Born has worked in wholesale hardwood distribution from 1981 to 2011 in both domestic and international markets. Sourcing and procurement is a critical function in matching the right raw material production to the correct end-user. He specialized in wood for musical instruments and has in his list of clients, Fender, Leo Fender at G&L, Rickenbacker, and Taylor Guitar.

Nancy Hughes is the executive director of The California Urban Forests Council – and has acted in this capacity since 2005. She leads an amazing staff addressing efforts in advocacy, education, and outreach, and large-scale regional tree plantings throughout California. 

Brett Lance has been working in Public Works for 32 years and has a Bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly Pomona. Brett is also a Pest Control Advisor, Qualified Applicator, and Certified Arborist.

Richard Louv is a journalist and author who speaks internationally on nature-deficit disorder, a concept he first introduced in his international bestseller, Last Child in the Woods; on the importance of children’s and adults’ exposure to nature for their health, and on the need for environmental protection and preservation for greater access to nature and the health of the Earth.

John Mahoney is an Area Manager at West Coast Arborists’ urban wood business, Street Tree Revival. At the intersection of power tools and creativity, John Mahoney found his niche – turning otherwise forgotten urban green waste into dazzling works of art.

John Melvin is the Staff Chief for CAL FIRE’s Resource Protection and Improvement and Acting State Urban Forester. He started with CAL FIRE in 1999 as a seasonal Forestry Aid in Lake Tahoe before joining the U&CF Program in February 2002. John has a hard time picking just one favorite tree; instead, he likes exceptional trees of any species.

Mike Palat currently works as Vice President of West Coast Arborists Inc., overseeing public agency contracts and field operations in Southern California and Arizona. Mike serves as the Chairman of the San Diego Regional Urban Forests Council.

Walter Passmore was selected to be the California State Urban Forester, starting work on June 1, 2021.  He leads the Urban and Community Forestry Program on behalf of CAL FIRE to carry out responsibilities such as administration of the California Urban Forestry Act, Urban, and Community Forestry Grants, and partnerships. Walter previously served in roles as the Assistant Deputy Director and Community Assistance Forester for the Mississippi Forestry Commission, City Forester for Dallas, Texas, Urban Forester for Austin, Texas, and Urban Forester for Palo Alto, California. He began his career in forestry with the USDA Forest Service in 1989 and later began working in urban forestry when he was promoted to the State Headquarters of the Mississippi Forestry Commission in 1999.  His educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry and Natural Resources Management from California Polytechnic State University and a Master of Public Administration degree from California State University in Dominguez Hills.

Scott Paul is the Director Of Natural Resource Sustainability with Taylor Guitars. With two planting projects in the works, Taylor’s collaboration with partners like West Coast Arborists sheds light on the challenges and benefits of creating a circular economy around urban trees.

Kelaine Ravdin is the founder of Urban Ecos. Urban Ecos promotes sustainability through the wise use of natural resources, consulting on projects looking to mitigate greenhouse gas, discover ecosystem services benefits, and tech transfer and education.

Marisa Repka leads Cambium Carbon’s city-based consulting work: she connects the pieces of the urban wood system to facilitate relationship building and community impact. She holds a Masters of Environmental Management with a specialization in Business from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Matt Ritter is a professor in the Biology Department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. On-campus I share my passion for plants with those looking to engage with and understand the amazing world that grows around us.

As a scientific author, my publications attempt to foster a sense of appreciation for California’s unique flora.  A Californian’s Guide to the Trees Among Us and California Plants: A Guide to our Iconic Flora, are two such examples. As a college professor, I help young people cultivate their curiosity and learn more about the organisms in our world. I believe in paying close attention; to looking for the beauty in the details—life is rich when we take time to closely observe the organisms and processes around us. My natural history books have been attempts to reveal these natural wonders to my readers.

Alejandro Ruiz-Velasco has worked for the city of Chula Vista office of sustainability for the past 15 years on various topics ranging from energy management and energy efficiency, and recently environmental services, focusing on recycling and the new State law SB 1383.

Rick Siewert, with his wife Cindy, started Wood From the Hood after they watched an old Ash tree being cut down in the backyard of their Minneapolis home. Losing their neighborhood tree was hard enough, but hauling it to a landfill was not an option. With a family history in the commercial cabinetry business since 1965, the Siewerts knew the life of this tree didn’t have to end because it was being removed.

Dwayne Sperber has dedicated himself to building the urban wood industry. For nearly 20 years he has advised on the vast potential of this renewable resource. Dwayne is called on to provide urban wood utilization guidance and products for leaders across sectors including municipalities, academia, arborists, design professionals, manufacturers, and suppliers. Dwayne is an appointed member of the Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council and founding member and advisor of the Urban Wood Network.

Dwayne is the founder and owner of Wudeward Urban Forest Products, a mission-driven producer and supplier of lumber, architectural woodwork, veneer, and furnishings.

Jennifer’s work is focused on urban wood utilization and giving trees a second life. Jennifer helped launch the organization’s Urban Wood Rescue Program (UWR) that she now runs the program full-time. Urban Wood Rescue preserves a tree’s positive carbon footprint by taking removed trees that are normally chipped into mulch or sent to a landfill to decompose and turns them into slabs of quality kiln-dried wood.

Daniel Torres witnessed firsthand the terrible aftermath of forest wildfires while working as a firefighter for the Los Padres National Forest. The sight and thought of these once majestic forests left for dead inspired him to take action. His need to breathe life back into some of these trees lead him to co-found Deadwood Revival Design, where he was able to combine his passion for chainsaws and skills as a sawyer in the most impactful way. His mission is simple, sustainably harvest lumber in order to bring back to life what was left for dead.

Andy Trotter has been with West Coast Arborists, Inc. since 1982. his experience includes supervision all of the field operations as well as overseeing safety, training, nursery, and the wood recycling facility.