Enter now!

Deadline for nominations is tomorrow at 5pm!


There is still time to get your nominations in for the 2019 Annual Urban Forestry Awards. If you or someone you know has undertaken great urban forestry work in the past year and deserves to be recognized, then enter the awards. Information on award categories can be found here.

To download the nomination form, click here.

Mike Palat – Award of Commendation

The Western Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture recently recognised Mike Palat with an award of commendation. Mike Palat is a true believer and arboricultural practitioner in the Western Chapter community. A Board Certified Master Arborist, Mike embodies the principles of the WCISA. His enthusiasm for the profession and holding its standards to a high degree are ever-evident. Whether it be his industrious nature on the job as an area manager for West Coast Arborists, his role of service as an arboriculture instructor at MiraCosta College, current Chair of the San Diego Regional Urban Forests Council, or board member of Tree San Diego, there’s nary a tree-related activity in his county that he doesn’t have a helping hand in. Away from his home base, Mike has contributed greatly to the Chapter, serving as the 2017 Annual Conference Chair and assisting whenever called upon. He has worked to improve safe and properly-compensated practices through reevaluation of tree trimmer classification by the State Contractor’s Licensing Board. He never turns down an opportunity to engage the public about best management practices related to arboriculture. Even when “off duty”, you can find Mike testing anyone within earshot of their dendrology skills by barking “What tree is that?“. Mike Palat should truly be commended for his service to the profession and the chapter alike.

Scholarships

Street Tree Seminar, the LA Orange County Regional Council, annually awards monetary scholarships to outstanding southern California college students. Our main goal is to see more active college graduates enter the urban forestry and arboriculture fields. Application Process: Applicant must be a current student carrying a minimum of 12.0 units in a southern California area college majoring in the Arboriculture, Horticulture, or Natural Sciences field, with a keen interest in pursuing a career in Arboriculture/Urban Forestry.

Our scholarship announcements for 2019 will be sent out at the beginning of the fall school session.

For more information on the program please visit the website.

Urban Forest Survival Plan

On July 18th, Street Tree Seminar held its summer Western Tree Management Symposium at Kellogg West Conference Center at Cal Poly Pomona.

The theme of the Symposium was “Urban Forest Survival Plan” and the event was very well attended. About 150 people came to hear six great speakers and they were not disappointed.

The morning session included 4 speakers and started with Carla Short who spoke about the “San Francisco’s Tree Program“, followed by Walt Warriner who talked about “Imbedding Tree Preservation into the Planning Process“. Followed by Brittany Dyer from American Forests who explainedHow American Forests Connects Urban and Rural Forestry for Climate, Public Health, and People“.

And ended with Cris Falco from West Coasts Arborists Inc. who spoke about “Your Brain on Trees

The afternoon session included 2 speakers and started with Dr. Beatriz Nobua-Behrmann from the University of California Cooperative who spoke about “Management of Invasive Shot-Hole Borers beetles in urban forests of Southern California” and closed with Dr. Igor Lacan also from the University of California Cooperative Extension who addressed “How climate change challenges urban trees and city forests, and what this means for arborists and urban foresters“.

Silent auction

Help us raise funds for growing great communities by supporting our Silent Auction. The auction will be running during the 2019 California Urban Forests Council. We are seeking donations of auction items. Popular items from past auctions have included:
  • wine baskets
  • original artwork
  • handmade crafts
  • jewelry
  • tree-related products
  • tickets to popular events and attractions
  • gift cards
To make a donation 1. Fill out the silent auction form. 2. E-mail the form to Emina Darakjy at [email protected]. Please submit one form per donation item. Thank you in advance for your generous donation. If you need ideas or have any questions, please feel free to contact the California Urban Forests Council at (415) 479-8733. Back to top ▲

Upcoming Events

San Diego Regional Urban Forests Council

August Meeting

Wednesday, August 7
11.00 am to 1.30 pm

Street Tree Seminar, Inc. has released the Third Edition of Street Trees Recommended For Southern California. Tim Crothers, I.S.A. Board Certified Master Arborist and Plant Health Care Manager assisted in the publication of this new book and will highlight his presentation, Top Ten New Trees in the Third Edition, and a Few Old Favorites. He’ll discuss the pros and cons of many of the trees in the book and will encourage attendees to reconsider all facets of tree selection and maintenance in the urban environment.

Tim Crothers is the Plant Health Care Manager for West Coast Arborists, Inc. in Anaheim, managing municipal tree pest control, fertilization, diagnostics, arborist reports, tree risk assessments, and inventory data collection. programs. Crothers is an I.S.A. Board Certified Master Arborist with utility and municipal specialties, holds a Qualified Applicator License, and is a Qualified Tree Risk Assessor. He has been with WCA since 2012, and prior to that worked as a Branch and Area Manager for TruGreen Landcare in Gardena and Project Manager for Landscape Development, Inc. in southern California Crothers has a B.S degree in Environmental Horticultural Science with a specialization in Landscape Design from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Location:
Balboa Park Club, War Memorial Building
3325 Zoo Drive
San Diego, CA 92101

Registration:
Register here

Cost: $20 includes lunch

Learn about trees and become a leader at our fall tree planting event!

The City of Santee, in collaboration with local and state partners, is offering a free tree workshop!

Saturday, August 10
9 AM – 12 Noon

Santee Teen Center
Big Rock Park 8125
Arlette St Santee, CA 92071

Free coffee and donuts!

For RSVPs or questions, email: [email protected]

For more info about our programs, visit:
investfromthegroundup.org

Download workshop flyer

 

Management, Restoration, & Resiliency in the Forests of the San Francisco Presidio

2019 Chapter Summer Meeting,
Saturday, August 10, 2019
8:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Presidio Trust,
103 Montgomery Street,
San Francisco, CA 94129

Come and see the urban forest jewel that is the Presidio. There are unique challenges in managing the natural environment within this place while maintaining the historic setting and recreational assets. Did you know that there is ongoing restoration and reforestation, including invasive plants management, native plant establishment, and maintaining historic forested landscapes? Did you know that green waste and removed trees are utilized for compost, biomass, and even lumber?

The Presidio of San Francisco is managed by two federal agencies in partnership: 300 acres along the coast are managed by the National Park Service, while the rest of the Presidio, 1,191 acres, is managed by the Presidio Trust. The Presidio Trust is an unusual federal agency in that it was charged with operating the park without taxpayer support. Funds earned through leasing homes and workspaces and operating hotels, a golf course, and venues are used for park management and upkeep.

Please RSVP through Eventbrite by clicking here.

There is no charge for attending this meeting. But please note that parking on the Presidio is not free; self-serve parking costs approximately $2/hour, using a credit/debit card (no cash).

How Much Information Do We Need?

Thursday, August  15, 2019
11:30 AM – 1 PM

Speaker:
Jim Kozak, Davey Tree Expert Company 

A community forest cannot be effectively managed unless its condition is known. An inventory of trees and planting spaces is a prerequisite in planning for and making sound management decisions including budget strategies and priorities. An inventory can provide the locations of trees that require pruning or removal to reduce risk, the number of trees located within the public right-of-way, the value of ecosystem services trees provide, and the number of available planting sites. In addition, an inventory can help to identify insect or disease problems or young trees that require irrigation, pruning, and other maintenance.

With this information, tree managers can annually plan, prioritize, and budget tree removals, maintenance work, and plantings. They can also determine the value of their community’s trees for increasing property values and stormwater management which helps emphasize a tree program’s importance to community leaders. Over the years, changes in a community forest can be seen in the number, age, and species of trees. A well-maintained inventory can be used in cases of liability to demonstrate there was no negligence in the inspection or care of public trees. An inventory will also improve the chances of receiving grants and other assistance by documenting the condition of and care for the community forest.

Location:
Sacramento Tree Foundation (Conference room)
191 Lathrop Way, 
Suite D,
Sacramento CA 95817

 

Learn about trees and become a leader at our fall tree planting event!

The City of Upland, in collaboration with local and state partners, is offering a free tree workshop!

Saturday, August 17
9 AM – 12 Noon

Carnegie Library
(Carnegie Room)
123 D Street,
Upland, CA 91786

For more info about our programs, visit:
Invest From the Ground Up

Learn about trees and become a leader at our fall tree planting event!

The City of La Mesa, in collaboration with local and state partners, is offering a free tree workshop!

Saturday, August 24
2 PM – 5 PM

Adult Enrichment Center
8450 La Mesa Blvd
La Mesa CA 91942

For RSVPs or questions, email: [email protected]

For more info about our programs, visit:
Invest From the Ground Up

Street Tree Seminar

On August 28th from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm we meet at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia.

Don Hodel will lead us on a walk and talk on the beautiful trees/gardens of the LA Arboretum. You must register for this event which also includes lunch. Click here to contact Street Tree Seminar.