Urban Forester at Tree Baltimore – Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks, Forestry Division
This was some of the best news I’ve heard in the last week. I think the new name really puts the society on a foundation as a strong professional organization that represents all the individuals who practice #urbanforestry including municipal employees, non municipal government employees, and others in private and non government practice, as well as creating a more international and welcoming society. Urban and Community Forestry Society #UCFS does some great things, but I know a lot of great potential members practicing urban forestry who weren’t familiar with what SMA was doing because the name felt like it didn’t have relevance to them. So if you practice urban forestry and are not a member, I strongly hope you consider joining. The announcement really came at a crucial time coinciding with the 2nd World Forum on Urban Forests in DC #WFUF, the last three days. It’s one cog in supporting urban forestry as a profession. Two other cogs were also discussed. Keith O'Herrin, Ph.D. had a great presentation “Borrowed Credentials and Surrogate Professional Societies: A Critical Look at the Urban Forestry Profession” which centered on defining the profession and the importance of well defined credentials that would ultimately reflect that definition. The third cog came in Wednesday’s breakout session "Training the Urban Foresters of tomorrow: connecting Europe, America And Africa" where Sara Fryer Barron presented some results from the Urban Forestry Educators Symposium that was held in April of this year at The University of British Columbia, with the hope of gaining some consensus about what makes urban forestry unique as an academic discipline, what are the core knowledges and core competencies, and how to prioritize their importance. There are certainly other cogs related to this, but the discussion has me very excited for the future.
We have some exciting news! The Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA) is now the Urban and Community Forestry Society (UCFS). While we have a new look and name, our mission remains the same - to build the confidence, competence, and camaraderie of all professionals who manage trees and forests to create and sustain more livable communities. Thank you to our members for all your support! If you're not a member, we hope you'll join us soon!