Hi folks, we’re back!
First off, I’d like to thank you for your patience.
I’m feeling much better now and deeply appreciated the support and well-wishes from family, friends and colleagues.
In other news, I have three big updates for y’all:
This week, I’m on my way to Montana to collaborate with Society of American Foresters & United States Forest Service as a Volunteer Educator with the Job Corps program. I’ll have limited cell service so email and other communications may be a bit delayed.
Tree New Mexico’s Tree Steward Program
Applications are open until August 1st, 2026. Tree Stewards is a statewide urban forestry training & education program covering popular topics, lessons, field trips, plantings (and more!) with guidance and training from various experts for 14 weeks. I supported this program last year as a mentor, lab leader and recently assisted with curriculum review. I highly recommend it if you’re wanting to assist with tree plantings as a volunteer, are seeking foundational training in tree work, or want to learn more about trees. If you are considering a career in arboriculture and live in New Mexico, this program is perfect for you too.
I am scheduling consultations for June-September 2026.
I’ll be in Utah (Utah County) in late August and Central Texas (Waco & College Station) in mid-late September.
Support a locally and woman-owned business by requesting an appointment today.
Not quite ready to make a commitment? Consider answering our Ecosystem Manager Questionnaire to outline your goals and explore your relationship to your landscape.
There are 4 live webinar CEU opportunities this week.
Wednesday, May 20
Tecnología con Raíces: Cómo Usar Innovación sin Perder los Fundamentos del Manejo del Árbol@ 5:30am-6:30am Mountain
Engagement in Urban Forestry Leadership@ 11:00am-12:00pm Mountain
Community engagement is often treated as a supporting activity—but what if it were recognized as a core leadership function?
In this dynamic Learning Series session, we will explore how to elevate engagement from a checklist of outreach tasks to a leadership-centered framework that informs strategic planning, risk assessment, and municipal operations. Drawing on real-world experience, this session demonstrates how meaningful community engagement strengthens trust, advances equity, and reduces operational and political risk.
Grounded in the UCFS Accreditation Standards, this session highlights best practices for embedding engagement into policy, building trust through transparent structures, and communicating with cultural awareness. Real-life case studies illustrate how insufficient engagement can create operational, reputational, political, and equity risks—and how those challenges can be transformed through deeper collaboration and shared decision-making. You’ll leave with a practical framework for aligning engagement approaches with project risk levels.
Designed for municipal foresters, nonprofit programs, and community leaders, Centering Community Engagement in Urban Forestry Leadership emphasizes that community engagement is not an “extra” skill—it’s a foundational leadership responsibility essential for advancing equity, mitigating risk, and ensuring long-term program success.
Join us to transform the way you lead—you’ll gain the tools, strategies, and inspiration to make community engagement a driving force in your urban forestry programs.
At the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:
- Incorporate engagement strategies that build trust, advance equity, and reduce operational and political risk.
- Apply a leadership-centered framework to integrate community engagement into strategic planning, risk assessment, and municipal operations.
- Evaluate how different levels of engagement (inform, consult, involve, collaborate, empower) align with project risk and community impact.
UAA Webinar: Safely Introducing Helicopter Trimming Operations at a Rural Co-Op @ 11:00am-12:00pm Mountain
Thursday, May 21
Lessons Learned in Atlanta’s South River Forest@10:00am -11:00am Mountain
Atlanta’s proposed South River Forest represents both the promise and complexity of creating a major urban conservation landscape. Dr. Cassandra Johnson Gaither with the USFS found that support for protecting the forest is strong, but her research underscores a key lesson: planning processes must meaningfully reflect and engage the communities most connected to the land. Join us to see how this important guidance for advancing urban forests can strengthen your efforts towards resilient and equitable management.
On-Demand CEUs
Arbsession Training Videos
Forestry Webinars
The Webinar Portal, a product of Southern Regional Extension Forestry (SREF) and winner of the 2011 USDA Forest Service’s Two Chiefs’ Partnership Award, is a “multi discipline” web platform used to promote and deliver live and on-demand virtual events and webinars focused on forestry, agriculture, conservation, climate science and other natural resource disciplines.
TreeStuff Webinars on YouTube
Watch a video and pass the quiz to qualify for free ISA CEUs.
Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA)
Introduction to Arboriculture Safety (1.25 ISA CEUs)
In this program, you will learn about general tree care safety so that you can avoid accidents while working in the field.
Susan Harwood Grant program OSHA Trainings (Up to 5 ISA CEUs)
Remember, you can always ask your local ISA chapter if your event qualifies for CEUs.
If your organization is hosting a free in-person or virtual ISA CEU opportunity, please reach out to so we can share it!
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