Urban and Community Forestry at CCMI

By Liberty Mason, Urban & Community Forestry Placement/ AmeriCorps member

When I think of Conservation Corps, I often think about habitat restoration, trail building, wildfire fighting, and other physical jobs in remote areas and wildernesses. That had been my experience when I had served for two years in various Corps. But this year, I discovered a Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa position called “Urban and Community Forestry.” It focuses on forestry in urban areas and the challenges that trees face in such environments. I was intrigued! I applied and was placed with the city of Golden Valley, MN. Here, I am partnered with the city forester within the Public Works Department.

I am learning a lot in this position! The main project that has been assigned to me is updating the city’s public tree inventory. My goal is to inventory the trees on all streetside rights-of-way throughout the entire city. This is quite an exciting undertaking! The inventory includes the species and overall health of all the trees. I am adding this information to the city’s GIS database, and a corresponding map can be found on the GV website. Staff will use this inventory to quickly locate trees in the event of another serious pest like the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), which has devastated this area’s ash tree population. Additionally, it will be used to better equip the forester to know which species to plant in the future.

A second project given to me is helping the city forester with the organizing and execution of several tree planting events throughout the city. One reason EAB was so devastating in Golden Valley was that too many of its host tree, green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), had been planted on the boulevards. Once EAB entered the area, little could be done to prevent its spread, and the city lost a great deal of its canopy cover. To prevent a similar disaster in the future, the forester plans to increase tree diversity throughout the city, and I have had the pleasure of helping her choose which species to plant. I have learned to consider issues that I had never really thought of before when I had previously planted in rural areas. These include soil salinity due to road runoff, soil compaction and degradation from development, and when to prioritize a native species versus a hardier cultivar in harsh, urban environments.

Learning about issues that affect urban trees, and working within a highly urban environment has been a major change in my work experience. It is such an awesome opportunity, and I appreciate CCMI for creating such openings for beginners like me! I will continue to soak in as much information as I can throughout my term here in Golden Valley.

Opinions or points of view expressed in Corpsmember blog posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of, or a position that is endorsed by, AmeriCorps, or Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa.