Wednesday, July 27, 2005
DC Arborist Selected for Society of Municipal Arborists Exchange Program
Written by Ainsley Caldwell, Chief Forester
As a recipient of the Municipal Arborist Exchange Program I had the opportunity to visit the Vancouver, BC (Canada) Park Board during the week of June 27, 2005. Bill Stephen, Urban Forestry Technician, hosted my visit. During the previous month Mr. Stephen visited Washington, DC and was hosted by the Urban Forestry Administration and myself.
The Vancouver Park Board has responsibility for street trees, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), environmental impact assessment, building permit reviews, parks and recreation areas, facilities that include coastal beaches, and greenways.
Vancouver, because of its hospitable climate located in Plant Hardiness Zones 8 through 10, receives eighty inches of rainfall annually, has cool summers and mild winters and is especially welcoming to the growth of a wide variety of trees and for these same reasons is susceptible to a number of plant pests.
My visit enabled me to see municipal natural resources management on every possible front: parks, street trees, wildlife, old and second growth forests, coastline, fish spawning habitat, stormwater, and water conservation. The human interactions and challenges of municipal greenscape management were also highlighted: urban renewal, property development, competition for unique habitats and highway construction, and the involvement of elected officials and residents. The experience gained will be invaluable in my current assignment which is mainly street trees but extends to other related environmental areas in the District of Columbia.
