Keynote:

Professor Suzanne Simard, UBC Forest Ecologist

Social scientist:

Dr. Kathleen Wolf

Professor (retired) and author:

Susan Murray

Landscape Architect:

Nancy McLean

Arborist:

Sara Shores

Lawyer:

Sasha Nowicki

Environmental Planner:

Nancy Hofer

Registered Clinical Counselor:

Katy Rose
(Master's degree in Transpersonal Counselling Psychology, specialization in Wilderness Therapy)

City Arborist

Carolina Arango
***

Suzanne Simard, Ph.D.
Dr. Suzanne Simard is a Professor of Forest Ecology in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences at the University of British Columbia. There she teaches courses in forest and soil ecology, and complex adaptive systems. Her research program focuses on natural and anthropogenic disturbance and climate change effects on the structure, function and resilience of forest ecosystems. She specializes in examining feedbacks between plant and soil communities (particularly mycorrhizal fungi) and how these regulate energy and information flow (such as carbon and nutrient cycling) in ecosystems as complex adaptive systems. She has a vibrant lab of graduate students and is program leader for TerreWEB, an interdisciplinary graduate training program in climate change science and communication at UBC http://terreweb.ubc.ca/ . You can find out more about Suzanne at her website: http://profiles.forestry.ubc.ca/person/suzanne-simard/
To view a video of Professor Suzanne Simard speaking on "Mother Trees" follow this link.

Dr. Kathleen Wolf is a Research Social Scientist with the College of the Environment, University of Washington, and has a joint appointment with the US Forest Service Pacific NW Research Station to help develop a program on urban natural resources stewardship. Since receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Dr. Wolf has done research to better understand the human dimensions of urban forestry and urban ecosystems. Kathy's studies are based on the principles of environmental psychology. She has also worked as a landscape architect and as an environmental planner. Her professional mission is to discover, understand and communicate human behavior and benefits, as people experience nature in cities and towns. Moreover, Kathy is interested in how scientific information can be integrated into local government policy and planning. She is a member of the Environmental Design Research Association, the International Society of Arboriculture, the Transportation Research Board national committee on Landscape and Environment, the Washington State Community Forestry Council, and is a technical contributor on human well-being to the Sustainable Sites Initiative.

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/ruwit/kwolf.html

"Our urban forest is much the better because of Susan. So are our communities."
This quote comes from David Davidson, associate dean, School of Horticulture, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, which was printed in a recent article citing the contributions Susan Murray has made. Susan Murray has taught arboriculture and horticulture courses for more than three decades. Her presence in both classrooms and communities of the south Fraser region of metro Vancouver has made a world of difference for the countless individuals who appreciate an industry expert whose skill and passion are ever-poised to make an impact. In August of 2012, the ISA presented Susan Murray the Alex L. Shigo Award for Excellence in Arboricultural Education.
Murray taught at Kwantlen for twenty years (a large university that covers four campuses across British Columbia, Canada). At Kwantlen's Langley campus, she created a dynamic learning environment where critical thinking and skill development impress upon students a commitment to excellence. She taught a number of courses and labs such as plant identification, landscape design, arboriculture, and other advanced coursework related to modern tree care.
Having entered the arboriculture profession in the 1970s, Murray taught with authority and expertise due in part to her long and distinguished background in structuring some of the first materials for arborist certification programs. The ISA Pacific Northwest Chapter, for example, developed one of the first significant arboriculture credentialing programs, which was later adapted by the International Society of Arboriculture for global outreach. Susan Murray was an instrumental contributor to the development of curriculum and study materials for this original PNW program.
Many of Murray's students credit her highly communicative teaching methods as an inspiration. Whether getting into full gear for an outdoor lab or restructuring a new course for online delivery, Murray is widely commended for integrating her wealth of experience into a variety of new and compelling learning situations. She has collaborated on several publications such as Arboriculture and the Law in Canada, authored Our Sylvan Heritage; a Guide to the Magnificent Trees of the South Fraser and given dozens of presentations and seminars to arborist professional associations and garden clubs.
In retirement after 34 years of teaching, "I am happy to say that it has been a wonderful career," she says. "The green industry is an uplifting and earth-friendly industry to be a part of. The young people, who I have taught over the years, have given me great satisfaction in being able to make a difference to our environment, one student at a time, one well-pruned tree at a time. It has been a great run… the Alex Shigo award was the icing on the cake."
Susan Murray is currently the chairperson for ISA's Board Certified Master Arborist Test Committee. She has been honored by the Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society (Heritage Award), the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (Excellence Award), and the ISA PNW Chapter, twice (Excellence in Education); she is a longstanding member and contributor to various regional nursery and conservation associations, and is frequently and rightfully regarded as a trailblazer for women in arboriculture.

Nancy McLean is a registered landscape architect and professional planner currently working for the Corporation of Delta as the Development Planner, Community Planning and Development. Nancy S. McLean, PIBC, MCIP, MBCSLA, CSLA, ASLA, is a Land Planner II for the City of Delta.
After completing her Bachelor of Science at Tufts University, Ms. McLean went on to earn her Masters of Science in Landscape Architecture at the University of Guelph.
She is Past-President of the BCSLA, Past Chair of the Public Practice Advisory Committee of the ASLA, and Past Co-Chair of the British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association Parks Spring Training Committee. Ms. McLean served on the Editorial Advisory Board, Landscape Architecture Magazine, the Advisory Board of the Greater Vancouver Invasive Plant Council and on the Steering Committee of the BC Land Summit 2009.
Ms. McLean has presented to the Canadian Institute of Planners, International Federation of Landscape Architects, American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects.
Ms. McLean received the 2008 Public Practice Award from the BCSLA, the ASLA Design Award for her work on the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, the Waterfront Center Award for her work on Portside Park from Institute of Urban Ecology, and the Greening of Delta, Council Award.

Sara Shores is the sole Arborist at University of Washington (UW) main campus and oversees an inventory of over 8,500 trees with a crew of two. She began her career with trees in Oregon as a firefighter on the Wolf Creek Hot Shots. Concurrently, she earned a BS in Natural Resources from Oregon State University (OSU) with an emphasis in economics. After college, she worked on the landscape crew at OSU, managing needs for over 120 acres from arboriculture, and irrigation to new gardens and perennials. I n 2006 she landed her dream job as UW campus arborist.
During her time at the UW, she spearheaded the process for UW to become the first campus in Washington State to earn a Tree Campus USA status (2008) and has been integral in maintaining and reapplying for that certification for the last 4 years. She is currently working on a salvage wood program transforming removed trees into furniture for the university. "A beautiful 24 foot elm wood table was the first product built by the UW carpenters. The reclaimed wood utilization and crafting of the table is a tribute to the skill of our Grounds Management staff and our staff in skilled trades."
She runs multiple other projects with the university community including an owl box program and overhauling the current tree inventory. Her talk will include the basics of setting up a tree inventory, including different ways to use the tool and common challenges of maintaining a database with over 200,000 records.

Sasha Nowicki, B.Sc., LL.B.
Sasha's diverse expertise ranges from the minutiae of corporate tax law to the underwater science of aquatic biology. She has an LL.B. from the University of British Columbia and a B.Sc. (Honours) in Zoology from the University of Alberta. After graduating from UBC's Faculty of Law in 2002, Sasha articled and practiced with a major national law firm in their Calgary office. After several years of working on the accounts of high-profile public companies, Sasha switched gears to run her own business. It was not long before she rediscovered her passion for practicing law and began working as both legal counsel and biologist for an environmental consulting company. Sasha moved back west to Vancouver Island and began practicing law in Courtenay in the spring of 2011. In 2012 she was a "Comox Valley Top 40 Under 40" award recipient. In her first two years of managing her own practice, Sasha represented clients on a wide variety of legal matters. In the spring of 2013 Sasha joined the law firm of Swift Datoo and while she continues to have a keen interest in the environment, she now practices primarily in the areas of corporate-commercial law, real estate development, and estate planning. Sasha believes in a collaborative, non-adversarial approach to law, and that the best way to prevent problems is through education.

Nancy Hofer holds a Master's degree from the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia and has a background in ecology and natural resource conservation. She currently works at the City of Courtenay as Environmental Planner, and is the first to hold this dynamic and evolving position. Nancy works to bring a strong sustainability ethic to her projects, advocating for a partnership approach with community groups to use more 'on the ground' information to help in making planning decisions as well as finding a voice for nature at the planning table.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aO8jQ1zaUM

Over the past 10 years Katy Rose has been discovering the joys of experiential and nature-based approaches to working with children, youth and families for the promotion of healing and growth. Katy holds a deep trust in the healing power of connection with the non-human natural world, and believes that each individual is born with an innate drive and capacity towards wholeness and health. Katy completed a Master's degree in Transpersonal Counselling Psychology, with a specialization in Wilderness Therapy, from Naropa University in Colorado. This training has informed her to work creatively in the outdoors in many capacities, including supporting: children affected by anxiety, youth struggling with addictions, families and couples experiencing conflict, and adults seeking change in their lives. Katy's work currently focuses on facilitating the Family Roots Adventure Therapy Program, based out of Victoria BC - an innovative program she developed 5 years ago that brings struggling families together in various outdoor settings to learn, grow and change through experiences that deepen connection with self, family, community and the environment. Katy is a Registered Clinical Counselor with the BC Association of Clinical Counselors.

Carolina Arango is a City Arborist with the City of Surrey, B.C. She works in Planning and Development enforcing the Tree Protection Bylaw on private property. She is a Certified Arborist and a Tree Risk Assessor.

After moving to Canada, from Colombia, to complete her bachelor’s degree in Commerce at the University of British Columbia, she fell in love with the outdoors and with that, she was introduced to the trees of the Pacific North West. Looking to expand her knowledge she graduated from BCIT as a Forestry Technologist and started her career in Arboriculture. She has worked for various municipalities, including Abbotsford, Coquitlam and now Surrey. On her spare time she teaches Dendrology at BCIT, volunteers at Riverview Hospital leading tree tours, and recently was part of the planning committee as the volunteer coordinator for the PNW Annual training conference in Arboriculture held in Surrey in September 2013. Her passion for trees has been the fuel to explore new careers and expand her horizons.

Follow @TreesLady