Municipal
Arborist/Utility Forester (2004-Present)
, City of Bowling Green, Ohio
This position is
responsible for planning, organizing, and directing all activities related to
the acquisition, planting, growing, maintenance, and removal of trees on City
properties and rights of way. To provide support to the City’s Tree Commission
and on-going management of the City’s urban trees as well as to assist other
departments in related activities. Performs project coordination of new
construction and infrastructure updates regarding landscape removal and
replacement. Working primarily at the community level, provides technical
guidance and supervises urban forestry activities. Coordinates and directs the utility line
clearance program for the Bowling Green Municipal Electric System.
Managed and administered
vegetation management program. Oversaw contractor line clearance activities
throughout the company service territory. Performed field audits of vegetation
line clearance on utility rights-of-way to provide excellent customer service.
Represented the company at professional meetings, conferences and symposiums on
vegetation management. Developed and prepared line clearance contracts for
distribution and transmission facilities for the Purchasing Department. Worked
with volunteer Street Tree Commissions, Garden Clubs and Elementary Schools on
Arbor Day Programs providing education on planting the right tree in the right
place.
Iowa State University, BS
Forestry
The University of Akron, BS Labor Economics
Organizations:
International Society of
Arboriculture (ISA), Certified Arborist (OH-5175A), Ohio Chapter ISA, Board of
Directors, Ohio Tree Care Conference Chair (2011-Present), Utility Arborist
Association (UAA), Research Committee, Ohio UAA Past President, Society of
Municipal Arborists, Board of Directors Society of American Foresters (SAF),
Ohio SAF.
Research:
We partnered with The
Ohio State University Departments of Entomology (Insecticide Project -
Completed in 2013) and Plant Pathology (Genetics Project) on Emerald Ash Borer
Research from 2007 to Present.
Our City worked with the US Forest Service and Davey Tree Expert Company on two
i-Tree Street Projects. The first project in 2008 was based on all street trees
including the public ash trees to determine the value of green infrastructure
in the city. We began the second project in 2012 with the public ash trees
removed and the impacts to the green infrastructure and street tree benefits.
We developed a canopy cover project for 2014 and are partnering with the
University of Toledo, Department of Geology and NW Ohio Penta Career School GIS
using LiDAR.
We partnered with the University of Toledo, Department of Engineering and the
Toledo Area Metropolitan Council of Governments on a Green Stormwater
Management Project to develop and disseminate guidelines including design
modifications and species selection for successfully incorporating native trees
into bioretention systems to begin in 2014.
We are in discussion with
the Bowling Green State University, Department of Biology for a forest insect
research project in 2015.