[All] Urban Forest

Tue Nov 16 20:50:50 EST 2010

PK<

The quick unequivocal answer is : NO!

How do I know this - well last year my wife an I had to call both the police and the city of Waterloo to solve a slight difference we where having with a "new" neighbour in our backyard. He was merrily chainsawing some 100 year old spruce trees ON OUR PROPERTY - his (excuse) reasoning was liability....someone might trip on the branches below eight feet..... AFTER the city forester bicycled back from his home to the office AND then to our house - the city was able to get him on his cell phone - after hours.... AND the police could NOT do anything without causing MORE potential headaches for US - the police wanted the forester to arrive - possibly more than we did.   LOng story short - the forester was BESIDE himself with what was happening to the trees - however since the branches were going over onto the other property ALL HE could do WAS STRONGLY suggest the guy NOT CUT THEM AND the ones he already had NEED PROPER Pruning....NEED LESS TO SAY - said SAW man continued and did WHAT HE WANTED...
...
After private discussion with the police AND more importantly the Forester....we learned some VERY sad news indeed...THE city of Kitchener, the city of Waterloo, AND the REGION HAVE NO rules OR regulations that PROTECT   OR   VALUE what we have for our "URBAN FOREST" AND are UNDER STAFFED AND it is NOT even on their RADAR..

There was / is a group of citizens a few years back TRYING desperately to get something going with regards to URBAN FOREST ....in Guelph ONtario - not sure of the outcome...

Hope this little rant helps in some small way.... OUR TREES in the city especially are a RESOURCE and should be the centre of ALL our planning and thoughts...

Don Balanoff

From: sustainab at hotmail.com
To: all at gren.ca
Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:18:22 -0500
Subject: [All] Urban Forest

Does Waterloo Region have an equivalent position/program (see below) for participative urban reforestation? Maybe this is why London is called the the forest city. 

I haven't actually done a survey, but anecdotally, I've come across more than a few local folks almost tripping over each other in an attempt to get rid of, especially, their larger broadleaf trees, reasoning that they're a pain in the ass to take care of and "they might fall on the house". While these may be reasonable concerns, the properties which have lost their once-proud giants don't seem to be making any effort to replace them, even with smaller trees. 

Obviously, liabilities figure into the equation. But, what about the asset side of the balance sheet?  - Urban heat-island mitigation, local food production, lower air conditioning costs, pollutant mitigation, water sequestration/transpiration, carbon sequestration, habitat creation, compostable biomass. 

Without even getting into the intrinsic value of trees (pleasing aesthetics, a place to relax on a hot summer day) and the urban ecosystem(s) they anchor, it seems like there are still a lot of people out there who don't understand the value of urban forest.

PK

Project Manager, ReForest London, London, Ontario
Date posted to GoodWorkCanada.ca: Nov 15 2010 

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Position: Project Manager
Organization: ReForest London http://www.reforestlondon.ca
Location: London, Ontario

Summary
ReForest London is a charitable, non-profit organization that engages individuals, groups and businesses in planting and caring for trees in neighbourhoods and natural areas throughout London.

The Project Manager is responsible for managing the planning and implementation of all ReForest London projects and their aftercare. The Project Manager also will advise ReForest London in technical matters related to project planning, project implementation and strategic direction.

This is a one-year contract with possibility of renewal. The contract is for 700 hours of service (2 days per week). The schedule requires some weekend and evening work, and work hours are flexible. The schedule is cyclical, with the busiest times during the spring and fall planting periods.

Qualifications
The ideal candidate will possess a BSc in biological sciences, earth sciences, or environmental studies, and will have experience planning and implementing large scale naturalization projects. Non-profit organization experience as well as experience working with volunteers is desired. The candidate will have excellent written and oral communication skills, and will have experience with Microsoft Access, Excel, and Word, as well as being comfortable using email and web interfaces. Knowledge of ArcGIS a plus.

Specific Duties
1) Manage the planning and implementation of all ReForest London tree planting projects. This includes:
a. Manage the planning and implementation of all naturalization projects, including
1. site selection that weighs factors such as environmental benefit, ecological linkages and corridors, geographical considerations, cost per tree, likelihood of success, socio-economic factors of target neighbourhood, and other factors.
2. appropriate species to plant that weighs factors such as sun exposure, soil, moisture, urban pollution, deer browse, and other factors. This includes preparing and maintaining project related lists.
3. Planting event preparation that includes plant ordering and pick-up, appropriate site preparation, ordering of soil enhancements, tool maintenance and transportation.
4. Planting event leader that includes volunteer training and supervisor, site clean-up, and tool/plant transportation
b. Manage the planning and implementation of additional projects that may occur in neighbourhoods, not to exceed 20 projects per year total.
c. Provide technical oversight of projects led by Project Leaders contracted through ReForest London to deliver projects.
2) Coordinate and lead aftercare of projects using volunteer and paid labour.
3) Maintain ReForest London project and plant databases
a. Maintain detailed project information that includes plant lists, numbers of stems planted, maps, health and survival statistics, and aftercare performed.
b. Update and maintain plant databases.
4) Provide technical guidance to ReForest London that includes, but is not limited to:
a. Strategic planning as it relates to ecological considerations, changes in environmental science, integration of ReForest London projects, and initiatives with other organizations
b. Technical input into future project selection and program direction.
c. Assist with grant writing by providing technical background and project implementation information. Assist with funding reports.
d. Technical input into the development of educational tools (brochures, web content) for the promotion of the program and its objectives.
e. Represent ReForest London events, conferences, or speaking engagements from time to time.
f. Coordination with other environmental organizations in projects.
g. Attend board meetings as needed

Remuneration and Benefits
Pay for this contract position is $18-$25 per hour, depending on experience and education, plus mileage and expenses. The position includes one week paid vacation.

Application Process
Please send a cover letter and resume in PDF or Word format to Julie Ryan, Executive Director at julie  reforestlondon.ca* by Friday, November 26, 2010. Interviews will be held in December with a start date in early January, 2011. All email submissions will be acknowledged as received, but only those called for an interview will be contacted thereafter. 

When applying, please indicate that you saw this posting at GoodWorkCanada.ca. 		 	   		  

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