President's Perspective - Fall 2021

President’s Perspective: "What a long strange trip it’s been" - Jerry Garcia

It was about 20 years ago when I attended a WCISA workshop on soils and I asked the speaker “What about using a granular polymer with mycorrhizal inoculant in the backfill when planting a tree in a freshly cut concrete sidewalk? Any assistance with tree survival, especially with an adjacent property owner’s uncertain watering schedule would surely be worth the small expense.” The speaker answered “...snake oil my friend. Save your money and plant more trees!” He went on to explain why in greater depth. Talking with others after the session, I changed my practices and my budget opened up. I left the workshop with a strong sense of appreciation for the WCISA community.

Now as president of WCISA, I am excited to start this year with planning for our WCISA 2022 Annual Conference in Oakland, California. Our conference will focus on the best URBAN forest practices in our high population centers, including a closer look at historic local fires and their ongoing prevention in Oakland’s Wildland Urban Interface. It is the Chapter’s intention to have our conference live and in-person, though we are also providing a virtual attendance option to make information more accessible to you.

Over the years I have met many of you through our Chapter regional workshops and conferences. We are the largest ISA chapter with nearly 3,500 members. I look forward to meeting more of you this year. Our Chapter includes diverse regions from the giant trees of the Pacific Northwest, to the lush tropical trees of the Hawaiian Islands, to the dramatic trees of the arid Southwest. Since our practices span this broad geographic area with diverse climates, WCISA needs to address a large range of topics to support the development of our members’ professional skills. Whether describing new technologies in tree climbing or sharing the science of how shifting USDA Hardiness Zones affects trees in the West, WCISA provides opportunities to grow your knowledge through educational programing and credentialing.

I want to listen to your feedback and understand your interests so WCISA can better meet your needs. Thank you for responding to our recent member survey. We have already worked many of your learning preferences and topical interests into our schedule this year. Since COVID-19, life and methods of educational delivery have changed. According to the member survey, most you prefer having educational opportunities in person, yet another significant set prefers virtual-only training. Some of you prefer a hybrid model - a combination of in-person and virtual trainings - which meets everyone’s needs and so we are moving in that direction.

Diversifying delivery methods of our educational materials is especially crucial to our members in remote areas, as well as those with less ability to travel - and it saves members’ time and money. Currently, we are enhancing our website to support a web-based library of educational opportunities and provide members with an index of articles in our publication Western Arborist to ease your search for specific content.

It is our committee members who have added so much to all of our educational programming. Three committees stand out to me with their current efforts. One stellar example is our Women in Arboriculture committee, who produce well-attended climbing and chainsaw safety workshops. Our Tree Care for Birds and Wildlife committee has already completed the final draft on Tree Care for Wildlife Best Management Practices - with Western Chapter ISA which now covers our entire region. And the Spanish Education Committee has ramped up their offerings of high-quality training workshops and programs. A sincere thank you to these and the other twenty-seven committees’ volunteer participants!