THE LEAFLET

With urban populations surpassing 50% worldwide proper city planning, specifically enhancing green space, should be a priority. The Trees Matter Presents: Green Cities Summit, in partnership with Montgomery Parks, will highlight cutting edge urban forestry and urban planning research in order to inform practitioners and policymakers. 

Get inspired by our keynote speakers for the Summit! This isn’t just a place to learn from some of the brightest leaders—it’s also a place to lift your head up and think about things outside your everyday. So who are these movers and thinkers in urban forestry? Meet them:

Sonja Duempelmann | Today, many cities around the globe are planting street trees to mitigate the effects of climate change. However, this practice is not a new phenomenon – cities like New York City and Berlin during the nineteenth century began to systematically plant trees to improve the urban climate. How and why? Duempelmann, professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, she looks at the history of street tree planting within its larger social, cultural, and political contexts. Street trees–variously regarded as sanitizers, nuisances, upholders of virtue, economic engines, habitat, and more–reflect the changing relationship between humans and nonhuman nature in urban environments. 

Michael A. Dirr | Professor emeritus, horticulture, University of Georgia, is widely acknowledged as one of the leading experts on trees and shrubs for landscapes and gardens. Dirr has introduced over 200 woody plants to cultivation and holds 29 patents with the UGA Research Foundation. It’s with this impressive background that he’s put together his most recent book The Tree Book: Superior Selections for Landscapes, Streetscapes, and Gardens. Featuring trees widely available in the nursery trade, some new and promising choices, and a selection of overlooked options that deserve renewed interest, Dirr will discuss this must-have resource for landscapes architects, city foresters, horticulturists, and enthusiastic home gardeners.

Trees Matter Presents: Green Cities Summit
Wednesday, December 4 | 8am – 5pm | Kellogg Conference Center | 800 Florida Ave NE, W DC
caseytrees.org/summit