Urban Tree Summit 2024

Casey Trees and Montgomery Parks present the 13th annual Urban Tree Summit (UTS). Conference presentations will focus on the health and welfare of trees in our increasingly developed landscapes. Learn from some of the country’s leading experts about innovative efforts to plant, protect, and preserve trees in urban and suburban settings.

We encourage all arborists, landscape industry and environmental/green industry professionals, engineers, designers, housing developers, and interested citizens to take advantage of this opportunity to learn from experts, experienced peers, and our local, tree-focused, and mission-driven organizations.

Full agenda below. Additional information on speakers available on the Urban Tree Summit website here.

Event Format

This year we will be returning to an in-person conference on Wednesday, September 18th at the Silver Spring Civic Center. Learn from our outstanding line up of five industry leading experts on their reserarch and contributions to the field of urban forestry. Plus, get to meet and network with other urban forestry professionals throughout the day.

In the days following the conference, join us for our exciting line up of Field Sessions. See first hand the impact of trees in our urban environment in any of our four field sessions around the region. Join us for a tour of the renowned National Mall, learn about local reforestation efforts in Langdon Park, embrace the healing power of nature at a forest bathing session, or enjoy a bus tour around Prince George’s County to view historic champion trees.

We hope this year’s Urban Tree Summit will allow for engaging conversations, networking opportunities, and an impactful conference experience.

Sponsors

For those looking to connect with our audience of arborists, designers, advocates, urban planners, industry professionals, and engaged citizens – consider sponsorship. All sponsorship funds support this event. To see the full list of benefits, and secure your spot today, click the link below. Sponsorships will be accepted until August 30, 2024.

Sponsorship Information

Tickets

Early Bird ticket sales end August 1st! Secure your tickets now at the reduced price!

Early Bird ticket price: $89 for the in person conference, $49 for field sessions

Regular Ticket price: $99 for the in person conference, $59 for field sessions.

Identification will be checked at the door. Ticket rate is per person. All raised funds support this event.

Getting There

The Silver Spring Civic Center is located at 1 Veterans Pl, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

Parking is available at nearby garages. Public Transportation is readily available to this location. The Silver Spring Metro Station is located about a 10 minute walk from the Civic Center. There are ample bus routes near the Civic Center.

Field sessions will be held at numerous locations across the DMV region. Exact maps and meeting locations for these in-person sessions will be sent out to ticket holders as events approach.

CEUs

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be awarded by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), MD Licensed Tree Expert (MD LTE), and Society of American Foresters (SAF).

The exact number of CEUs available for each session will be listed in the agenda below soon. CEUs will be available for each of the field sessions and the in person conference.

Accessibility

The Silver Spring Civic Center is an accessible location. If you have any accomodation requests, please note in your ticket purchase or reach out and we will be happy to help.

Field sessions will be held in numerous locations across the DMV region. We will work with individual participants who have indicated need for accommodations on their ticket purchase to ensure an accessible event for all. In the event we are unable to make appropriate accommodations, we will refund tickets in full for any inaccessible events.

Urban Tree Summit Agenda:

Wednesday, September 18th – Urban Tree Summit Conference

Location: Silver Spring Civic Center, 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

Time: 8:00am – 4:00pm

CEUs Available: ISA: 5 CEUs | SAF: 5 CEUs | MDLTE, ASLA – exact numbers pending

Max Attendance: 300 People

Food: Light breakfast, snacks, and coffee provided to attendees. Lunch is not provided to attendees, there are ample lunch options nearby in Silver Spring

Conference Agenda:

“Urban Foresters: Stories from the Front Lines”

Leslie Berckes – Executive Director of the Urban and Community Forestry Society (UCFS)

Urban Forestry is a growing profession of people who make daily tree stewardship decisions. These are the front-line folks who make trees happen, the people without whom our collective tree goals will not be met! We need our urban foresters to feel confident and fully competent in their tree care decisions. However, it’s a tough job. Extreme weather, wearing too many hats, municipal politics…it can be a lot.

In this presentation, Executive Director of the Urban and Community Forestry Society (UCFS) Leslie Berckes will share some stories from UCFS Members who are creatively meeting these challenges and finding new opportunities.

UCFS is the professional membership home for urban foresters and gives voice to their concerns, challenges, and triumphs. Leslie will share case studies that reveal the novel solutions and innovative practices that UCFS members from across the country are putting into practice. What is the “urban forestry multiverse”? How can we best support the DMV’s urban forestry professionals through the current urban forestry inflection point?

“Fairfax County’s Tree Canopy: Examining the Effects of Land Development Regulations on Tree Canopy Conservation”

Dr. Eric Wiseman – Associate Professor of Urban and Community Forestry, Virginia Tech

Brian Keightley – Director of Urban Forest Management Division, Fairfax County

Fairfax County is the most populous county in Virginia as well as the most populous locality in the Washington metropolitan area. Since 1980, Fairfax’s population has increased 89%, from about 600,000 to about 1.1 million people. This population growth has brought considerable land development for housing, commerce, and transit. To minimize environmental impacts of urbanization and sustain quality of life for its residents, Fairfax County enacted a tree canopy conservation ordinance in 2009. This ordinance requires land developers to protect and replant trees in sufficient quantities to attain prescribed tree canopy cover levels within 10 years of development. A county-wide tree canopy assessment in 2021 afforded the opportunity to evaluate performance of the ordinance. Researchers at Virginia Tech have partnered with Fairfax County and Casey Trees to examine parcel-level tree canopy data for over 7,000 parcels developed between 2009 and 2011. In this presentation, Dr. Eric Wiseman (Virginia Tech) and Brian Keightley (Fairfax County) will share the key findings of the tree canopy study and discuss how Fairfax County is using conservation policies and practices to achieve its long-term tree canopy goals.

“Selection in the City: A Nursery Supply Chain Analysis Explores Domestic Selection of Baltimore’s Trees”

Nancy Falxa Sonti, PhD – Research Ecologist – Northern Research Station at USDA Forest Service

Cities across the world are pursuing ambitious tree planting initiatives in order to enhance provision of critical ecosystem services. To maintain desirable traits, planted trees are typically clones and/or cultivars chosen by local nurseries, and have limited genetic diversity among them. Many trees sourced from local nurseries have undergone artificial selection, which is the selection of traits that are desired by the breeder. In addition, urban trees also pass through successive selective filters of preference by the nursery industry selecting which trees to propagate and by urban foresters, landscape architects, contractors, and landowners selecting which trees to plant, in a process of “domestic selection.” In order to characterize domestic selection in the Baltimore, MD, USA metropolitan area, we examined the processes of selecting and disseminating trees from the horticultural industry to urban tree planting organizations and private development projects. We employed a semi-structured interview protocol with each actor in the supply chain network in order to determine the key factors that affect their decisions and behaviors at each stage in the supply chain. Interview questions included: factors affecting their decisions about which tree species or cultivars to grow, select, or plant; concerns about species and/or genetic diversity; concerns about climate and/or pest resilience; their knowledge about the source and methods of propagation for the trees they work with; and key trends in their industry over time.

“Right Tree, Right Trait: Insights on Selecting Trees to Optimize Ecosystem Service Provision in Our Cities”

Asia Dowtin, PhD – Assistant Professor of Urban Forestry, Department of Forestry, Michigan State University

In recent years, the negative effects of urbanization on environmental quality and human health and wellbeing have become increasingly evident. In efforts to lessen these environmental impacts, many communities – both large and small – have prioritized increasing local tree cover, as urban trees have been found to provide myriad ecosystem services. Collectively, urban tree cover provides invaluable ecological and social benefits. However, the degree to which individual urban trees provide ecosystem services will vary based on different structural characteristics, including age, health condition, and species. In this talk, Dowtin will discuss the linkages that exist between tree species, related physical traits, and ecosystem service yield. This talk will also provide an overview of guidance on the selection of urban tree species to help promote local ecosystem service provision.

“Growing Resilient Trees and Urban Forests Through Standards of Care”

Richard Hauer – Director of Urban Forestry at Eocene Environmental Group and Professor Emeritus of Urban Forestry at the University of Wisconsin

Growing trees to become centurions can occur by happenstance, but planning and putting tree care standards into practice increases the odds of success. Standards of Practice such as with the ANSI A300 Tree Care Standards provide a process to write a specification, which we will explore through two common practices such as tree planting and tree pruning. To start, Should you or Shall you do something? Terms have meanings and Standards with actions lead to positive tree outcomes. Shall suggests something you must do. While Should suggests a recommendation that while not mandatory is really something you should have a good reason to explain why you did not take action. This talk will delve into standards of care with trees and their importance to promote resilient urban forests.

Field Sessions:

Thursday, September 19th – Langdon Park Forest Patch Tour

“Assisted Natural Regeneration at Langdon Park: How One Community is Helping its Forest Grow the Next Generation of Trees”

Langdon Park Forest Stewards: Mary Pat Rowan, Allison Clausen, Delores Bushong

Location: Langdon Park – 2901 20th St NE, Washington, DC 20018

Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm

Rain Date: Monday, September 23rd

CEUs Available: ISA: 3 CEUs | SAF: 3 CEUs | MDLTE, ASLA – exact numbers pending

Food: Lunch will be provided to tour attendees

Max Attendance: 30 people

Listening and Learning from the Forest – New trees are not growing in many city forests. Planting in natural areas that already have an existing forest is expensive, carries environmental costs, and poses ecological risks. Yet, we need to close canopy gaps in existing urban forests and have young trees grow to replace those that die. Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) is an alternative approach to planting trees that addresses the factors preventing regeneration so a forest can regrow. Join the Langdon Park Forest Stewards for this on-site visit to Langdon Park Forest Patch in northeast DC to see this method in action. After 4 years of ANR, there are over 2,000 tagged native tree seedlings representing 18 species. Come see what has happened in Langdon Park Forest Patch since we began work there in March 2020.

Friday, September 20th – Prince George’s County Champion Tree Bus Tour

Chris Garrett, Seinor Park Ranger, Natural and Historical Resources Division, The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission

Location: MNCPPC Park Ranger Office – 14955 Pennsylvania Ave, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772

Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm

Rain Date: Friday, September 27th

CEUs Available: ISA: 5 CEUs | SAF: 4 CEUs | MDLTE, ASLA – exact numbers pending

Food: Lunch will be provided to tour attendees

Max Attendance: 25 People

Join Chris Garrett for an exciting tour of Prince George’s County Champion trees. Chris has been a Park Ranger for 24 years and is a tree and forest lover and the self proclaimed “Prince George’s County Champion Tree Finder.” The tour will feature a selection of impressive champion trees, including some of the largest trees on record in the Upper Marlboro area. Participants will travel by van from location to location to view these champion trees. Lunch will be provided.

Tuesday, September 24th – A Living Monuments Tour: Management and Care of the Significant Trees of DC’s Monumental Core

Tour led by representatives of various organizations located in and around the National Mall

Location: The National Mall – exact starting location to be determined

Time: 9:30am – 12:30pm

Rain Date: TBD

CEUs Available: ISA: 3 CEUs | SAF: 3 CEUs | MDLTE, ASLA – exact numbers pending

Food: Lunch will not be provided to attendees.

Max Attendance: 20 People

The urban landscapes of D.C.’s Monumental Core are some of the most iconic and highly visited landscapes in America. The stewardship of these historical landscapes and the management of the trees that anchor these landscapes is a collaborative cross-jurisdictional effort among many partners. This tour will highlight some of the most significant trees through the eyes of the arborists and urban foresters who care for them. These living monuments –many of them witnesses to the construction of the historic monuments that most come to see—have withstood decades of urban pressures and are positioned to experience unprecedented new stressors of the future. We’ll discuss care and management of these trees as well as the parallel efforts to steward this urban forest as a whole through the 21st century and beyond.

Thursday, September 26th – Introduction to Forest Bathing at Brookside Gardens

Ana Leilani Ka’ahanui, Co-Founder of Capital Nature, Naturalist, and Certified Forest Therapy Guide

Location: Brookside Gardens – 1800 Glenallan Ave, Wheaton, MD 20902

Time: 9:30am – 12:00pm

Rain Date: Thursday, October 3rd

CEUs Available: ISA: 2.5 CEUs | SAF: 2.5 CEUs | MDLTE, ASLA – exact numbers pending

Food: This session will conclude with a tea ceremony. Lunch will not be provided to tour attendees

Max Attendance: 20 People

Join naturalist and Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Ana Ka’ahanui from Capital Nature, for an introduction to forest bathing. “Shinrin-yoku,” or taking in the forest atmosphere with all of your senses, is a way to slow down, unwind and connect to the natural world. Through a series of simple sensory exercises we’ll be experiencing the wonders of nature with this relaxing mindfulness practice. This Washington Post article will give you a glimpse of a typical forest bathing walk with Ana: Cleansing the soul and restoring the spirit with a spot of forest bathing.

Questions?

Contact us at friends@caseytrees.org

This event is non-refundable. If you are no longer able to attend, please let us know in advance and we will process your registration as a tax-deductible contribution.