Neighborhood Tree Steward

2009 Syllabus
There is limited room, so sign up to become a Neighborhood Tree Steward today! The cost is $25.00 and
includes a binder of reading material and T-shirt. To register for the program visit www.portlandonline.
com/parks/nts or call the registration line at 503-823-2525 and ask to sign up for course number 301123.
For more information contact City Nature’s Autumn Montegna at 503-701-7622 or
autumn.montegna@ci.portland.or.us.

Day 1 General Introduction/ Tree Biology

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Meeting location Mt.Tabor Middle School
Social Time 5:45 to 6:00 p.m.
Introduction and Welcome 6:00-6:30
PP&R’s City Nature, Bureau of Environmental Services, Portland State University, and Friends of Trees
Tree Identification Walk 6:30-7:15 by Myles Black (City Nature Urban Forestry)
Myles Black started his work in arborculture in 1976. In 1988 he began work
for the City of Portland’s Urban Forestry as a High Climber. In 1996 he became
an Area Tree Inspector. In 2001 he began his current position at Urban Forestry
reviewing building permits and determining effects on existing trees and mitigation
requirements. Myles has recently returned from vacation in Germany and enjoys
working in his garden and hiking in the Columbia River Gorge.

Ecology of the “Natural” and Urban Forests 7:15-8:00 by Joe Poracsky (Portland State University)
Joe Poracsky is Professor of Geography at Portland State University, where he
teaches courses in cartography, GIS, remote sensing and The Urban Forest. His urban
forest research activity has focused on street tree inventory, tree canopy mapping, and
involving youth in urban forest issues. He holds a Ph.D. in Geography/Cartography
from University of Kansas and has been at PSU since 1983. Joe has recently returned
to the City of Portland’s Urban Forestry Commission after previously serving on it
for 8 years in the late 1990s.

Grey-to-Green Initiative 8:00-8:45 by Jennifer Karps (Bureau of Environmental Services)

Jennifer Karps has an M.S. in biogeography and over ten years’ academic and
practical experience in plant ecology, environmental science, and forest dynamics
with a focus on urban environments. Since 2002, Jennifer has developed and
supported programs for the City of Portland’s Urban Forestry and Watershed
Revegetation groups. She is currently developing an education-based tree planting
program as part of Mayor Adams’ Grey-to-Green initiative. Jennifer also teaches in
the Geography Department at Portland State University.
 Day 2 Tree Biology & Tree Care
Saturday, October 3, 2009 from 8:30-2:00 p.m.
Meeting location Hoyt Arboretum Visitor Center

Social Time 8:30 to 8:45 a.m.

Tree Biology by Joe Poracsky 9:30-10:15 (Portland State University)
(See page 1 for Biography and Picture)
Monitoring Dutch Elm Disease in Portland 10:15-10:30 by Autumn Montegna (City Nature)
Autumn Montegna works for City Nature as an outreach coordinator for urban
forestry education and as the City’s elm monitor. She is an ISA Certified Arborist,
has a B.S in environmental science, and is currently finishing her master’s program at
Portland State University. Autumn enjoys traveling, playing the piano and hiking.

Tour of Hoyt Arboretum 10:30-11:30 by Martin Nicholson (City Nature)

Martin Nicholson , Curator Hoyt Arboretum. ISA Certified Arborist, B Argricultural
Science Lincoln University New Zealand. Previous employers Oregon State
University, Washington State university and J. Frank Schmidt nursery company.
I am looking forward to sharing Hoyt Arboretums world of trees and passing on
information about the arboretums involvement in world wide conservation efforts in
conjunction with the North American Plant Collection Consortium.

Lunch 11:30-12:15 p.m.

Comparmentalization of Decay in Trees (CODIT) and Pruning 12:15-1:00
by Terrill Collier (Collier Arbor Care)
Terrill Collier has been owner, operator and president of Collier Arbor Care since
1980. The business was founded by Terrill’s father, Ray, in 1937 and currently has
24 employees and over 3,000 clients. Terrill has a B.S. in Entomology from Oregon
State University (1981). He is an ISA Certified Arborist, an ISA Board-Certified
Master Arborist, and was a Founding Member of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of
the International Society of Arboriculture, serving as President 2000-2002. Terrill
also served for ten years on the City of Portland’s Urban Forestry Commission.

Diagnosing Tree Defects and Hazards 1:00-1:45 by David Odom (Friends of Trees)
David Odom is currently a Neighborhood Trees Specialist for Friends of Trees, and
has worked in both Lake Oswego and Gresham’s urban forestry programs. He has a
bachelor of science in Resource Conservation from the School of Forestry at the Uni-
versity of Montana, and is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified
arborist. His interests outside of work include hiking, motorcycling, gardening and
exercising his two cattle dogs.
 Day 3 Tree Regulations
Tuesday, October 6, 2009 from 6:30-9:00 p.m.
Meeting location to be determined

Social Time 6:15 to 6:30 p.m.

Citywide Tree Project 6:30-7:05 by Morgan Tracy (Bureau of Planning and Sustainability)
Morgan Tracy – AICP - is a City Planner with the Portland Bureau of Planning
and Sustainability. Morgan has more than 15 years experience in long-range and
development-related planning and has worked with multiple jurisdictions in the
Portland metropolitan region, including participation in tree-related planning,
code development, implementation, and enforcement. Morgan is lead planner for
Portland’s Citywide Tree Policy Review and Regulatory Improvement Project.
Morgan has a Bachelor of Science Degree in City and Regional Planning from
California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo. Morgan also completed
a training course with the Oregon Department of Forestry Community Tree Management Institute. Morgan is a
member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and the American Planning Association.

What is the Job of a City Tree Inspector? 7:05-7:40 by Luke Miller (City Nature Urban Forestry)
Luke Miller is a 2nd generation arborist and started working in the industry with his
father at age 12. He worked as a City of Portland Urban Forestry High Climber for
ten years before becoming the city’s Northeast Tree Inspector. Luke is an ISA Certi-
fied Arborist and has plans on becoming an ISA Master Arborist.

Utilities and Trees 7:40-8:15 by Dave Johnson (Portland General Electric)

Dave Johnson is a former Urban Forestry Commission member and works currently
for Portland General Electric.
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Climate Action Plan 8:15-8:45 by Michael Armstrong (Bureau of Planning and Sustainability)
Michael Armstrong manages efficiency programs for the City of Portland, Oregon
Office of Sustainable Development. He works on issues related to climate change,
energy efficiency, renewable energy, green building, and sustainable food systems.
Michael coordinated the public process that led to Portland's Local Action Plan
on Global Warming, and tracks the implementation of local emission-reduction
efforts. Michael received an MPA from Indiana University's School of Public and
Environmental Affairs and attended Deep Springs College.
 Day 4 Getting it Done: Inventory to Planting
Saturday, October 10, 2009 from 8:30-2:00 p.m.
Meeting location to be determined
Social Time 8:15 to 8:30 a.m.
How to Conduct a Street Tree Inventory 9:00-10:00 by Jennifer Karps and Joe Poracsky
(See page 1 for Biographies and Pictures)
Soils and Tree Care 10:00-10:30 by Martin Lafrenz (Portland State University)
Martin Lafrenz is Professor of Geography at Portland State University. He holds a
Ph.D. in Geography from University of Tennessee and an M.S. in Geography from
Portland State University. Martin’s research interests include water resources, land
use change, geomorphology, and geographic information systems.

Internet Resources 10:30-11:00 by Greg Tudor (Friends of Trees)

Greg Tudor is the Volunteer & Outreach Program Manager for Friends of Trees. He
has a bachelor of arts degree in Literature from Portland State University. When he’s
not getting Portlanders excited about planting trees, he enjoys gardening, reading,
backpacking, and exploring Portland by foot, dragged along by his two dogs.

Lunch 11:00-11:45 a.m.

Steps to Tree Preservation 11:45-12:15 by Joe Hintz (City Nature Urban Forestry)
Joe Hintz has been with the City of Portland’s Urban Forestry for over 30 years. He
started as a high climber before moving to a position as a Tree Inspector. He now
works on tree preservation and planting plans for transportation projects, including
street reconstruction and or new construction. Joe also manages the Heritage Tree
program and the Tree Cutting ordinance.

State and Federal Resources for Urban Forestry 12:15-1:00

by Paul Ries (Oregon Department of Forestry)
Paul Ries manages the Urban and Community Forestry program for the Oregon
Department of Forestry in Salem, where he helps cities and community groups deal
with tree issues. He also serves as an affiliate faculty member in the College of
Forestry at Oregon State University and as a public information officer on a state
Incident Management Team for wildfires. Paul enjoys helping people learn more
about trees and the important but often unappreciated role they play in our lives.
He holds a Masters degree from the Ohio State University and is an ISA Certified
Arborist. Beyond his passion for trees and spending time with his family, he enjoys
hiking, woodworking, cooking, and travel. If he were not a forester, he would want to be either a nature
photographer or a celebrity chef on the Food Network. This past year he reached the milestone of having
visited all 50 US states during his lifetime.
 Day 5 Tree Planting
Saturday, October 17, 2009 from 8:30-2:00 p.m.
Meeting location to be determined
Social Time 8:15 to 8:30 a.m.
Economic Benefits of Trees 8:30-9:30 by Geof Donovan (USDA Forest Service)
I have a bachelor’s degree from Sheffield University in biochemistry and a doctorate
in forest economics from Colorado State University. Currently, I work as a research
forester for the USDA Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station. My
two main research areas are the economics of wildfire and the economics of urban
forestry. My urban forestry work includes studies quantifying the effect of trees on
property value, energy use, crime, and health. To see a selection of my publications,
visit my website (http://donovan.hnri.info).

Choosing the Right Tree for the Right Place 9:30-10:15 by Ryan Durocher (BES)
Ryan is a project manager with the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services’
Watershed Revegetation Program. His previous professional experience includes
coordinating tree planting projects, first in the Natural Area Restoration program
at Friends of Trees and then as the Urban Forestry Outreach Coordinator for
Vancouver’s Urban Forestry Division. He continues to volunteer as a FOT
neighborhood trees crew leader and as a member of the Richmond neighborhood tree
committee. He received his B.S. in Natural Resource & Ecology Management from
University of Michigan. Ryan moved to Portland in 2000 in search of forests,
mountains, the ocean, mass transit, a livable city, and like-minded people. He lives in SE Portland with his
wife Anna and beautiful daughter Sophie.
Tree Transplanting and What You can do to Help 10:15-11:00 by Kris Day (BES)
Hailing from the modest social and natural landscapes of the Great Lakes region,
Kris migrated west 11 years ago to experience the progressiveness of Portland and
the wildness of its surrounding countryside. A lifelong outdoors and plant enthusiast,
she currently enjoys working as a botanic technician with the City of Portland’s
Watershed Revegetation Program where she coordinates wild seed collection,
site management activities, and the purchasing of literally tons of wildflower and
grass seed and thousands of bareroot trees and shrubs for the program’s restoration
projects. She also moonlights as a residential landscape designer and volunteers as
a Natural Area Restoration Crew Leader with Friends of Trees. Kris’s educational background includes
degrees in natural resource management, biogeography, and landscape architecture. Her knowledge of plants
and their care has grown out of years of both formal and independent study, six years of nursery experience,
and two years of teaching plant ID courses, as well as numerous plants-oriented jobs and volunteer gigs. She
enjoys tinkering with bikes, gardening for food, and exploring the PNW in her spare time.
Lunch 11:00 to 11:45
Tree Planting Demonstration by Friends of Trees

Sustaining a healthy park and recreation system to make Portland a great place to live, work and play.
www.PortlandParks.org • Commissioner Nick Fish • Director Zari Santner