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The Plant a Trillion Trees Podcast

The Plant a Trillion Trees Podcast

By Eva Monheim

The purpose of our podcast is to encourage tree planting and proper tree care for our urban forest which includes neighborhoods, parks, and other open spaces. We will also cover a myriad of tree topics including the important role trees play in relationship to the climate crisis. The show is hosted by Eva Monheim and Hal Rosner certified arborists through the International Society of Arboriculture.
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Episode 89 - Sophie Nitoslawski is passionate about finding ways to better integrate trees and green infrastructure into the fabric of our cities.

The Plant a Trillion Trees PodcastJul 26, 2022

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39:14
Episode 160 - Doug Oster is the Pittsburgh’s Garden Guru and host of the popular radio show The Organic Gardener on KDKA radio every Sunday morning.

Episode 160 - Doug Oster is the Pittsburgh’s Garden Guru and host of the popular radio show The Organic Gardener on KDKA radio every Sunday morning.

Doug Oster is Pittsburgh’s GardenGuru and is host of the popular radio show The Organic Gardener on KDKA radio every Sunday morning. He writes a gardening column for The Green Voice, the newsletter for Pittsburgh Earth Day.

Oster appears on KDKA-TV’s Pittsburgh Today Live as a contributor. He’s also the host of the Talking Trees podcast for the Davey Tree Expert Company along with starring and producing In Doug’s Garden, a weekly television show for CBS/KDKA Streaming.

Oster is proud to work as a consultant for Farm to Table of Western Pennsylvania/Buy Fresh Buy Local. In that capacity he teaches organic gardening classes, helps in the creation and maintenance of local gardens, and works with the team to help underserved communities.

In addition, Doug hosted, produced, and wrote the one-hour special “The Gardens of Pennsylvania” for PBS which won the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary.

His fifth book, “The Steel City Garden; Creating a One of a Kind Garden in Black and Gold” demonstrates how to create a garden using Pittsburgh’s favorite colors.

The garden personality has a strong following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Oster’s most satisfying accomplishment was founding Cultivating Success, a garden program for foster and adoptive children.

 

 

Mar 27, 202452:59
Episode 159 - John Grimshaw is the Director of The Yorkshire Arboretum in North Yorkshire, UK.

Episode 159 - John Grimshaw is the Director of The Yorkshire Arboretum in North Yorkshire, UK.

John Grimshaw has been interested in plants his entire life, as both gardener and botanist. He holds a first class degree in botany and a doctorate in the ecology of the forests of Mt Kilimanjaro from Oxford University. His Tanzanian connections remain important, and he’s proud to be an honorary elder of the Maasai community of Lerang’wa, Tanzania. African plants remain an important botanical interest, but he is fascinated by all plants and has grown a huge diversity in his gardens. He has travelled widely to see plants growing in habitat. His first book was The Gardener’s Atlas (1998), recounting the journeys plants have made from their source to our gardens.
Working in The Netherlands for the seed company K. Sahin, Zaden. B.V., John was responsible for developing perennials and other plants for the seed trade. This gave him invaluable experience of commercial horticulture and management. Following that he joined Colesbourne Park in Gloucestershire as Gardens Manager, where he was responsible for maintaining and developing the historic Elwes family garden, especially the snowdrop collection. He co-authored the monograph Snowdrops (2002) with M Bishop & A Davis, published by Griffin Press. Between 2004-2009 he was lead author of a major book on trees introduced in the past 35 years, entitled New Trees, Recent Introductions to Cultivation, with co-author Ross Bayton. It was sponsored by the International Dendrology Society and was published by RBG Kew, in May 2009.
In August 2012 he became Director of The Yorkshire Arboretum, North Yorkshire, with responsibility for the 120-acre arboretum and 20-acre Ray Wood, on the Castle Howard estate. This involves a wide range of management and administrative duties, fundraising and networking as well as active curation of the extensive collection. In 2021 the arboretum opened the country’s first dedicated Tree Health Centre, to raise awareness of the problems facing trees from diseases, pests and climate change. He was appointed MBE for ‘services to tree health and plant conservation’ in the 2024 New Year Honors List.

 

John is a member of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Nomenclature and Taxonomy Advisory Group, the RHS Woody Plant and Gardens Committees, and in 2012 led the RHS review of the Award of Garden Merit.

He speaks and writes widely on horticultural and tree-related subjects. Other interests include the arts, cookery and poultry-keeping.

Mar 16, 202449:43
Episode 158 - Richard McCoy is owner of Richard A. McCoy Horticultural Services Inc.

Episode 158 - Richard McCoy is owner of Richard A. McCoy Horticultural Services Inc.

Richard McCoy is a 30-plus-year green industry professional, American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA) Northeast Regional Representative and owner of Richard A. McCoy Horticultural Services Inc. established in 1995 and incorporated in 1998 as a conventional landscape company.

McCoy’s company began a transition to become one of New Jersey's first completely organic, ecological, and low-impact land care companies in 2005. Currently, McCoy Horticultural offers organic lawn and land care solutions, native plants, and green infrastructure design and installations. McCoy’s off-the-grid battery electric landscape maintenance is powered by a prototype self-designed solar trailer, and he uses autonomous robotic lawn mowing. 

Richard is a NOFA Accredited Land Care Professional, holds a Rutgers Organic Land Care Certificate and is an AGZA Certified Service Pro. McCoy is also an active New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association member.

In addition, Richard is an advisor to many professional groups as well as being an organic, ecological, and low-impact land care educator to contractors, municipal and institutional workers on how to transition to alternative land care methods.

Mar 03, 202449:16
Episode 157 - Mark Richardson is the Director of Horticulture for the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylston, Massachusetts.

Episode 157 - Mark Richardson is the Director of Horticulture for the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylston, Massachusetts.

Mark Richardson is the Director of Horticulture for the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylston, Massachusetts. He leads a team of horticulture staff and oversees a living plant collection that spans sixteen distinct garden spaces, two conservatories, and over 100 acres of surrounding woodlands and wetlands. He has a passion for ecological horticulture and native plants, and he lectures on various topics including “How to Kill Your Lawn.” He is the co-author of the book Native Plants for New England Gardens (Globe Pequot, 2018).

Feb 19, 202451:25
Episode 156 - Tim Boland is the Director of the Polly Hill Arboretum.

Episode 156 - Tim Boland is the Director of the Polly Hill Arboretum.

Tim Boland is the Director of the Polly Hill Arboretum on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, West Tisbury, Massachusetts. Tim moved with his wife Laura and two children to the Vineyard in 2002. Before his move to the Vineyard, he was Curator of Horticulture at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois.  A plantsman with wide-ranging interests, he is a nationally recognized author, photographer, and lecturer.

Tim has an undergraduate degree in Landscape Horticulture and a master’s degree in Botany and Plant Pathology from Michigan State University with a specialization in Plant Ecology and Systematics.  

Tim studies oak trees and has traveled the world to see oaks in their natural habitats. He is a board member of the International Oak Society, and Chair of the Oak Conservation and Research Committee.  

Tim is also active in assembling a modern flora for Martha’s Vineyard and adjacent islands. He is a plant collections advocate and serves on the Living Collections Advisory Committee of the Arnold Arboretum, Boston, MA.

In his position as director of the Polly Hill Arboretum, Tim guides the principal program areas of Living Collections, Education, Plant Conservation, and Community Ecology.

He is thrilled to see the transformation over the last several years of the Polly Hill Arboretum from a private garden to a community, regional, and national resource. A big part of this transformation is the dedicated work of the board, staff, and volunteers who so generously support the Polly Hill Arboretum through their time, and enthusiasm!

Feb 08, 202401:01:03
Episode 155 - Jason Ross is the Managing Publisher of Wood Central - the world's largest news platform for forest-based news!

Episode 155 - Jason Ross is the Managing Publisher of Wood Central - the world's largest news platform for forest-based news!

Jason Ross is the Managing Publisher of Wood Central - the world's largest news platform for forest-based news!  Wood Central has more than 170,000 users, with over 75% of users under 45, and 47% under 35! We cover all the news on the Wood Central website, across all media channels that interest our users, with fresh content from across the world updated all day, every day.

So whether it's the next generation of mass timber buildings, the carbon power in our lithium batteries, or even the use of Cold War technology in monitoring carbon stock across the world's forests - scroll over to Wood Central to stay informed about all the news that matters!

Jason has a passion for green buildings - probably why Wood Central is the only platform dedicated to writing up a new and unique project case study every day! As a former Green Star Accredited Professional (GSAP), he has been an active member in driving the adoption of Green Star projects in Australia - and is pushing for greener, cleaner, and more sustainable building materials ahead of the Brisbane Olympic Games.  He has advised the Queensland State Government on environmental protection, heritage, housing, and public works.

From 2018 until 2022, Jason managed the PEFC brands in the Australian and New Zealand markets and is passionate about growing the certification awareness and compliance across the Asia-Pacific region. Still, trying to figure out what forest certification is and why it matters?

An experienced spokesperson, Jason has presented to a variety of forums, including the United Nations (Australia and New Zealand), the Property Council (Australia), Master Builder (Australia), the Building Designer Association of Australia (BDAA), the Australian Institute of Building, the National Retailers Association, the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) and New Zealand (NZGBC), the PEFC Council (Geneva, Switzerland), the Wood Processors Manufacturing Association (New Zealand) and the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP).


Feb 02, 202445:02
Episode 154 - Alec Charais leads the marketing and product development at Bailey Nurseries.

Episode 154 - Alec Charais leads the marketing and product development at Bailey Nurseries.

Alec Charais is one of the most passionate people in horticulture today. Having grown up on a family farm, his love for plants grew into a rewarding career that today finds him collaborating with breeders and agents across the globe, searching for trees and shrubs that will beautify the outdoor living experience for everyone.  

At Bailey Nurseries, a family-owned fifth-generation nursery with growing operations in Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, and Georgia, Alec leads the marketing and product development functions across the company. This includes successful consumer brands including First Editions® Shrubs & Trees, Endless Summer® Hydrangeas, and Easy Elegance® Roses – all brands that Bailey owns and manages worldwide. These brands are well known in many parts of the world and Bailey continues to breathe new life into their plants through extensive breeding and trialing to ensure people have lasting success.

In addition to his role as Chief Marketing & Product Development Officer at Bailey, he also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Garden Bureau and the Corporate Membership Committee of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Alec is passionate about bringing new ideas, people, and plants, to life!

 

Jan 20, 202457:30
Episode 153 - Eva and Hal talk about highlights from their podcasts

Episode 153 - Eva and Hal talk about highlights from their podcasts

Hal and I talk about some of the highlights of the podcast thus far. We think you will enjoy the overview if you have never listened to our podcast before. Below you will find a short list of some of the podcasts that you might want to listen to or relisten to – to see how our guests are making a dent in the climate crisis by their positive actions. We are grateful to all of our guests for sharing their amazing work! And we thank our listeners for tuning in and for all of your wonderful comments and suggestions.

We thank you!!  

Jan 06, 202420:12
Episode 152 - Seth Lieberman co-founded Quiet Clean Philly. And Dr. Bonnie Sager is a Consulting Clinical Physician to the New York State hospital system. 

Episode 152 - Seth Lieberman co-founded Quiet Clean Philly. And Dr. Bonnie Sager is a Consulting Clinical Physician to the New York State hospital system. 

Seth Lieberman co-founded Quiet Clean Philly; an all-volunteer organization dedicated to phasing out gas leaf blowers in the City of Philadelphia.  Seth’s activism and articles on the harms of gas leaf blowers have been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer, WHYY’s Studio 2 and Radio Times, Channel 6 ABC Action News, The Chestnut Hill LocalThe Weavers Way ShuttlePlanet Philadelphia, and The Jewish Exponent.  Seth is also active as part of a national network of municipalities seeking healthier and more sustainable communities through changing how we think about lawncare.    When not volunteering, Seth runs Leadership Breakthroughs, a leadership and strategy development business focused on academic medical centers. 

Dr. Bonnie Sager is a Consulting Clinical Physician to the New York State hospital system. She has lectured internationally on eyecare and has served as Vice President and advisor to several Visioncare companies.

As a clinician, she is concerned with the many detrimental health impacts that gas powered lawn equipment have on landscape workers and the general public.  She is actively working with communities, medical professionals, environmental groups, and legislators to change policy and promote more sustainable landscaping practices.

Dr. Sager and Dr. Lucy Weinstein are co-founders of Huntington CALM, (Clean Alternative Landscaping Methods) a Long Island-based citizens’ advocacy organization. 

Dr. Sager is also a co-founder of QCA  (Quiet Clean Alliance) a national organization dedicated to educating and changing public policy on gas lawn equipment.  Dr. Sager served on the advisory board of Noise Free America and has been featured in print, on television and radio addressing the topic Landscaping and Your Health.

Dec 29, 202355:09
Episode 151 - Ron Kinney is the production manager at Monrovia’s Oregon nursery. 

Episode 151 - Ron Kinney is the production manager at Monrovia’s Oregon nursery. 

Ron Kinney is the production manager at Monrovia’s Oregon nursery. Ron has a degree in Ornamental Horticulture from California State Polytechnic University and has been in the industry for more than 30 years. Part of his role as production manager includes responsibility for tree production, both in containers and in-ground field production, at Monrovia’s California and Oregon nursery facilities. 

  

Ron and his wife also manage and operate a 20-acre Hazelnut orchard in Oregon.

 

Dec 06, 202342:40
Episode 150 - Ari Miller is the director of design at Hinge Collective in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Episode 150 - Ari Miller is the director of design at Hinge Collective in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Ari Miller is the director of design at Hinge Collective in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a public interest design firm that puts community engagement and public participation at the forefront of their practice.

As both a landscape architect and arborist, Ari has always advocated for the integration and restoration of natural systems in urban design. Over the course of his 17-year career, Ari has worked as an arborist at Morris Arboretum, as a green roof design specialist at Roofmeadow, and has also led large-scale civic design projects at OLIN Partners. At Hinge, he uses this experience to help communities find design solutions that best support human and ecological health in their own neighborhoods through the enhancement of public space and community-led planning. Some notable projects include the Philly Tree Plan, Resilient Communities Stormwater Initiative, Unity Park, and Frankford Pause Park.

Ari has also been adjunct faculty at the Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania and Jefferson University. 


Nov 29, 202349:09
Episode 149 - Steven Kiiskila is the Crop and Growing Team Manager at Arbutus Grove Nursery, located at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Episode 149 - Steven Kiiskila is the Crop and Growing Team Manager at Arbutus Grove Nursery, located at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Steven Kiiskila is the Crop and Growing Team Manager at Arbutus Grove Nursery, located at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Each year his team grows 15 million container seedlings composed of 18 or more species, primarily for reforestation throughout Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. He has been involved in reforestation his entire career; from collecting seeds to organizing and monitoring tree planting programs, although his primary focus has been growing seedlings at various nurseries throughout British Columbia. While employed as a Seedling Reforestation Specialist, he advised nurseries and tree seed orchards on growing practices. In this role, he also guided foresters and others planting trees on seedling stocktype selection and planting practices and established numerous outplanting trials to search for answers in overcoming reforestation challenges.

 

Steven loves the combination of art and science used to grow forest seedlings, and the fact that as a grower he is always learning something new.

One of his favorite tree growing sayings is: “Growing trees is not rocket science, it’s much harder.”

He has a Master of Science degree in Forest Biology from the University of Victoria, a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, horticulture major from the University of Guelph, and a Horticulture Diploma from Olds, College.

 

Nov 22, 202355:29
Episode 148 - Joe Lamb, founder of the Borneo Project, is a writer, activist, and arborist living in Berkeley, California.

Episode 148 - Joe Lamb, founder of the Borneo Project, is a writer, activist, and arborist living in Berkeley, California.

Joe Lamb, founder of the Borneo Project, is a writer, activist, and arborist living in Berkeley, California. His poetry and essays have appeared in Earth Island Journal, The Sun, Caliban, Wind, Orion, and other magazines. His work is also included in the anthologies The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart: A Poetry Anthology, Robert Bly et al editors, and Veterans of War/Veterans of Peace, Maxine Hong Kingston editor. 

Joe has degrees in biology, ecology, and film. He has taught biology and ecology in the United States and in Mexico. He worked as a field organizer on the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign, and as a film distributor for The Video Project. For over forty years he has tended trees in the urban forest as co-owner of Brende and Lamb Tree and Shrub care. 

In 1991, under the auspices of Earth Island Institute, Joe founded the Borneo Project, an NGO that helps the indigenous peoples of Borneo secure land rights and protect their forest.

Honored by the Goldman Foundation as an “environmental hero,” Joe was featured in the San Francisco public television program, “Green Means.”

 For over 30 years the Borneo Project has helped indigenous peoples map their lands, bring their case to the court of public opinion, and press for the preservation of their forests through legal action. Learn more about the Borneo Project – see the link below.   Joe is firmly committed to trees as an essential part of any realistic strategy to help the world limit and mitigate the potentially catastrophic consequences of climate change.

Nov 13, 202301:02:02
Episode 147 - Mark Krawczyk is co-owner and operates Keyline Vermont LLC, teaching, designing, and consulting for farmers, homeowners, and homesteaders.

Episode 147 - Mark Krawczyk is co-owner and operates Keyline Vermont LLC, teaching, designing, and consulting for farmers, homeowners, and homesteaders.

Mark Krawczyk is an applied ecologist, educator, and grower with a background in permaculture design, agroforestry, natural building, traditional woodworking, and small-scale forestry. He co-owns and operates Keyline Vermont LLC, teaching, designing, and consulting for farmers, homeowners, and homesteaders.

Since 2008, Mark has taught over 30 Permaculture Design Courses and been a specialist guest instructor in dozens more. He holds Diplomas in Permaculture Design and Education from the Permaculture Institute of North America. He and his wife also co-manage Valley Clayplain Forest Farm - 52 acres of field and forest in New Haven, Vermont, USA.

 

Nov 05, 202301:01:53
Episode 146 - Asha-Lé Davis is the Trees Specialist for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS).

Episode 146 - Asha-Lé Davis is the Trees Specialist for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS).

Asha-Lé Davis joined the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) as Trees Specialist in 2021 to pursue her passion for empowering people to grow tree canopy in their communities. Since joining, she has helped grow the PHS Tree Tenders program in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties to over 60 active groups who have planted 3,000+ trees. She recently took on the role of facilitating the educational workshops within the program. Prior to her work at PHS, Asha-Lé was introduced to the necessity of healthy urban tree canopy through her work with TreePhilly. Asha-Lé is a PHS Tree Tender leader in her own community, East Parkside, using her knowledge to educate her neighbors about the benefits of tree planting and care. 

Oct 27, 202359:55
Episode 145 - Paul Hickman is the founder of Urban Ashes a pioneering company that advocates for urban wood utilization.

Episode 145 - Paul Hickman is the founder of Urban Ashes a pioneering company that advocates for urban wood utilization.

Paul Hickman is the founder of Urban Ashes a pioneering company that advocates for urban wood utilization. The company transforms fallen urban trees into valuable local resources. Urban Ashes designs, develops, and implements urban wood utilization for infrastructure in collaboration with municipalities, local organizations, and businesses to support the local community.

 

In addition to salvaging urban wood, Paul’s organization provides meaningful employment and business opportunities to formerly incarcerated and justice-impacted youth. This commitment resonates throughout the community, promoting safer and healthier neighborhoods through the People and Trees connection. 

 

Paul is also one of the founding members of the national organization the Urban Wood Network (UWN).

Oct 19, 202301:01:10
Episode 144 - David Teuschler is the Chief Horticulturist for Devil Mountain Wholesale Nursery.

Episode 144 - David Teuschler is the Chief Horticulturist for Devil Mountain Wholesale Nursery.

David Teuschler is the Chief Horticulturist for Devil Mountain Wholesale Nursery. He established the nursery’s propagation program and currently directs the propagation and inventory teams for the company’s sixteen locations across California. David has worked in the nursery industry for three decades, including many years at Valley Crest Tree Company. While there, he served as Plant Health Care Manager for the Specimen Tree Division, Account Manager in the Estate Gardens Division, and, most notably, Chief Arborist for the Apple contract grow, responsible for growing over 7,000 trees – half from seed – for installation at the Apple campus in Cupertino, CA. David is a Certified Arborist and a member of the Western Chapter of the I.S.A. and the I.P.P.S. He is a 3rd generation Californian and has a BS in Ornamental Horticulture from California State University, Fresno.

Oct 02, 202358:31
Episode 143 - Matthew Aghai is a dedicated reforestation expert, applied scientist, and executive leader at Mast Reforestation.

Episode 143 - Matthew Aghai is a dedicated reforestation expert, applied scientist, and executive leader at Mast Reforestation.

Matthew Aghai is a dedicated reforestation expert, applied scientist, and executive leader at Mast Reforestation. He currently serves as the VP of Research and Development at Mast Reforestation, General Manager of Cal Forest Nurseries, and Advisor to Silvaseed Company. His recent work focuses on scalable solutions for mitigating climate change through the development of new initiatives to modernize the reforestation supply chain and connect reforestation initiatives with natural capital markets. Matthew has been featured in several national publications for his work and real impacts, including a National Geographic article discussing national seed limitations, Mongabay articles discussing his team’s pioneering work in aerial seeding technology, and also many peer-reviewed publications.

Matthew is also a practiced and enthusiastic public speaker and actively seeks opportunities to engage with anyone and everyone about finding solutions to the challenges facing the world’s forests.

Sep 25, 202358:17
Episode 142 - Kim Shearer is the Curator of Living Collections and Manager of the Haerther Charitable Trust New Plant Development Program at The Morton Arboretum.

Episode 142 - Kim Shearer is the Curator of Living Collections and Manager of the Haerther Charitable Trust New Plant Development Program at The Morton Arboretum.

Kim Shearer is the Curator of Living Collections and Manager of the Haerther Charitable Trust New Plant Development Program at The Morton Arboretum. In her role as curator, Kim focuses on the development and maintenance of resilient living collections that provide a germplasm resource for researchers and plant breeders seeking to address the issues of climate change; while also working with the conservation community to identify priorities that can be addressed through collections curation and research. As Manager of New Plant Development Kim works with plant breeders and the nursery industry to select, evaluate, and develop new plants for the urban and suburban built landscapes. Kim completed her Bachelor of Science degrees in Horticulture Science and Plant Biology at North Carolina State University and her Master of Science degree in Horticulture Science with a focus in Plant Breeding and Genetics at Oregon State University.

Sep 15, 202301:00:15
Episode 141 - Kristen Pullen is the Woody Ornamental Portfolio Manager for Star® Roses and Plants.

Episode 141 - Kristen Pullen is the Woody Ornamental Portfolio Manager for Star® Roses and Plants.

Kristen Pullen completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at Rider University. After university, she took an internship position at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The internship focused on all research aspects of the public garden from tissue culture to new plant evaluation and selection. Kristen has been with the new product department at Star® Roses and Plants since 2011. She previously managed domestic and international trialing of woody plants before accepting her current role as Woody Ornamental Portfolio Manager where she coordinates the development, launch, and market evaluation of all new trees, shrubs, and edible plants. Kristen also manages the Bushel and Berry® Brand for Star® Roses and Plants, a premium branded program of plants that provide both edible and ornamental uses for the home garden.

Sep 08, 202357:09
Episode 140 - Lars is the head of sales, marketing, and business development and part owner of the Blackmore Company.

Episode 140 - Lars is the head of sales, marketing, and business development and part owner of the Blackmore Company.

Lars Peter Jensen is originally from Denmark and arrived in the U.S.A. in 2003 and settled in Brevard County Florida where he lives with his wife and three children. Lars is the head of sales, marketing, and business development and part owner of the Blackmore Company.

Blackmore has been instrumental in the horticulture industry for more than 50 years. His company holds a patent for the Air Tray® technologies system which is what drew Lars to the company. 

As a systems person. Lars has a simplified but analytical approach to nursery production. His philosophy includes these two mottos "Don't automate a problem - remove it". And "To each action, there is a reaction".

Lars’ entry into the green industry was accidental – right out of a Denmark college, Lars went to Seattle, Washington to reorganize and run a small subsidiary of a Danish company. (His degree from university was International Sales). This was the first time Lars came to America and he liked it .. a lot.

After his taste of the U.S., and needing a work permit, Lars went back to Denmark and went on with his career in international sales and marketing. Lars settled down in Vejle, Denmark, and had a family. One day he received a call from Ellepot a company in Denmark asking him to go to America for them. At first, he said no, but then after talking it over with his wife, they agreed to go to the U.S. and settle in, Florida. This is where he met Skip Blackmore the owner of the Blackmore Company – the distributor of the Ellepot in the U.S.

Working with Skip Blackmore, Lars learned a great deal and eventually became a partner in the Blackmore Company. This was the start of a 20-year “road trip” as Lars calls it with a lot of bumps, hills, and unexpected curves but it all led to Air Tray® Technologies, which holds the Ellepot. This combination is a revolution in the horticulture industry and will lead to the next generation of growing efficiently and in half the time.

Aug 31, 202351:47
Kathy Jentz is the editor and publisher of the award-winning Washington Gardener Magazine, based in Washington, DC.
Aug 21, 202344:04
Episode 138 - Kristin Ohlson is the author of Sweet in Tooth and Claw: Stories of Generosity and Cooperation in the Natural World 

Episode 138 - Kristin Ohlson is the author of Sweet in Tooth and Claw: Stories of Generosity and Cooperation in the Natural World 

Kristin Ohlson is a writer from Portland, Oregon. Her new book Sweet in Tooth and Claw: Stories of Generosity and Cooperation in the Natural World – which the Wall Street Journal calls “excellent and illuminating”--probes the mutually beneficial relationships among living things that undergird the natural world.  Her last book was The Soil Will Save Us: How Scientists, Farmers and Foodies are Healing the Soil to Save the Planet, which the Los Angeles Times calls “a hopeful book and a necessary one…. a fast-paced and entertaining shot across the bow of mainstream thinking about land use.” She appeared in the award-winning documentary film, Kiss the Ground, to speak about the connection between soil health and climate health. 

 

Ohlson’s articles have been published in the New York Times, Orion, Discover, Gourmet, Oprah, and many other print and online publications. Her magazine work has been anthologized in Best American Science Writing and Best American Food Writing. 

Aug 13, 202347:12
Episode 137 - Nykia Perez Kibler and Jacelyn Blank are the founders of Philly Tree People.

Episode 137 - Nykia Perez Kibler and Jacelyn Blank are the founders of Philly Tree People.

Nykia Perez Kibler, co-founder of Philly Tree People (501c3), is an ISA Certified Arborist® with a Master in Environmental Studies degree with a focus on Environmental Biology from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). She also has a Master in Liberal Arts from Penn, a Certificate in Landscape Plants from Temple University, a Master of Library & Information Science from The University at Buffalo, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fine Art Photography from Rochester Institute of Technology. Her two capstones from Penn were: “Philly Tree People: A Case Study on the Formation of a Non-profit Community-based Tree Planting and Tree Care Organization" where she outlined the Pruning Club program and "Management of the Urban Forest: A Zip Code Level Approach" where she outlined the plan for a Green Skills Youth program both of which were heavily modeled after programs after UC (University City) Green in West Philadelphia. She was an intern at Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve where she worked in their native plant nursery, participated in interpretation activities, led guided walks for families, assisted with grounds maintenance, marketing, and data collection. Nykia is generally interested in ecological restoration, urban ecology, urban wildlife, ornithology, wetlands, urban forestry, native plants, biological conservation, road ecology, environmental education, nonprofit leadership, urban orchards, food gardening, green walls, children’s play spaces/gardens, and citizen science. Professionally, she works as a library director and research librarian providing and developing research services for faculty and graduate students at Penn, supporting grants, and disseminating research results via websites and social media. She’s also a girl scout troop leader and engages youth in tree planting, pollinator gardening, camping, and citizen science.

 

Jacelyn Blank is an ISA Certified Arborist® with a bachelor’s in fine arts and a master’s in education with Pennsylvania teaching certifications in Elementary and Special Education. She is one of the three co-founders of the federally recognized not-for-profit Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Tree Tender organization, Philly Tree People. When Jacelyn isn’t volunteering her time with Philly Tree People she teaches preschool children part time at a not-for-profit play school in Fishtown called By My Side, where she focuses on child led play and interests, increasing students’ social emotional understandings through incidental teaching opportunities, as well as introducing students to a variety of environmental and art related educational experiences. She also co-founded the Friends of H.A. Brown, her local catchment public school where she completed her student teaching in 2011 and where her son currently attends.

Jacelyn launched her own small business; Blank Slate Trees and Gardens, in 2021 where she works with Philadelphia clients on landscape design, garden creation and maintenance, installation and care for trees and installation of plants for window boxes and planters with an integration of native plants. She is currently completing her Pollinator Steward Certificate through the worldwide organization, Pollinator Partnership. Her ultimate career goals are to combine her love of teaching, arboriculture, and horticulture by continuing Philly Tree People’s Green Corps, a youth employment, education and empowerment group hiring students living and attending school in the Kensington neighborhoods in order to encourage more urban youth to move into the Green Industry while caring for Kensington’s tree canopy and learning through hands-on experiences.

Aug 04, 202358:54
Episode 136 - Craig Roncace has been the Urban Park Manager for the University of Pennsylvania since April 2016.

Episode 136 - Craig Roncace has been the Urban Park Manager for the University of Pennsylvania since April 2016.

Since April 2016, Craig Roncace has been the Urban Park Manager for the University of Pennsylvania. The Urban Park Department consists of five shops, each with its own Supervisor, and 58 staff who represent two unions. The Urban Park operation covers campus landscaping/maintenance, athletic field management, Penn Park, all hard surface maintenance, and the campus-wide waste/recycling program.

Before Penn, Craig worked in multiple roles as the Grounds/Area Manager for Temple University, at both their Ambler and Main Campus locations.

Craig was first introduced to the landscaping world by way of the golf course. He gained hands-on knowledge at an early age and quickly developed a love for the outdoors. He earned a degree in turfgrass management from Rutgers University, and within a few years, became the Golf Course Superintendent for a local private golf course in New Jersey.

Craig spent three years as a landscape manager for a large New Jersey based landscaping corporation, where he managed multiple teams in both turfgrass and horticulture maintenance within the local New Jersey/Pennsylvania Region.

In addition to his turfgrass education, Craig earned his MBA from Temple University’s Fox School of Business, and his B.A. from Eastern University.

Craig is an active member of multiple committees at Penn. One is Penn’s Ecological Landscape and Stewardship Plan (ELSP) Committee. The ELSP committee helps ensure Penn continues its efforts, from planning/design to maintenance, of successfully following a more ecological landscape within the ever changing functionality of the campus. These efforts cover, but are not limited to, storm water management, mature tree preservation, native plants, research, and training.

In addition to his current position at Penn, Craig is the owner of SportsTurf Management Resources, LLC which is a sports turf, lawn, and landscaping consulting firm. Craig enjoys helping others manage their own properties, both residential and professional, with a portion of the proceeds going towards suicide awareness.

Jul 27, 202350:36
Episode 135 - Markku Koivisto is chief business development officer for GLOBHE a Crowddroning company.

Episode 135 - Markku Koivisto is chief business development officer for GLOBHE a Crowddroning company.

Markku Koivisto keeps an ear to the ground and an eye to the sky, connecting the needs of organizations around the world with the power of drone data. As Chief Business Development Officer, he combines analytical expertise with a can-do attitude to ensure GLOBHE delivers the right data to the right customer at the right time. 

While a young industry, Markku brings many years of experience in developing drone operations around the world. Connecting to GLOBHE’s mission of making an impact on our planet, Markku has also contributed to peacekeeping missions as well as worked within the defense industry pursuing global business for a number of years.

 

Jul 20, 202347:39
Episode 134 - Andrew Conboy created Colonial Canopy Trees a non-profit organzition and works with Karen Kabnick in their mission for greening.

Episode 134 - Andrew Conboy created Colonial Canopy Trees a non-profit organzition and works with Karen Kabnick in their mission for greening.

Andrew Conboy enjoys sharing his passion for trees and their many benefits with anyone who will listen. He is an ISA-certified arborist who most recently worked on the Urban Forestry team at the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia. In 2020, he created Colonial Canopy Trees, a non-profit organization that leads ecological restoration efforts in the greater Philadelphia area. In his free time, Andrew creates videos about environmental topics and shares them on social media. Through his work, he hopes to inspire people and change the way we view and value our natural lands, native plants, and wildlife. He studied Environmental Science at Chestnut Hill College and Evolutionary Biology in graduate school at Lehigh University.


After retiring in 2020, Karen Kabnick wanted to do everything she could to help mitigate the damages of climate change and habitat destruction. Karen met Andrew at a volunteer event and was thrilled to learn he, too, loved to rescue and nurture seedlings of native trees. They shared that hobby. She learned all about the countless benefits of trees and how to plant them from Andrew, friends, courses and reading, and wanted to use her new-found knowledge to help Andrew with Colonial Canopy Trees to restore our local canopy and re-establish wildlife habitats. 

Jul 12, 202356:43
Episode 133 - Rick and Jacob Thaler own Dendrotechnology in Corrales, New Mexico.

Episode 133 - Rick and Jacob Thaler own Dendrotechnology in Corrales, New Mexico.

Bio for Rick Thaler

Rick Thaler was born and raised in Rochester New York. He tried going to college, but he didn’t stick with it.  After looking for a job he was inspired by the Whole Earth Catalogue (WEC) and began to explore carpentry. His exploration of the carpentry trade led him to  Corrales, New Mexico. It was in Corrales that he decided to resume his studies and attended the University of New Mexico but after one semester he dropped out again and started working in construction, building adobe houses, doing carpentry work, and making furniture. He was inspired by James Krenov, Sam Maloof, and Wharton Esherick, and deeply inspired by George Nakashima and his free-form but highly disciplined designs. Rick was also inspired by the solar renaissance in New Mexico and the idea of sustainable, low-waste building and living.

When Rick got married and his first child arrived he needed a reliable income and started working in a commercial wood shop. Eventually, he became a project manager and estimator, and after 10 years was able to buy the shop and ran the business on his own. Rick eventually grew the business into a $10 million-dollar-a-year business with 100 employees and did projects all over the southwest and around the country. Rick sold the business in 2019 and bought a portable sawmill to use as a hobby.  After all of his carpentry work, he still thought of George Nakashima and his creations.

Rick’s son Jacob got interested in the sawmill and they started a business together making live edge slab planks. They wound up building a woodworking shop to go with the mill. Rick came full circle to his roots of making custom furniture. This time he had better equipment and an ideal place to work.

Live edge timber from local salvaged trees is now the backbone of their business. Rick and Jacob call it treeincarnation.net. They power the shop entirely with an array of solar panels. With all the carbon they are sequestering from tree rescues they are close to net carbon neutral in their business. Rick says they are a good example of combining sustainability, waste reduction, craft, and profitability for a right livelihood in environmentally difficult times. 


Bio for Jacob Thaler

Jacob Thaler was born and raised in Corrales New Mexico. He never liked school and struggled to learn the way other people do. At age 16 he took the GED test and got his high school diploma. He worked at various jobs but realized that he didn’t want to work for someone else, so he opened his own business in Colorado. He had a successful business there from 2015 -2020. After finding that he had a daughter on the way he decided to sell his business and move back to New Mexico to be near family. Ariella was born right at the beginning of Covid, with a heart defect that required surgery at 10 days old. Jacob and his partner Angelica couldn’t work because they were in and out of the hospital for the next year. Now their daughter Ariella is a happy, healthy three years old now.

Jacob got interested in his dad’s hobby sawmill operation between hospital appointments, and they discovered that they liked working together. Jacob enjoyed both the mechanical aspect of running the mill and the joy of opening up ordinary logs and finding the beauty inside. They decided to make a business out of the mill with a focus on turning dead, downed, and unwanted trees into planks for sale. This part of the business quickly led to a full-scale furniture operation, along with custom milling for other people in the business. Jacob still runs the saw and operates the kiln and is learning the furniture-making trade from his dad and their shop partner. He is looking forward to growing the business and keeping it sustainable for the future.

Jul 06, 202344:47
Episode 132 - Jeff Lowenfels has the longest running garden column in the U.S. - His articles revealed climate change in real time.

Episode 132 - Jeff Lowenfels has the longest running garden column in the U.S. - His articles revealed climate change in real time.

Jeff Lowenfels is a humorous and entertaining lecturer. He is a reformed lawyer and author of Timber Press' award-winning and bestselling books, Teaming With Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to The Soil Food Web and Teaming With Nutrients: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to Optimizing Plant Nutrition and completing the trilogy, Teaming With Fungi, The Organic Grower’s Guide to Mycorrhizae and Teaming With the Bacteria; The Organic Gardener’s Guide to Endophytic bacteria.

Jun 28, 202359:03
Episode 131 - Hannah Lewis is the author of Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild the World

Episode 131 - Hannah Lewis is the author of Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild the World

Hannah Lewis is the author of Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild the World, published in June 2022 by Chelsea Green. A French translation of the book was released in January 2023 by Editions Eyrolles in France. Hannah has a Master of Science in Sustainable Agriculture and Sociology from Iowa State University and a Bachelor of Art in Environmental Studies from Middlebury College. She lives in Minneapolis, where she works for the non-profit Renewing the Countryside to build sustainable local and regional food systems and to plant mini-forests.

Jun 20, 202348:50
Episode 130 - Steve and Rebecca Ebner are a father and daughter team who own Manayunk Timber in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Episode 130 - Steve and Rebecca Ebner are a father and daughter team who own Manayunk Timber in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Following several years working in heavy industry, Steve Ebner’s love affair with wood began in 1981 when he started working as a carpenter in Philadelphia. After twelve years of carpentry experience, he started his own furniture shop which would lead to the creation of Manayunk Timber, Inc., the premier urban sawmill in Philadelphia.

 Manayunk Timber processes lumber reclaimed from Philadelphia industrial-era factories built from the 1880s through the 1920s and local trees that are no longer viable, due to disease, storms, or construction. Beginning in 1985, Steve began purchasing 300- to 500-year-old timbers from the demolition sites of the old factories. In the 1990s, Manayunk Timber became the only Philadelphia sawmill to capture local trees instead of sending them to landfills.

 With a decreasing supply of reclaimed timber from old factories, Steve believes the future lies in the inexhaustible supply of local trees. To be processed into lumber and wood products, the local trees are sawed, stacked, and then dried (a year for every one-inch thickness). Customers can choose between a huge inventory of seasoned (by air-drying) walnut, cherry, oak, cedar, locust, osage orange, and sassafras, or reclaimed beams and joists with aged, deep patinas.

Steve’s commitment to educating Philadelphia about the beauty and utility of wood goes beyond sawing lumber. Recently, he and his team planted a 3,000-square-foot forest of native trees and bushes, designed to mirror a Pennsylvania forest, in what was previously a parking lot on the lumber yard’s premises. Steve hopes that visitors to Manayunk Timber will make connections between the importance of preserving native trees and the furniture and building materials that enrich our everyday life.

Steve is legendary in the wood business for his vast knowledge of reclaimed and native timbers. In the last six years, he has been joined by his daughter, Rebecca, in operating Manayunk Timber. Together, they have gained national attention with a video on urban sawmilling.

Now, Rebecca is putting her own stamp on Manayunk Timber’s future vision in support of sustainability.

Rebecca Ebner is the manager of Manayunk Timber. Bringing several years of experience working in organic vegetable and animal farms and organizations focused on expanding access to healthy foods in Philadelphia, she joined Manayunk Timber in 2015. Over the past six years, Rebecca has learned every aspect of the business, from milling and sawing lumber to furniture construction. In her current role as manager, she is responsible for activities such as coordinating customer service, generating social media content, managing the showroom, and assisting in overseeing the yard and with material acquisitions.

Rebecca graduated from Barnard College in 2012 with a BA in Urban Studies and Environmental Science. She brings a passion for urban sustainability and community engagement, a commitment to Philadelphia, and involvement in creative and artistic projects to her work with Manayunk Timber. Moving forward, Rebecca’s focus is the future of the company; she hopes to continue Steve’s dreams and make Manayunk Timber a sustainable part of Philadelphia’s small-business community for years to come. 

Jun 15, 202301:00:28
Episode 129 - Roby Babcock is the Marketing Director at Iseli Nursery, a wholesale dwarf conifer and maple grower located in Boring, Oregon.

Episode 129 - Roby Babcock is the Marketing Director at Iseli Nursery, a wholesale dwarf conifer and maple grower located in Boring, Oregon.

Roby Babcock is the Marketing Director at Iseli Nursery, a wholesale dwarf conifer and maple grower located in Boring, Oregon. Roby has a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of Oregon and a Master of Science in landscape architecture from the University of Arizona. After graduating from the University of Arizona, Roby managed an 11-acre cactus and tree nursery and did freelance design. When he returned to his home state of Oregon a decade later, he took a position at Portland Nursery and served in a variety of roles, including coordinating the displays and managing their e-commerce website. Gardening has been a passion since his childhood and he has created an expansive garden at his home that blends zone-defying cacti, agave, and succulents with specialty conifer specimens, manzanita, and plants native to the Pacific Northwest.   

Roby is a photographer, and his passion has led to many opportunities, including his position at Iseli Nursery, in Boring Oregon.  Roby is responsible for photographing new plants, updating the photo library, and documenting the garden. Developing social media content in combination with the Iseli website. He helps to communicate information about Iseli’s plants and goals as a company. Currently, he is working with a team to produce the new catalog. He has also redesigned sections of the Jean Iseli Memorial Garden. This position has enabled him to learn about the hundreds of unique cultivars Iseli grows and the many steps in the process of bringing them to market.  

Jun 07, 202342:31
Episode 128 - Carey Russell is a naturalist, photographer, and founder of The Dendro Lab.

Episode 128 - Carey Russell is a naturalist, photographer, and founder of The Dendro Lab.

Carey Russell is a naturalist, photographer, and founder of The Dendro Lab. He founded The Dendro Lab, a platform to foster a broader public awareness of dendrology, and is the author of the soon-to-be-published Tree Identification for Everyone (And Why It Matters).  As a photographer, he is the author of The New Arcadians: Photographs from Scout Camp and the upcoming photobook The Winter Forest.  While as a filmmaker, he has worked with director, Terrence Malick, as an associate producer and editor of The New World;  assisted cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki on The Tree of Life;  and directed and photographed the 10-part documentary series Tibetan Stories.  Carey holds a master’s degree in forestry and is a member of the International Dendrology Society. He’s a certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association for Interpretation and a certified Master Naturalist in New York State where he is also a licensed trail guide. 


Jun 01, 202353:36
Episode 127 - Leslie Berckes is the Executive Director of the Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA).

Episode 127 - Leslie Berckes is the Executive Director of the Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA).

Leslie Berckes is the Executive Director of the Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA). She brings over a decade of experience in urban forestry to the organization, having served as the Executive Vice President and Des Moines Program Director for Trees Forever, a Midwest-based non-profit. Leslie is an ISA Certified Arborist and holds a master’s degree in Public Policy with an Environmental Policy emphasis from the University of Northern Iowa in addition to a bachelor’s degree in Marketing.

 

May 24, 202358:37
Episode 126 - Jennifer Alger is President of Far West Forest Products and has been working with urban salvaged woods for over 25 years.

Episode 126 - Jennifer Alger is President of Far West Forest Products and has been working with urban salvaged woods for over 25 years.

Jennifer Alger is President of Far West Forest Products and has been working with urban salvaged woods for over 25 years. She is the director of the Urban Wood Network Western Region, a membership network that connects tree managers, arborists, lumber producers, and makers to connect all links in the urban wood supply chain.  She is also the founder of USRW Inc., which developed the first-ever Urban Wood Standards for North America. These Standards will be a game-changer for the industry and for the first time allow Chain-of-Custody and certification for urban wood, known as USRW Certified Urban Wood. She has worked with an expert team of developers and customer experience specialists on the build-out of Urban Lumber Market with AncesTREE™ an inventory management system and enterprise application that will allow users to easily adhere to the industry Standards, track the chain of custody, manage their inventory, and better manage and grow their urban lumber businesses.  Additionally, Jennifer has recently opened a store in California where Urban Wood Network members can sell their USRW Certified Urban Wood.

May 18, 202350:07
Episode 125 - Paul Cox is the Vice President and Principal at Environmental Design, Inc.

Episode 125 - Paul Cox is the Vice President and Principal at Environmental Design, Inc.

Paul Cox is the Vice President and Principal at Environmental Design, Inc. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University and attended the University of Houston to study international business and the Spanish language. Paul is a certified arborist through the International Society of Arboriculture, and he is credentialed as a consulting arborist.

His experience in the tree industry includes contract negotiations, tree preservation, plant health care, project management, and tree relocation to name a few. Paul’s responsibilities have included high-profile sites which include the National September 11th Memorial in Lower Manhattan, the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Governors Island Park installation in New York, and the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Texas.

Paul’s current responsibilities include multiple business units operating in the Eastern United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and Europe.

May 11, 202348:16
Episode 124 - Michael Taylor is an experienced Nursery Manager and Grower.

Episode 124 - Michael Taylor is an experienced Nursery Manager and Grower.

Michael Taylor is an experienced Nursery Manager and Grower passionate about helping nurseries improve plant quality and workflows. He is currently working on projects across North America that increase tree production capacity for reforestation, urban forestry, plantation forestry, and wildfire restoration.

Michael does consulting work with the Blackmore Company which comes up with “solutions designed for the advancement of agribusiness.” The company’s automated machinery addresses tree seedling root issues while improving the overall quality of the seedlings.

A self-proclaimed tree nerd, Michael enjoys diving deep into the physiology and morphology of plants to understand their needs. He is a stickler for root architecture and believes we shouldn’t have to trade quality for production.

When he’s not helping people grow trees, he lives in Florida where he helps grow high-end tropical foliage at his family’s nursery. Prior to moving to Florida, Michael spent 15 years in the forestry profession in the Pacific Northwest managing large-scale bareroot tree farms, greenhouses, and seed processing plants. Michael earned a Master of Science in Forest Science in Nursery Management and Reforestation and a Bachelor of Science in Forest Management from Oregon State University.

May 03, 202352:43
Episode 123 - Anthony Sebastian Buscaino works as a landscape architect for New York City Parks.

Episode 123 - Anthony Sebastian Buscaino works as a landscape architect for New York City Parks.

Anthony Sebastian Buscaino was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and is a third-generation Italian American. His ancestral roots are from Sicily and Calabria.

During his summers attending university, he worked with a horticulturist as a gardener in various parks, church grounds, residential properties, and rooftop gardens. During his studies, Anthony became intrigued with horticultural therapy. Through a Directed Studies Program at Temple University he participated in an internship at New York City’s Rikers Island Prison Complex for the Horticultural Society of New York’s GreenHouse Program.  Anthony acted as an instructor working directly with incarcerated individuals.  Shortly after his internship, he graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Architecture.

After graduation, Anthony applied for an internship at New York City Parks. Since that time he has been working as a designer and project manager for the Capital Projects Division. His team works in the Borough of Queens where Anthony has worked on plazas, playgrounds, triangles, ballfields, gardens, pathways, and dog parks.

He continued his education while working for NYC Parks and received a permaculture design certification and took his tests to receive his landscape architecture license.

In addition to Anthony’s full-time position as a landscape architect, Anthony’s zeal for creating art has led him to exhibit his artwork in groups and solo shows throughout New York City.

 

Apr 27, 202345:04
Episode 122 - Tom Smarr is the Executive Director at Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens in Devon, Pennsylvania.

Episode 122 - Tom Smarr is the Executive Director at Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens in Devon, Pennsylvania.

Tom Smarr is the Executive Director at Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens in Devon, Pennsylvania. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies from the Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s degree in Urban Horticulture Studies from the University of Washington in Seattle. He has worked for established institutions such as the University of Washington Botanic Gardens in Seattle and the Native Plant Trusts’ botanical garden “Garden in the Woods” in Massachusetts. Tom’s most notable work has been leading horticulture at newly opened urban parks such as the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway in Boston; the High Line in New York City; and The Parklands of Floyds Fork in Louisville, Kentucky.


Apr 20, 202351:08
Episode 121 - Kristin Biddle is a horticulturalist, Trustee, and Chair of the Horticultural Committee at Andalusia Historic House, Gardens, and Arboretum.

Episode 121 - Kristin Biddle is a horticulturalist, Trustee, and Chair of the Horticultural Committee at Andalusia Historic House, Gardens, and Arboretum.

Kristin Biddle is a horticulturalist, Trustee, and Chair of the Horticultural Committee at Andalusia Historic House, Gardens, and Arboretum. Biddle earned a degree in Horticulture from Temple University, Ambler, Pennsylvania, and brought her passion for gardening to several public gardens, including The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Wave Hill, The Mt. Cuba Center, and Historic Bartram’s Garden. She then served as a trustee on the boards of The Mt. Cuba Center, Bartram’s Garden, and The Ambler Arboretum. Biddle has worked at Andalusia since 2005 and focuses on maintaining its historic gardens, manages the Garden Volunteer Program, and sometimes gets to garden.

 

Apr 05, 202347:08
Episode 120 - Merissa MacDonald is a Certified Arborist through ISA and the Southwest Tree Program Coordinator at Bartram's Garden, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Episode 120 - Merissa MacDonald is a Certified Arborist through ISA and the Southwest Tree Program Coordinator at Bartram's Garden, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Merissa MacDonald is a Certified Arborist through the International Society of Arboriculture and the Southwest Tree Program Coordinator at Bartram's Garden, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In her work, she leads a cohort of high school urban foresters and encourages them to explore green Industry jobs from arborist to landscape architect and any job in between. Her work also includes community organizing around tree plantings in collaboration with partners at PHS (the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society). The goal is to increase the current 8% tree coverage rate of Southwest Philadelphia, with a focus on the neighborhood just outside Bartram’s Garden. Merissa has a passion for landscape design and community planning and incorporates the two into her urban forestry curriculum.

 

Mar 28, 202347:05
Episode 119 - Sara Street is the green guru of First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania.

Episode 119 - Sara Street is the green guru of First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania.

Sara Street is the green guru of First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania. As the manager of Williamsport’s local nature preserve, Rider Park, she fills the roles of forest ecologist, wildlife biologist, environmental educator, working maintenance foreman, volunteer coordinator and more.

With degrees in landscape architecture, ecological restoration, park management, and landscape technology, Sara brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role. As the steward of nearly 900 acres, she is responsible for encouraging forest health and longevity, managing invasive plants and pests (like spongey moth and hemlock elongate scale), and planting native plants to enhance the park’s biodiversity. She encourages wildlife habitat by encouraging landscape types that aren’t present at Rider Park (like a shrub-dominated savanna on the edges of the forest and meadows). Sara also maintains trails, coordinates volunteers, and shares her passion for nature and wildlife with visitors.

Even when she’s not on the job, Sara spends a lot of time outside—hiking, gardening, swimming in the West Branch of the Susquehanna and Loyalsock creeks and attending soccer events with her son.

“I lived and worked in northwest Washington state, and the trees there are very impressive in stature, height, and density. But the range of species pales in comparison to the richness of North Central Pennsylvania. I adore walking through the forest, looking at patterns, and identifying trees!”

 

Mar 22, 202354:20
Episode 118 - Rebecca Johnson is an ISA Certified Arborist and a true arborholic.

Episode 118 - Rebecca Johnson is an ISA Certified Arborist and a true arborholic.

Rebecca Johnson is an ISA Certified Arborist and a true arborholic. She is addicted to helping trees and the people who care for them. Rebecca regularly provides education to fellow arborists and the general public. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Texas Chapter of ISA as its president and is a private consulting arborist, teaching homeowners about proper tree care. Rebecca has been involved with the Certified Arborist prep courses since 2011 and was part of the cadre responsible for bringing the Certified Arborist prep class to Austin, Texas in 2015. She currently coordinates the Austin class.

Rebecca was recognized with the 2020 ISA President's Award for her work with Women in Arboriculture. She is a TCIA Certified Treecare Safety Professional, Tree Risk Assessment Qualified, and holds the Texas ISA Oak Wilt and Wildfire Risk Reduction qualifications, and has a degree in Forestry from Oklahoma State University. She spends her free time looking at and admiring trees and spends quality time with her family and pets.

Mar 13, 202354:41
Episode 117 - Ethan Olson is the owner of Walburn Run Nursery located in Brockway, Pennsylvania.

Episode 117 - Ethan Olson is the owner of Walburn Run Nursery located in Brockway, Pennsylvania.

Ethan Olson is the owner of Walburn Run Nursery located in Brockway, Pennsylvania. His main plant focus at his nursery is on fruit and nut trees along with berried shrubs and edible herbaceous plants. Presently, Ethan spends the majority of his time growing and collecting the American chestnut (Castanea dentata). His mission is the preservation of a diverse chestnut germplasm in hopes of getting this once-great species back into the environment as a productive component of the northeastern forest ecosystem. Ethan has a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Temple University and is an avid outdoorsman.

Mar 03, 202343:32
Episode 116 - Rob Shaut is the Director of Tree Operations at Casey Trees.

Episode 116 - Rob Shaut is the Director of Tree Operations at Casey Trees.

With more than 14 years in the horticulture and arboriculture industry, Rob Shaut joined Casey Trees, an Urban Forestry non-profit, in March of 2018. He has contributed to the operational efficiency and the expansion of their scope of work. Thanks to the leadership of Rob, Stormwater Low Impact Development and Best Management Practices are now an integral part of the Casey Trees portfolio, along with tree installation, pruning, and maintenance. Previously, Rob completed the two-year Professional Horticulture Program at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, studied at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and received a Bachelor of Science from Clemson University in business management. He spent five years working as a project manager and garden designer for Shimizu Landscape Design, a Maryland-based design and build firm. He worked for two years as a project manager for Cotswold Gardens, a design and build firm in West Grove, Pennsylvania. Rob is a certified Arborist and Tree Risk Assessment Qualified. He is currently a member of the MAC-ISA Board of Directors and the TREE Fund Board of Directors. As the Director of Tree Operations at Casey Trees, Rob focuses on increasing canopy coverage, stormwater mitigation, heat island mitigation, and phytoremediation. Casey Trees targets lower canopied areas and equity emphasis areas around our nation’s capital.

Feb 22, 202350:21
Episode 115 - John Perlin is a Professor and Visiting Scholar in the Department of Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Episode 115 - John Perlin is a Professor and Visiting Scholar in the Department of Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

John Perlin is a Professor and Visiting Scholar in the Department of Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of the newly released edition of A Forest Journey: The Role of Trees in the Fate of Civilization.

Perlin says, “It is my hope that the new edition of A Forest Journey will make clear the imperative humanity faces because losing our forests would not merely be the end of nature, it could mean the end of us.”

Originally published in 1989, the book’s comprehensive coverage of the major role forests have played in human life …….earned its recognition as a Harvard “Classic in Science and World History” and as one of Harvard’s “One Hundred Great Books.”

In the new edition, Perlin cites data on how humanity has cut down half the trees on the planet in the last 12,000 years, and that deforestation continues at an alarming pace with 15 billion trees removed per year. That’s 500,000 square miles of forested land lost since the first edition of A Forest Journey was released.

Perlin is also the author of three other books: A Golden Thread: 2500 Years of Solar Architecture and Technology; From Space to Earth: The Story of Solar Electricity; and Let It Shine: The 6000-Year Story of Solar Energy.

Perlin lives in Santa Barbara, California.

Feb 10, 202348:19
Episode 114 - Sarah C. Low is a business management consultant, ecologist, educator and owner of Strategic Nature, LLC.

Episode 114 - Sarah C. Low is a business management consultant, ecologist, educator and owner of Strategic Nature, LLC.

Sarah C. Low is a business management consultant, ecologist, and educator. Sarah has been a change-maker in municipal governments, federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations. She is the Founder of Tacoma Tree Foundation, an organization formed to help grow a greener, healthier, and more connected Tacoma. Sarah is now the principal and owner of Strategic Nature, LLC, which specializes in helping organizations and individuals make meaningful changes.

Feb 01, 202346:51
Episode 113 - Hugh Weldon is the Horticultural Manager at Villanova University.

Episode 113 - Hugh Weldon is the Horticultural Manager at Villanova University.

Hugh Weldon gained early knowledge of horticulture working on vegetable farms in Ireland – his home country. He earned a horticulture certificate from the practical experience he gained which led him to a supervisory position with a landscape nursery with 30 staff members. He was in the position for 5 years. Hugh then worked as a foreman in a flower and bulb nursery for two years where he continued to broaden his horticulture background.

He emigrated to the U.S., for greater opportunities in the horticulture industry in 1993 and worked with an arborist learning all aspects of tree care, planting, pruning, and removal. With tree experience under his belt, Hugh worked with a company to learn numerous aspects of landscape maintenance of residential and business properties which included snow removal.

In 1995 Hugh applied for a grounds position at Villanova University and continued his education earning a Horticulture Degree from Temple University. After several promotions and numerous years of work, Hugh became the Horticultural Supervisor followed by Horticultural Manager. He can now say he has been happily tending the staff and the landscape at Villanova University for over 27 years.

Jan 25, 202342:59
Episode 112 - Mayor Tim Schultz is the first mayor to become a Tree Tender through the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Tree Tender Program.

Episode 112 - Mayor Tim Schultz is the first mayor to become a Tree Tender through the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Tree Tender Program.

Mayor Tim Schultz has been a resident of Hatboro for over 20 years. Devoted to his community, Tim has served in the capacity of Borough Historian, a member of the Hatboro Tricentennial Committee, Chairman of the Hatboro Holiday Parade, and the President of the Greater Hatboro Chamber of Commerce.

Mayor Schultz also joined the national Mayors for Monarchs program in 2020 dedicated to improving pollinator survival across America.

Tim is also the proud owner of Bright House Creative Services, LLC, and loves being behind a camera. In addition to his photography business, Tim is a Realtor at Class Harlan Real Estate.

Tim, along with his wife DJ and five children, have a passion for all things Hatboro and have dedicated themselves to improving the Borough in every way possible.

Tim’s strong leadership and devotion to the Hatboro community shines through his work as President of the Greater Hatboro Chamber of Commerce and now as Mayor.

Jan 18, 202335:43
Episode 111 - Ashley Miles is the Administrative Production Assistant at Ruppert Nurseries and Kelly Lewis is the General Manager of Ruppert Nurseries.

Episode 111 - Ashley Miles is the Administrative Production Assistant at Ruppert Nurseries and Kelly Lewis is the General Manager of Ruppert Nurseries.

Ashley Miles is the Administrative Production Assistant at Ruppert Nurseries and has held other positions such as In-House Salesperson and Inventory Manager. Ashley has been with Ruppert since 2013. She has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Ashley is also a Certified Professional Horticulturalist. Ashley is an enthusiast of the natural world. Trees have inspired her both personally and professionally and she is grateful that trees have been the focus of her career.

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Kelly Lewis is the General Manager of Ruppert Nurseries. Kelly was raised in the nursery business working at a family Garden Center from the time he was old enough to be of any help. After a two-year vocational horticulture program in high school, he started working full-time for the family business in a variety of roles and learned the business side of the horticulture industry. After years of traveling the country as a purchaser for the garden center, he decided being a grower was a better fit for the agricultural lifestyle he desired. Starting in 1994 for Ruppert Nurseries, Kelly first worked sales but quickly transitioned to managing the then relatively small tree-growing farm. Since that time, the farm has grown to over 900 acres and planted more than 250,000 trees. Kelly has always been fortunate to be able to attend countless trade shows, seminars, and educational events during his career. Including the first two-year EAGL class (Executive Academy for Growth and Leadership) where he earned a certificate in Applied Horticulture Business from Texas A&M with Dr. Charlie Hall. Kelly has served on the Northern Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association, The Maryland Nursery, Landscape, and Greenhouse Association, Montgomery County Horticultural Advisory Board, and on the Board for Trees for The Future.

Jan 13, 202351:60