Content

Introduction
Readings
Interactive Case Studies
Self Review

Engaging Diverse Fields of Practice: Towards an Interdisciplinary Approach

This topic is intended to foster open discussion about real world situations and approaches to engage diverse fields of practice when establishing and tending to the urban forest.

We will discuss reflexes and strategies to empower arborists and urban foresters. Moreover, we will explore how these professionals can inspire and empower other stakeholders, clients and partners.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

- Recognize the importance of communication and consultation in urban forestry
- Identify opportunities that can help foster a greater understanding of urban trees and their needs
- Explain different strategies and approaches that arborists can use to influence tree care decisions and empower others

Topic Readings

Keeping it light this week as you ease into your Management Planning Work

Interactive Case Studies

Today's seminar will be an interactive discussion in groups. Each group will be assigned one of the following case studies. You will have 20 minutes to come up with a scenario that addresses different needs and issues. The ultimate goal will be to come up with a strategy (list of actions and approaches) that will lead to establishing/maintaining urban trees on the landscape, for long term growth and survival, with ideally a minimum of conflicts.

Each group will have the opportunity to present their strategy and discuss with the class.

Group Arbutus (1)

You all work in a team of urban foresters in a specific sector of a big city. You start your week at the office by checking your messages and kicking off the day with a team meeting between all of the group members.

Over the weekend, one member of the group received an email from a Planning Advisor (PhD in Urban Architecture) for your municipality's Department of the Environment. This is your first interaction with this colleague. They reached out to your team because they've been working in the department for 6 months and they have been tasked with developing a Guide for New Construction: Landscape Guidelines for Climate Resiliency.

They have already set up the scope and timeline for this project. We're in November and a draft of the guide must be presented to City Council for debate by mid-February.

Their email specifies the following:

Our department is developing guidelines with a worksheet and calculations to recommend a certain percentage of landscaping in new constructions. The worksheet takes into account different plants from trees to shrubs to perrenials and ground cover.

We intend to integrate these guidelines into the city's bylaws.

I was referred to your team because I heard you're all Master of Urban Forestry graduates. I was hoping you could answer the following questions:

1- What is the minimum soil depth to be able to plant:
i) shrubs,
ii) ground covers and perennials?

2- What is the minimum height that should be required when planting a shrub? What can we find on the market?
Is it relevant to require a minimum height for planting for perennials?

3- In Seattle, shrubs require at least 22-23 cm (9 inches) in height for planting. If there are no standards in our municipality, do you think we can copy the one in Seattle?
Do you have a reference or set of industry landscaping standards that you could share with me.

How does your team react to this request? How do you respond? What opportunities do you see here?

Group Eucalyptus (2)

You all work in a growing team of urban foresters for a municipality of 100 000 people. The municipality is also growing and for the moment, it tends to operate like a smaller city. There is no recognized urban forestry division and you're all inspectors part of the Public Works Department.

You get a call on the radio to check out a boulevard median in the center of town, a highly visible location.

A journalist for the small local paper just called public works dispatch because an electrical company is in a bucket truck pruning city-owned trees down to a height of 12 ft. No arborist is present and it looks like topping/lopping/internodal cuts.

You all happen to be in the same area so you converge into one site. One of you chats with the electrical company. One of you chats with the resident journalist on site. One of you begins assessing the site, taking photos and measurements.

You all convene later to discuss what happened and formulate your next plan. Here is what we know:

- We have an alignment of Acer and Ulmus trees with a dbh of 20 cm. All planted at the same time, all city-owned.

- The electrical company does not have an arborist on staff.

- Two workers were topping trees to provide clearance for a religious structure (eruv - a fine line of wire 30ft off the ground and linked by street lamps). They were contracted by the local religious community centre to cut back the branches to make sure this structure does not break.

- They were not authorized by the City to do this. The workers, however, are understanding, receptive and curious about why you're on site.

- The journalist informs you that this happens often with the Jewish community. He personally feels outraged as this is "unreasonable accommodation" and he plans on taking this issue to the press.

With the information you have, what are your thoughts/reactions? How do you respond? What opportunities do you see here?

Group Quercus (3)

You all work in a growing team of urban foresters for a municipality of 100 000 people. The municipality is also growing and for the moment, it tends to operate like a smaller city. There is no recognized urban forestry division and you're all inspectors part of the Public Works Department but you're concentrated in the Parks Division.

A colleague from the urban planning department contacts your team for feedback. They have the mandate from city council to plan a street rival project and urban greening is a must. This colleague has two Bachelor's degrees, one in urban planning and one in sustainable development. They are fascinated by environmental issues but don't have experience working with trees.

They found out that they could get a grant from Tree Canada's Green Streets program if they fill out a grant request and commit to planting 50 trees in a dense commercial area with no trees and barely any lawns, medians or set backs.

Their grant proposal has been approved and they have 12 months to complete the project. They're coming to you for feedback. They selected species native to your region.

No feasibility study was conducted (locating underground services, constraints, growing conditions)

With the information you have, what are your thoughts/reactions? How do you respond? What opportunities do you see here?

Some Key Strategies and Reflexes, Discussed in Class (November 18, 2021)

When responding to requests, engaging with stakeholders, handling regulatory non compliance or hotly contested political issues, we know that these tasks come with challenges and tensions. They can also make us vulnerable. Nevertheless, these situations can also reveal opportunities to promote and build up the sustainable urban forest, while fostering a greater understanding of trees. We can even discover new allies as well as partnerships. In some instances, challenging tasks and situations can be important occasions for professional and personal growth.

Here are just a few strategies and effective reflexes, brought up by you all, during our last discussion.

Receiving a new request from a new stakeholder or colleague in your organization? Do you think what they're asking for is clear? Are they asking for something potentially beyond the scope of your job? If you were to engage, would you be acting within your role or potentially stepping on a few toes? Would your actions have wide reaching implications? Here are a few strategies to consider:
- Due diligence - do your homework before committing to deliverables and promises
  - - - Know your role
        
        Know who you're engaging with: if the situation allows, perhaps ask for a call or informal meeting/coffee chat to learn more about this person, their motivations, intentions and expectations. It may be useful and appropriate to check in with other colleagues in the organization to more about this person's position and role. Sometimes, doing some background checking is prudent.
        
        Always consider politely asking for all of the information that you need to make an informed decision that you're comfortable with.
        
        Keep your direct supervisor in the loop: consider asking for feedback: If engaging with this request could have implications beyond your role and your team, or if you're not sure, you may want to have a conversation with your supervisor about it. If so, go in prepared with what you know, how you believe you should approach the situation and how you feel about it. Make sure you have their support.

- Prepare - make note of elements about the request/proposal that you may be in favour of, in disagreement with or concerned about.
  - - - Be with, name and note your emotions before diving into a conversation.
        
        Prepare to address these elements in a constructive way: ask for clarification
        
        Reformulate ("If I understand correctly, I'm hearing that you're looking for _________").
        
        Ask your stakeholder if they're open to receiving constructive feedback/commentary/potential concerns
- Engaging with someone with limited knowledge of urban trees and their needs? Contribute to their learning experience.
  - - - Ask them straight off if there is anything specific that they want to know about trees before heading into a lesson, gauge how receptive they are.
        
        Refer them to credible and accessible references that you're comfortable with
        
        Be mindful of their level of knowledge and point them towards resources that will help them understand (and not overwhelm them)
- Once you know where you stand, give options.
  - - - Let them know what you can do for them, within your role, time constraints and comfort zone.
        
        If the situation does not permit you to act, consider referring them to someone who can. You may want to check-in with that "someone" first.
        
        Inform your stakeholder of the limitations of the tools, references or recommendations that you're giving them

Have you just inherited a tough project with oversights and errors? Walking into a total mess? Engaging with folks who have not make optimal decisions about trees?
- Try to frame mistakes as learning opportunities.
- Make note of where things went wrong. Take the time to recognize areas where you have a certain degree of control and can guide the situation to a better result. For elements beyond your control, it may be more effective to accept things as they are or minimize your own personal resistance to the state of affairs.
- Feel free to ask for help from your colleagues, supervisor, folks in your support system or from other professionals who can potentially contribute expertise to resolve the issue. If things get personal, involving a neutral third party opinion may help gain insight and establish confidence.
- The blame game is rarely useful, alternatively, focus on what can be corrected or what is needed to get things on track.
- Approach discord with curiosity rather than judgment

Handling an uncomfortable situation, possibly way beyond the scope of your expertise? Engaging with folks and topics that require cultural sensitivity and understanding?
- Avoid going into things alone, especially if social tensions or legal issues could be at play.
- Take time to listen to stakeholders to gain a better understanding of their needs, values and concerns.
- Consider meeting at another time - sometimes a spontaneous and heated moment is not the time to make progress. Consider setting a time in the very near future to sit down and have a conversation. Make sure the meeting isn't put off for too long. Cooler heads prevail!
- Give everyone time to speak before jumping on the problem and trying to attack the issue.
- Different values + Misunderstanding + Negative emotions = Conflict - consider ways to gain a better understanding while regulating emotions to handle different values and competing objectives. There may be opportunities to meet half way.
- Call in an-expert - Are you faced with something you know completely nothing about (example: religious or cultural beliefs/customs/traditions) ? Gain knowledge from folks who know and understand the topic before tackling the issue.
- Check your biases, if you can, take a moment to reflect on your own perceptions and biases. We often have more biases than we think. Sometimes they come off as inherent or non intentional, but they have impacts none the less. Check in with your employer as they may be able to offer training on this subject or others.

Topic Self-review

1- How can arborists and urban forestry professionals constructively raise awareness about urban trees and their needs in built environments? (What are your tips or alternatively, what have you learned during your MUFL journey?)

2- Who can arborists and urban forestry professionals collaborate with to build and cultivate the urban forest (name 3 potential professions or types of stakeholders)

3- What are the barriers that prevent municipal/non profit/residential/commercial projects from introducing trees to the urban landscape and ensuring their long term survival?

UFOR 521, M. Hanna 2021