Meagan Hanna, MA. ISA Board Certified Master Arborist – Quebec Representative, CUFN Steering Committee
Within my first year as Quebec Representative of the CUFN Steering Committee, I have been thrilled to see more urban forestry professionals in Quebec speak out and engage with the CUFN on the Listserv. Asking questions and sharing experiences are definitely the first steps forging bonds and fostering collaboration with other professionals and partners nationwide. I encourage you to continue using the Listserv and taking advantage of the wealth of experience that our group has to offer.
As we move forward with a network in Quebec, it is my sincerest hope that we will have the opportunity to meet and discuss ways to work together at the next Canadian Urban Forest Conference, which will be merged with the International Urban Forestry Congress 2018 in Vancouver from September 30 to October 3, 2018. You can find more information and updates on this event at http://www.iufcvancouver2018.com.
We are looking at local possibilities for engagement and participation in Quebec. Last December, Tree Canada conducted a national CUFN Member Survey, on the Listserv; in the final report (Bardekjian & Chiriac, 2018), out of the 875 registered members, 13.5% of members responded. Of the group of respondents, 13% identified as Quebeckers and 12% as Francophones. Overall, urban forestry professionals in Canada and Quebec expressed the most interest in urban forest policies, tree inventories, management planning, tree planting/establishment and invasive species management. Of all of the respondents, 8 Quebeckers indicated that they would be interested in meeting for one day in the year to discuss and collaborate constructively with other professionals in the region on urban forestry issues.
The next steps for 2019 include securing a place and time to facilitate a meeting of Canadian Urban Forest Network members in Quebec. The goal of this meeting would be to combine an educational component and an interactive workshop designed to empower Quebec urban forestry professionals in their roles, encourage their development as agents for change in the urban forest and promote networking between members. As a network, we hope to obtain feedback from regional members about the implementation of the Canadian Urban Forest Strategy. By working together, we can help increase the capacity of this network to achieve the following tasks:
- – influence higher levels of government to support urban forestry;
- – develop partnerships with governmental departments and green industry groups to promote the importance of trees in urbanization, land use planning and development;
- – update, enhance and share best management practices for Canadian urban forests.
The greater the numbers of active individuals, the more impact we can have in our communities.
If you’re interested in meeting other CUFN members and urban forestry professionals in Quebec, feel free to reach out to me and include your contact information. I will see that you are kept up to date on our plans for 2019 and that you have the opportunity to share feedback as we set up our next event in Quebec.
Your CUFN Steering Committee Quebec Representative,
Meagan Hanna
Meagan.hanna@ville.montreal.qc.ca
Citation:
Bardekjian, A. & Chiriac, G. (2018). Interests and expectations: Results of the Canadian Urban Forest Network member survey. Tree Canada: Ottawa, ON.
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