New Urban Community Culture
Alex Ferguson and John-Ashley Reese lead a discussion on soils and tree health with a class from the University of Georgia School of Forestry.
One of the ways we strive to Be Better is to immerse ourselves in our community. We go beyond providing a valuable service with your trees by investing time and resources volunteering at community events. We believe that time spent educating and providing demonstrations of our work fosters a better understanding of the importance of tree care, the role healthy trees play in our community and perhaps inspire the youth to consider a fulfilling career in arboriculture.
Our thriving industry is regularly seeking motivated individuals that are interested in learning this trade. We recently presented on a panel at the Georgia Tree Council Annual Conference on Cultivating the Next Generation of Arborists to collaborate with others in the industry to come up with methods of attracting and retaining new talent to ensure the future of excellent tree care.
Our method includes educating our community to view an arborist’s role as a community helper, much like a firefighter, police officer or mail person. Many opportunities exist to those who pursue arboriculture as a career; it allows for travel, growth and education without the requirement of a college degree. Arborists are well paid and can find work anywhere in the country if they have experience with a reputable company. It is a job where you can work outside, meet new people every day, be active and have an impact on the overall health of our planet.
At New Urban Forestry, our involvement in our community is also an investment in the future of our industry. In the future we hope to implement more ways for people to see if this is a career that is a good fit for them. We hope to have internship opportunities and work-study programs through the local schools and University.
Shawn Doonan helps spread mulch for Arbor Day 2020.
Beyond attracting new talent to the field, we also strive to be good community members. We believe that by interacting with our local community, in the schools and non-profit organizations, that people come away realizing that we are not just “tree cutters”, but also your friends and neighbors. When we give a pruning talk, a tree identification walk, or a climbing demonstration, we hope that attendees understand the impact our profession has on the community and gain an appreciation for this rewarding profession.
We plant trees, spread mulch, volunteer at the schools, and speak any chance we can get, so that we can give back to our community, educate a future generation, and hopefully attract young people to the industry of arboriculture.