About the Reunion
In April 2024, Trees Atlanta hosted a historic reunion of the pioneering voices who helped launch the Alliance for Community Trees (ACT) network. This gathering united founders of local environmental community forestry organizations, early executives, national program directors, and scientists – professionals who collaborated for decades to evolve urban and community forestry into a major discipline. Together, they served as powerful voices for diverse communities and tireless advocates for government funding.
The event was initially sparked by a desire to honor Sue Probart, founder of Tree New Mexico, who passed away in the spring of 2023. What began as a memorial soon evolved into a crucial mission: to capture and chronicle the collective wisdom of these early advocates. As urban forestry expands into new communities under the guidance of emerging leaders, the foundational best practices and "timeless truths" established by these veterans remain incredibly relevant.
Reconnecting over shared memories and stories, attendees reflected on their work as a true "bottom-up" force that inspired a new vision for trees in local communities. To preserve this place-based deep learning, in-depth interviews were conducted with these founding leaders. We are proud to share these highlights in celebration of their enduring legacy.
Reunion Attendees
Leaders and founders of early local community forestry organizations:
Marcia Bansley
Founder of Trees Atlanta, retired
Donna Curtis
Executive Director, Shreveport Green, retired
Anna Dooley
Executive Director, Greenscape of Jacksonville, retired
Nancy Hughes
Executive Director of California Urban Forests Council, retired
Andy Lipkis
Founder of TreePeople in Los Angeles, now with Accelerate Resilience LA
Edith Makra
Leader at Openlands in Chicago, now with Mayors Caucus of Chicago
Shannon Ramsay
Founder of Trees Forever in Iowa, retired
Ray Tretheway
Founder of Sacramento Tree Foundation, retired
Lynn Morris McManus
Founder of Baton Rouge Green, retired
Donald Willeke
Attorney and co-founder of Twin Cities Tree Trust (now simply Tree Trust) in Minnesota, retired
Nancy Wolf
Executive Director of Environmental Action Coalition-NYC and past Executive Director of the New York State Urban Forestry Council, retired
Early supporters and developers of Alliance for Community Trees:
Alice Ewen
Former Executive Director of ACT and now Acting Deputy Regional Forester of Region 8 and 9 at the USDA Forest Service
Deborah Gangloff
Former Executive Vice President of American Forests
Ed Macie
Urban Forestry Program Director, USDA Forest Service, Southern Region, retired
Jared Liu
Former Director of Programs of independent ACT; now at Yale University admissions
Greg McPherson
Ph.D., USDA Forest Service researcher, retired; now president of Tree Davis (California)
Phillip Rodbell
National Program Leader, Urban Forest Sustainability Research, USDA Forest Service
Kathleen Wolf
Ph.D., Research Social Scientist, University of Washington, retired
Representatives of Alliance for Community Trees, now a program of the Arbor Day Foundation since 2016:
Dan Lambe
Chief Executive, Arbor Day Foundation
Matt Spitsen
Senior Program Manager, Arbor Day Foundation
Timeless Wisdom
When these urban forestry veterans reunited, they brought with them decades of memories, stories, and shared triumphs. Having championed the movement from its earliest days, these founders, executive directors, and scientists built a powerful, grassroots force that redefined the role of trees in our communities. To preserve this living history, a historian sat down with several attendees to capture their insights. The resulting interviews are shared below in celebration of their enduring impact—a collection of timeless truths to inspire the next generation of local leaders.
Their Start: The Diverse Beginnings of the Urban Forestry Movement
How did the urban forestry movement actually begin? Instead of a coordinated national rollout, it was a spontaneous revolution sparked by individuals across the country who simply decided to take action in their own backyards. In this audio clip, founders share the incredibly diverse, personal, and sometimes accidental origin stories of their local tree organizations.
Key highlights include:
- A Spontaneous Revolution: Nancy Wolf discusses how early environmental education efforts in New York City revealed a profound, simultaneous movement happening organically in cities nationwide.
- Unexpected Career Paths: Hear how passionate citizens like Donna Curtis and Nancy Hughes transitioned from entirely different fields – such as speech pathology and private horticulture – to spearheading major local green initiatives.
- Deeply Personal Motivations: Discover the personal catalysts that launched a movement. Lynn Morris shares how she started Baton Rouge Green from a card table and a telephone just to keep her twelve-year-old daughter from moving away, while Shannon Ramsay recounts pulling "shenanigans" to replace Midwest canopies lost to development.
Their Start - The Diverse Beginnings of the Urban Forestry Movement
The Urban Forestry Movement: Finding Growth and Stability
How did the urban forestry movement grow from isolated local efforts into a powerful national coalition? In this audio clip, early founders and executives share the challenges and triumphs of getting their organizations off the ground.
Key highlights include:
- Building a Coalition: Deborah Gangloff and Alice Ewen discuss the launch of the Alliance for Community Trees and the power of uniting local leaders.
- Funding the Vision: Hear how leaders like Ray Tretheway secured massive utility investments, while Andy Lipkis saved 20,000 nursery trees by rallying public 50-cent donations.
- Influencing Policy: Edith Makra, Greg McPherson, and Donald Willeke share stories of leveraging media, organizing "books of letters," and forming state councils to win over mayors, governors, and the Forest Service.
- The Power of the Hustle: Marcia Bansley reflects on the sheer determination and "invent-as-you-go" spirit required to solve giant problems in the movement's earliest days.
Urban Forestry Movement – Finding Growth and Stability
Green Wisdom: Reflections and Advice for the Next Generation of Tree Advocates
How can today's emerging leaders ensure the long-term success of the urban forestry movement? In this audio clip, veteran advocates offer their most critical advice for the next generation of local leaders, covering everything from nonprofit survival to climate resilience.
Key highlights include:
- Redefining the Urban Forest: Discover why building the "best" urban forest is about more than just planting trees – it requires cultivating a shared environmental ethic among the people who control 90% of the canopy.
- Mastering Nonprofit Survival: Practical, hard-earned advice on the realities of running a local organization, from building a crucial one-month reserve fund to delegating tasks and effectively networking with the business community.
- Collaborating Across Sectors: Why successful advocacy requires uniting government, corporations, and nonprofits, and why modern advocates must actively listen to understand the constraints of local decision-makers.
- Activating the Community: A powerful reminder that tree planting is ultimately about saving lives and cooling neighborhoods. Rather than simply doing the work for people, true success comes from empowering neighbors and building resilient communities to face major climate events together.
Green Wisdom - Reflections and Advice for the Next Generation of Tree Advocates
Coming Soon: Recollections of a Green Revolution
The reunion included recorded interviews with early leaders of the Alliance for Community Trees, reflecting on their organizations’ histories, challenges, and successes within the broader urban forestry movement. Hosted by Trees Atlanta, the three-day gathering featured discussions, roundtables, and sixteen 45-minute interviews that captured decades of experience from pioneers who helped shape community-based forestry—offering insights that remain highly relevant for today’s leaders.
Lessons from the Leaders Who Grew a Movement
Through personal interviews with pioneering advocates, this report captures the ideas, challenges, and breakthroughs that shaped urban and community forestry—and the lessons that can guide the next generation of local tree leaders.