About

Mission, Vision and Goals
Executive Committee
Board of Directors
Ex-Officio
Staff
History

NYSUFC 2021 Annual Report

The New York State Urban Forestry Council (NYSUFC) is a volunteer group, organized formally in 1999, to advise and assist the NYS Department of Conservation (DEC) in executing its Urban and Community Forestry policies. The Council’s major funding, supplied through the USDA Forest Service, is supplemented by membership dues and independent contributions.

Mission

New York State’s Urban Forestry program is a partnership of public, private and volunteer organizations and individuals that fosters comprehensive planning, management and education throughout New York to create a healthy urban and community forest and enhance quality of life.

Vision

The New York State Urban Forestry Council envisions that every community in New York State will recognize the value of trees and maximize the use of trees to help improve the community’s quality of life.

Goals

Strengthen Board Structure and Membership
Attract public, private and volunteer organizations, and individuals to help promote the mission and vision of the Urban Forestry Council.

Identify and Promote the Benefits of Trees
Promote the appreciation and understanding of the environmental, economic and social benefits of trees in the urban and community environment.

Provide Educational Tools
Advance Urban and Community Forestry outreach, training and education.

Provide Planning and Management Tools
Promote and support comprehensive Urban and Community Forestry planning and the application of industry Best Management Practices and current research.

Officers of the Board

Executive Committee

First	Last	Affiliation	Region	Board Term Exp	EC Term Exp	Title
Steve	Harris	Syracuse Department of Parks, Recreation, and Youth Programs	7	2025	2023	President
James	Kaechele	NYC Parks Tree Time	2	2023	2023	Vice Pres
Glenn	Gentzke	Tree Services of Western NY LLC	9	2023	2023	Treasurer
Mike	Treglia	The Nature Conservancy	2	2023	2023	Secretary
Terry	Hawkridge	Rustic Pines Tree Care	6	2024	2023	At-Large
Phil	Healey	Inc. Village of Lynbrook	1	2023	2023	At-Large
Lori	Brockelbank	Davey Resource Group	9	2024	2024	At-Large
Glen	Roberts	Region 6 ReLeaf	6	2023	2024	At-Large

Board of Directors

First	Last	Affiliation	Region	Board Term Exp
Christopher	Anderson	NYS Association of Towns	4	2024
Dr. Nina	Bassuk	Cornell Urban Horticulture Institute	7	2024
Mark	Beamish	Orange & Rockland Utilities	3	2025
Brenda	Cagle	Village of Red Hook	3	2024
Joe	Charap	Green-Wood Cemetery	2	2025
Mike	DeMarco	City of Watertown	6	2025
Vincent	Drzewucki	CCE Nassau County	1	2023
Karen	Emmerich	Town of Warwick, Tree Commissioner	3	2023
Jeanne	Grace	City of Ithaca	7	2024
Ross	Hassinger	City of Buffalo	9	2024
Andrew	Hillman	Urban Forest Advocate	7	2023
Greg	Michel	Onondaga Earth Corps	7	2025
Andrew	Newman	NYC Parks	2	2025
Judy	Pangman	City of Oneonta	4	2025
Paul	Paradine	NYSEG	7	2023
Alicia	Ragusa	Holistic Law Practice	1	2023
Michael	Sawyer	Buffalo Olmstead Park Conservancy	9	2023
Jean	Zimmerman	Arborist & Author	3	2023

Ex-Officio

First	Last	Affiliation
Danielle	Gift	USDA Forest Service Urban & Community Forestry Program Coordinator for the NE Region
Eric	Greenfield	USDA Forest Service FIA
Christina	McLaughlin	NYSDEC Urban and Community Forestry Partnership Coordinator
Rob	Messenger	NYSDEC Bureau Chief, Bureau of Forest Resource Management
Martin	Mullarkey	Retired Utility Arborist and Educator
Gloria	VanDuyne	NYSDEC Urban and Community Forestry Program Manager

Staff


Julianne Okun		Executive Secretary
Sarah Gugercin		Website Designer & Manager
Christina B. Smith		Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Consultant
Michelle Sutton		Editor and Social Media Coordinator

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination: write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326–W, Whitten Bldg, 1400 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.