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- 2 year term

First	Last	Affiliation	Region	EC Term Exp	Title
Phil	Healey	Town of Lynbrook	2	2025	President
Mike	DeMarco	City of Watertown	6	2025	Vice President
Steve	Harris	City of Syracuse	7	2025	Treasurer
Mike	Treglia	Nature Conservancy	2	2025	Secretary
Joe	Charap	The Green-Wood Cemetery	2	2025	At-Large
Ross	Hassinger	City of Buffalo	9	2025	At-Large
Lori	Brockelbank	Davey Resource Group	9	2024	At-Large
Glen	Roberts	Region 6 ReLeaf	6	2024	At-Large

Board of Directors- 3 year term

First	Last	Affiliation	Region	Board Term Exp
Karen	Emmerich	Town of Warwick	3	2026
Rachel	Grumm	NYS Parks – Queens Borough	2	2026
Andrew	Hillman	Davey Resource Group	7	2026
Jay	Lavigne	City of Albany	4	2026
Paul	Paradine	NYSEG	7	2026
Andrew	Place	City of Rochester	8	2026
Noreen	Riordan	Birdson Landscape Design, ISA Arborist	8	2026
Alicia	Ragusa	Holistic Law Practice	1	2026
Michael	Sawyer	Buffalo Olmstead Park Conservancy	9	2026
Leanna	Wohl-Nugent	CCE Onondaga	7	2026
Jean	Zimmerman	Savatree	3	2026
Terry	Hawkridge	Rustic Pines Tree Care	6	2024
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 Redhook	3	2024
Jeanne	Grace	City of Ithaca	7	2024
Greg	Michel	Onondaga Earth Corps	7	2025
Andrew	Newman	NYC Parks	2	2025
Judy	Pangman	City of Oneonta	4	2025

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

Michael Thompson	Executive Secretary
Sarah Gugercin	Website Designer & Manager
Christina B. Smith	Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Consultant
Jean Zimmerman	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.