Guest Contributors: Amanda Cruty, Advanced Young Adult Program Coordinator, Onondaga Earth Corps; Kayla Lobbins, Foreman, Onondaga Earth Corps; Logan Reidsma, Foreman, Onondaga Earth Corps

Amanda Cruty: Thank you very much for the opportunity to attend the Annual ReLeaf Conference. There were so many wonderful opportunities for meaningful education and networking experiences. I as an individual and Onondaga Earth Corps truly benefit every year from sending folks to the ReLeaf Conference.

My favorite experience was the tour of Woodlawn Cemetery Tour. It was the perfect combination of American history, landscape architecture, and horticulture wonders. The guides were so knowledgeable about the history of the Cemetery and how it fits within the modern-day cityscape of the Bronx.

Additionally, it was beneficial to network with community arborists from all over the state. I enjoyed learning about urban forestry programs from a wide variety of municipalities big and small. I walked away with so much valuable knowledge about taking care of trees as well as people.

I thank the Council for the opportunity to attend ReLeaf this year and hope to share the experience with even more crew members from Onondaga Earth Corps next year.

Logan Reidsma: Attending Releaf was a highlight of my summer so far. From seeing new places to meeting new people, this event continues to show up and show out. Some of my favorite experiences included walking through Inwood Hill Park, learning about Hattie Carthan, and exploring Van Cortlandt Park. The sheer size of these spaces is incredible, and coupled with the contrast of the development nearby, it is extremely grounding. The conference also highlighted how important storytelling is in urban forestry, and the speakers communicated the importance of trees in urban areas with a high level of emotional connection. I am looking forward to exploring more creative aspects of urban forestry work in the future.

Additionally, being able to attend this event allowed me to strengthen regional connections and meet new people in the urban forestry world. It is truly incredible to see what people are doing with the resources they have. While working with trees is important, it is working and

connecting with people that makes this work full circle, and I am looking forward to bringing these ideas and experiences back to Syracuse.

A huge thank you to the NYSUFC for the opportunity to attend Releaf!

Kayla Lobbins: I wanted to thank you for the amazing opportunity of attending the 2026 Releaf Conference in NYC. I am relatively new to the urban conservation/restoration world and was able to learn so much about the work being done in that space and how it benefits the community. The conference not only provided a lot of professional growth for myself, but also gave me really important teachings that I have enjoyed sharing with the field crews at Onondaga Earth Corps.

It’s easy for us to get caught up in the day-to-day motions that our work demands, but taking those few days to step back and reflect on the progress and impacts that we have made was a lovely reminder of just how important it all is.

I am also relatively new to NYS and the northeast region, so this conference was critical for building personal relationships with a few of the organizations the Earth Corps parters with and some of the other big players in the urban forestry space. I found it really inspiring to see how far and long some of the partnerships have stretched, across the entire state and decades old!

The location of the conference also deserves to be highlighted. The forested spaces around the university provided wonderful examples of long-term urban forest projects, what role they have played historically and how impactful the continue to be.

Thank you again for the learnings, the connections and the wonderful experience!