Join Trinity Blacklands Urban Forestry Council and San Antonio Arborist Association to discuss the development of a sustainable urban forest in our municipalities.  We want to learn fact-based, timely, and most importantly, relevant information for the planning and development of a sustainable forest, tailored to each unique community's needs.  Attending and contributing to this workshop demonstrates your continued pledge to the development of the unique and valuable resource we call an urban forest.  The most valuable part of our infrastructure is underrated and underfunded but through education and continued commitment, we can dig deeper and plant seeds of hope.  

Haywood Morgan, Jr received his Bachelor of Science in Urban Forestry from Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is a graduate of the Municipal Forestry Institute. Haywood has worked for the City of Denton for 10 years. With an additional 25 years of experience in the Municipal forestry. He enjoys teaching about trees and discussing any questions they may have. Currently he responsibilities include the implementation of Denton’s Urban Forest Master Plan, managing tree planting, removal contracts and all issues involving management/ maintenance of trees in the City of Denton. Haywood is married to Sandra Morgan and has two girls Gabrielle and Olivia.

Marc Beaudoing is an Urban Forester with the City of Plano where his hard work ethic, horticulture experience, and leadership qualities have helped the City of Plano urban forest development. He is instrumental in the implementation of Plano’s Urban Forest Master Plan and so much more. Marc began his career manicuring golf courses which is where he found his love for trees. While living in Maryland, he managed a 65 acre tree farm for 7 years in Montgomery County which consisted of over 15,000 native and non-native tree species. Marc graduated with a B.S. in Agronomy from Texas A&M University. Marc is married to Hiroko Beaudoing and has two children, Collin and Toki. He loves to play golf, hockey, and disc golf and also coaches youth hockey in his free time. His favorite quote is: “Qui plantavit curabit” (He who plants, preserves!).

Mariah Menzie is a Board Certified Master Arborist MW-5715B, a Certified Tree care Safety Professional (CTSP), and is Tree Risk Assessment Qualified. Since 2013, Mariah has developed a passion for arboriculture and consistently incorporates the latest technological advancements in the field into her knowledge base. Her daily responsibilities primarily include consultations, managing the company’s IT needs, and leading most of the training sessions at Tree Wizard Tree Service located in Norman, Oklahoma. Additionally, she made history by being the first woman from Oklahoma to secure the Midwest ISA women’s slot in the 2019 International Tree Climbing Competition.

Jennifer Alger is CEO of Far West Forest Products and manages Wood-Mizer California. For over 25 years she’s rescued downed urban trees diverting them from landfills and converting them to lumber. Jennifer is on the Board of Directors for the Urban Wood Network, and led a team to develop the first ever Urban Wood Standards and pathway for certification for Urban Wood Network members. She provides many tools that help store carbon in lumber, and co-founded AncesTREE™ inventory management app and Urban Lumber Market to help others do the same.

Mac Martin is the Urban and Community Forestry Program Leader for the Texas A&M Forest Service. He focuses on building local capacity to help communities develop sustainable programs that provide Texans with healthy trees and forests. Under this Program TFS’ Regional Urban Foresters and Woodland Ecologists act as facilitators, bringing together interested parties to find local solutions through strategic planning centered on increasing tree canopy and long-term tree care. By engaging and training local leaders, the Urban and Community Forestry Program helps increase public awareness of the value of trees, raises the skill level of local tree workers, sets quality standards for tree planting and care, and guides communities toward sustainable management of their community forests.

Mike Sills has been a Regional Urban Forester for the Texas A and M Forest Service’s Dallas Region for seven years. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1995 with a B.S. in Forestry and has been an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist since 1997. He has received accreditation as a Certified Forester and Board-Certified Master Arborist from the Society of American Foresters and International Society of Arboriculture, respectively. He is a Private Pilot and volunteers with the Civil Air Patrol. He and his wife of 23 years, Ginny, also enjoy traveling and being at home with their pets, Keelagh and Captain Hastings.

Mark Kroeze is the regional urban forester for the Texas A&M Forest Service. Based in San Antonio, he has been serving the citizens of Texas since 2013. His biggest contributions to his region are trainings and educational programming that he coordinates, teaches, or creates. These trainings are urban forestry focused with an emphasis on worker safety. In addition, urban forestry economic contributes $2.1 Billion to our economy and employs over 57,000 Texans. Mark enjoys being a leader in the industry to ensure that the next generation has more opportunity to take care of the two biggest miracles on Earth: people and trees. Go Timberwolves!

Kate Faris is the Community Forestry Grants Program Specialist within the Texas A&M Forest Service. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Geoscience from Texas A&M University and is passionate about sharing the benefits of community trees with others through storytelling, GIS, and conversation. Kate aims to be a resource for all Texas communities to find opportunities for growth and development of their community canopy.

Cory McCurry joined the Rainbow Treecare Scientific Advancements team in July 2021, as an Arborist/Biologist. Cory is an ISA certified arborist with six years of practical field experience. In his previous company, he started as a plant health care technician, becoming a plant health care coordinator, and finally becoming a consulting arborist in the north region of Chicago. As an Arborologist, Cory is responsible for working with local Territory Managers to provide PHC training and education to Rainbow clients including application training for crews and technical support for diagnosing PHC issues. Cory holds a BS in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. He’s also a 2019 Davey Institute of Tree Science graduate.

Matt Grubisich joined the City of Garland in August of 2020 as the Parks Director overseeing the maintenance and operations of over 2,500 acres of parks and open space.

Previously Matt served as the Director of Operation for the Texas Trees Foundation for the past 10 years. He brings with him over 20 years of operational experience assisting communities prepare for future challenges by enhancing their capacity to implement resiliency projects to create vibrant healthy communities.

Matt holds a Bachelor of Science in Urban Forestry from Iowa State University, is an ISA Certified Arborist, SAF Certified Forester, and has served in a leadership role on numerous local and state Boards and Commissions.