The Urban Forest Summit (previously called the Lake Oswego Tree Summit) is an annual event presented by the Oswego Lake Watershed Council in partnership with the Lake Oswego Sustainability Network.
It’s goal was to provide a way for residents to gather together and grow their arboreal knowledge base and discuss ways to connect with and enhance the ecological health of our urban forest.
Each year since its inception in 2019, this event has grown in scope and audience! Our most recent event, the Urban Forest Summit 2024 is described below.
Urban Forest Summit 2024
A Healthy Urban Forest: What You Can Do
We had a spectacular Urban Forest Summit on November 2 this year. Nearly 100 people attended! Our speakers were wonderful, and we’d like to share the slides from their presentation.
Check back – we’ll also be posting their answers to questions that arose during the event.
And Many Thanks to our Sponsor!
Jessica Numanoglu, the Community Development Director for the City of Lake Oswego, and Scott Altenhoff, Manager of the Urban and Community Forestry Program at the Oregon Department of Forestry, presented the city’s Urban and Community Forestry Plan adopted by the City Council in June 2024.
Click on the image to open a 2-up .pdf of their slides.
Brian French, of Arboriculture International, spoke about the importance of a healthy tree canopy
Click on the image to open a 2-up .pdf of his slides.
Ian Hunter, of Phoenix Habitats, spoke about tree root systems and soil health
Click on the image to open a 2-up .pdf of his slides.
Caitilin Pope Daum, of Studio Wild, spoke about landscaping with native plants.
Click on the image to open a her slides and notes.
Master Gardener Leah Puhlman spoke on creating a paradise for pollenators
Click on the image to open a her slides and notes.
Interested in helping with Urban Forest Restoration?
Contact Rio (rio@oswegowatershed.org) if you would like to:
- Serve on the Urban Forest Committee
- Participate in restoration or planting work parties
- Collect data on trees through the LO Tree Survey
Interested in helping with education and outreach to our community?
Contact Megan (megan@oswegowatershed.org) if you would like to:
- Serve on the Education and Outreach Committee
- Support events like Soil Your Undies or the Bee BioBlitz
- Support 2nd and 5th grade walking field trip programs
- Help plan for next year’s Urban Forest Summit
Meet Our Speakers
JACK HALSEY
Jack Halsey is a naturalist and community organizer from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. He grew up in Oregon and has been working with watershed councils since 2013. Jack received his Environmental Analysis degree from Pitzer College, with a focus on Environmental Science.
He is currently the Executive Director of Oswego Lake Watershed Council. Jack is also a Board Member and Treasurer for the Institute for Applied Ecology. He specializes in planning and implementing riparian and upland enhancement projects, volunteer events, and urban and community forestry. He is passionate about environmental justice, fire ecology, and Oregon white oak ecosystems.
JESSICA NUMANOGLU
Jessica Numanoglu is the Community Development Director for the City of Lake Oswego. She has worked for the city for over 23 years and has played a key role in urban forestry, including managing an update to the Tree Code in 2016 and an update to the city’s Urban and Community Forestry Plan adopted by the City Council in June 2024.
SCOTT ALTENHOFF
Scott Altenhoff is Manager of the Urban and Community Forestry Program at the Oregon Department of Forestry. In this position, Scott’s main focus is on helping to connect people with trees and natural systems.
Scott has a B.A. in Classics from the U of O and a Graduate Certificate in Urban Forestry from Oregon State University.
BRIAN FRENCH
Brian French is the principal at Arboriculture International and a skilled climber with a broad range of arboriculture-related experience with certifications such as Certified Arborist, Certified Tree Worker, and Qualified Tree Risk Assessor.
Brian has been practicing for over 24 years in Oregon and abroad and is a dedicated contributor to cutting-edge research for a better understanding of trees and safer work practices for arborists worldwide.
Brian is a climber and consulting arborist with a focus on wildlife tree retention and habitat programs. Serving as coordinator for the Oregon Champion Tree Registry and Portland Heritage Tree Program, much of his work focuses on the preservation of significant old trees and associated flora and fauna
Caitilin Pope Daum
Caitilin Pope Daum is the Principal Landscape Architect at Studio Wild in Portland, OR, which she founded in 2012 to create human-scaled, sustainable designs. With 20 years of experience across Oregon, Washington, and California, she has worked on multifamily housing, streetscapes, schoolyards, campuses, parks, and private residences.
Caitilin’s passion for landscape design emphasizes biodiversity and human well-being. She holds a master’s degree in landscape architecture from UC Berkeley and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Natural Resources and a graduate Certificate in Climate Change from the University of Idaho.
Additionally, she has chaired the Biodiversity and Climate Action committee for the Oregon chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects for the past two years.
IAN HUNTER
Ian Hunter is the founder and owner of Phoenix Habitats, a local habitat restoration firm that specializes in landscaping with native plants for bird and pollinator habitat.
He works on all scales from small residential properties to large natural park areas, and in all ecosystems including wetlands, riparian edges, meadows and forests. His holistic approach with soil, water, plants, and people is structured around long term sustainability.
Leah Puhlman
A life-long gardener, Leah Puhlman has always had an interest in sustainable gardening practices. In 2012 she and her my husband Mark started to transform our half-acre suburban lot from mostly grass and invasive blackberry and ivy to a habitat-friendly garden. It was then that they got involved in the Backyard Habitat Program, and really started to learn extensively about habitat.
In 2019 Leah became an Oregon State University Extension Master Gardener and has since focused on teaching others about gardening for bio-diversity through webinars, speaking engagements, and garden tours.
The Urban Forest Summit is presented by the Oswego Lake Watershed Council in partnership with the Lake Oswego Sustainability Network.