Roots and Rings: Where the Stories of Our Past Becomes the Strength of Our Future

Today's special guest on Roots and Rings just blew in from the Windy City, Chicago, Illinois.  Steve Lane is the owner and lead consultant at The Response Growth Collective, where he focuses on tree risk management, urban forestry management planning, advanced GIS analyses, expert witness work, and education & development for members of the Arboriculture and Urban Forestry communities. Ste...

Today, we are thrilled to chat with Ken Gilles. Ken is an ISA Certified Arborist who operates a Tree Service in Whitby, ON, providing tree care solutions for the Toronto, Durham, York, and Peel regions. The other half of Ken's Arboriculture life is training. He taught the Arborist Practices course at Humber College for 11 years. He then helped write the curriculum and taught the Ground Worker...

On this week's Roots and Rings podcast we are thrilled to welcome Julie Tucker. Julie has worked in urban forestry and arboriculture for over 20 years, with experience as a climbing arborist, consultant, business owner, educator, and trainer. She is an ISA Certified Arborist and ISA Qualified Tree Risk Assessor, and currently serves as the Executive Director of ISA Ontario, one of the largest...

This week's special guest, Frank Rinn, flew in to speak at the ISAO Educational Conference.  Born in 1963, Frank Rinn grew up in Heuchelheim, Germany. He studied Physics, Math and Philosophy at Gießenand Heidelberg University after having worked as a carpenter. He invented and developed different methods, machines, and computer programs for dendrochronology: resistance drilling, tree-ring meas...

ISA Ontario’s Roots and Rings is excited to introduce Irina Souiki, an International Society of Arboriculture Ontario-certified arborist and the owner-operator of Green Canopy Tree Services, based in Brampton. Irina represents one of the few women-owned tree service operations in Ontario — but her story is about more than breaking barriers. It began with a quiet calling. You’ll hear how she gradua...

This week's guest is Arborjet Joe Aiken. Joe Aiken is the Great Lakes & Canada Senior Regional Technical Manager for Arborjet Inc. Joe’s 40-plus years in the tree care industry have provided a diverse andvaluable experience, which has permitted him to guide others in plant healthcare decisions. He has worked in all phases of tree care and as a licensedapplicator and an ISA-certified arbori...

This week on ISAO's  Roots and Rings , we have the profound honour of welcoming one of Ontario’s true pioneers in arboriculture — Ian Bruce. Ian’s journey began in 1972 when he graduated from the Niagara Parks Commission School of Horticulture. After gaining early experience in landscape design, municipal parks planning, and project management, he found his calling in 1977 — and from that point fo...

This week's guest on ISAO's Roots and Rings Podcast is Cameron Sherrard.  Cameron grew up in Etobicoke, where he spent countless hours outdoors exploring nature and wildlife. Much of his childhood was shaped by time spent along the Etobicoke Creek and in Centennial Park, where his passion for the natural world truly began. He attended Fleming College and earned a diploma in Conservation Bi...

Welcome to this week's edition of ISA Ontario's Rings and Roots podcast, where our special guest, Serena Soucy, will be stopping by. Serena started in the industry through the Ontario Ground Worker Training Program and has worked both as a climber at Maple Hill Tree Services and as a consultant with KSP Global before finding her way to her current position as a municipal Arborist in Kitche...

On this week's Roots and Rings Podcast, we have the pleasure of chatting with Todd Irvine. Todd has dedicated more than two decades to elevating the practice and the public understanding of arboriculture in Toronto and beyond. Todd Irvine has been a certified arborist for 25 years. As the owner of City Forest, he provides thoughtful tree pruning, detailed yard consultations, and one-on-one pru...

This week on  Roots and Rings , we’re joined by  Meg Hanna , Director of Urban and Community Forestry for Canada with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Meg works with a national network of leaders to implement the SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard, partnering with municipalities, Indigenous communities, NGOs, and industry to strengthen urban forest management across Canada....

This week on Roots and Rings, ISA Ontario is pleased to welcome Alexander Martin as our special guest. Alex began his career as a tree-climbing arborist before moving into the world of urban forestry research, bringing real-world experience into the academic arena. A Board Certified Master Arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture, he holds degrees in Urban Forestry and Geography an...