Hi. My name is Sacha Curran and a lifelong connection to trees began with a backyard crabapple tree that erupted each spring with a stunning display of white flowers. Growing up in south Edmonton with the Mill Creek Ravine acting as an extension to our backyard, its quiet understory of dogwood, chokecherry, and sweet-smelling prickly rose shaped my earliest sense of place.

While working in a bustling garden center and nursery, surrounded by young trees and shrubs, there were constant conversations about what tree would thrive where. Helping people choose the best tree for their space sparked a sustained interest for arboricultural learning.

Later, as a tree planter in northern Manitoba, I planted thousands of trees in spaces that were clear cut just a few years before. These experiences deepened my understanding of forest regeneration, disturbance cycles, and the long timelines required to restore ecological function.

Throughout my teaching career, I noticed students, their families and my colleagues were all as interconnected and dependent on each other as the natural ecosystems I witnessed years earlier. Organizing and launching student leadership programs underscored the vital importance of collective action in building and sustaining community connection.

Returning to my early interests in trees and ecosystems through the University of Guelph’s Horticulture program, my capstone research explored how community monitoring can protect and sustain urban forest health. The project was designed to make science and research accessible and actionable.

By working together to identify and report symptoms and signs of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), people contribute their local knowledge and lived experience toward the development of a real-time, province-wide, early warning network.

These shared actions are shaping more inclusive and equitable models of community participation in urban forest care.