Holden Hires
New Urban Forester The Holden Arboretum’s mission is to promote “the beauty and importance of trees and other woody plants to create sustainable and healthy communities in the Great Lakes region and beyond.” In pursuit of that mission, Holden recently hired Chad Clink to serve as its community forester. The newly created position is targeted at expanding the organization’s outreach efforts in Northeast Ohio.
Beautify
the Broadway Chad Clink teamed up with Neighborhood House Services (NHS) to Beautify the Broadway in June. The initiative provides outreach education and engagement while providing tree care to trees in the St. Clair and E. 55 neighborhood.
Clink will serve as an advocate for scientifically based urban forest management throughout the region, said Paul Spector, director of education and public programs. “The Greater Cleveland region has recognized the value of trees in improving the livability of our communities and there are many outstanding initiatives underway throughout the area,” Spector said. “We hope to collaborate with these public and private institutions in order to enhance and expand on their efforts.” Holden is excited about the opportunities this new position will create. “We are excited to have Chad join our staff in this new position,” Spector said. “His extensive training and experience, along with Holden’s expertise in education and research, will allow us to immediately contribute to the ongoing efforts and others that develop as we work towards a greener Northeast Ohio.” Holden’s new community forester will help to promote the aesthetic, environmental, and economic value of trees and forests to communities and will be collaborating with governmental and professional organizations while educating the public. A Board Certified Master Arborist, Clink is a graduate of Kent State University’s horticulture program and studied natural resource management through the University of Idaho. He is a certified Municipal Specialist with the International Society of Arboriculture and has traveled the country extensively assisting with urban forest assessments and working with communities to understand the benefits and value of healthy forests and sustainable green infrastructure. Clink hopes to bring that experience to Cleveland especially into the neighborhoods needing the most assistance. His first step as community forester will be to gain awareness of urban and community forestry initiatives in Northeast Ohio to find ways to share his expertise and become more involved. One of the opportunities he anticipates is getting communities to think about trees during the planning process. While many people understand the aesthetic value trees offer, additional benefits trees provide a community may not be clearly understood and could be overlooked in the planning process, Clink said. His experience will benefit both long-established cities as well as communities in various stages of development and redevelopment as he offers guidance and education on managing their current green resources and advocates for the planting and maintenance of trees during planning. “Research indicates that healthy trees and green infrastructure provide significant health and economic benefits to communities,” Clink said. “Trees are a great resource. They decrease pollution through carbon sequestration, reduce the negative impacts of storm water and help prevent erosion among many other things.”
Leaves
He is also looking forward to meeting Holden’s members.
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“I’m very passionate about arboriculture and urban forestry, and I hope Holden’s members will be excited to learn about those activities because of the benefits that trees provide all of us,” he said. “Whether you’re a home owner, a business owner or a community advocate, you can benefit from urban forests, so why not come learn about them?”
TOP PHOTO: CLINK, LOU TISLER, DIRECTOR OF NHS; AND COUNCILMAN TONY BRANCATELLI WERE INTERVIEWED BY TV-20 ABOUT THE EFFORTS. CLINK WAS ALSO ABLE TO LEND HIS TREECARE EXPERTISE, MIDDLE PHOTO, AND HOLDEN DONATED THE ZELKOVA SERRATA TREE THEY PLANTED, BOTTOM.
PHOTOS BY MAGGIE STARK