City of Surrey

Wsurrey-ubc-forestry-grads-2015-with-logo_medhat is your role at the City of Surrey?

Owen Croy, BSF’87: I’m the Manager of Parks and my responsibilities include special events, the film office, long range planning for acquisition of new parks, overseeing the design of new parks, construction and the civic beautification office. I joined the City of Surrey in 1992 and very shortly after I became responsible for the city’s street tree program and management of its natural forests. By 1994 I had moved into my current role. In 1996 I realized that the city needed a comprehensive urban management plan and with a small team we set about putting one together. We also created a complete urban forestry section which we launched in 2000, and that’s when we started hiring UBC forestry graduates.

Neal Aven, BSc(Nat Res Cons)’00: I started with the City of Surrey in the Parks division in the spring of 1995 while I was in university. I started with repairing sports fields and then worked with the GIS database. I moved to full time when I graduated and since 2013 have been the Urban Forestry and Environmental Programs Manager. We maintain all public property trees and forests in the city and operate the Surrey Nature Centre. We are also responsible for environmental stewardship programs.

Nadia Chan, BSF’00: I’m the Natural Areas Coordinator and the quick version of what I do, with the Natural Areas team, is to manage the forested parkland that the city owns so that people can enjoy and recreate while protecting the ecological values. I started with the city around 2003 as a field crew member and moved into a technician role, then into my current position.

Leah Zia, BSc(Nat Res Cons)’05: I am going into my 10th year at the City of Surrey and I am the Community Services Coordinator. I take the messages the Urban Forestry and Environmental Programs want to distill and I put them into a format that is easily accessible to the public, such as signs, interpretive kiosks and brochures. I also help coordinate environmental events throughout the city, so my hands are in lots of different pots, which I enjoy.

Rob Landucci, BSc(Nat Res Cons)’01: I’ve been here almost 9 years and I moved from temporary laborer to Natural Areas Practitioner, and am now a Natural Areas Technician. My role is to help with the management of our natural area parkland in Surrey and follow the goals and objectives outlined in our Natural Areas Management plan. My main 3 areas are: tree risk assessment; wildlife program; and natural area restoration.

Yalda Asadian, BSc(Nat Res Cons)’08: I started out in the summer of my third year at university with SNAP, Surrey’s Natural Areas Partnership . I was a volunteer coordinator for them and it was my first time being in Surrey. The following year I took the same job and the year after that they expanded the position for me so I was the Environmental Education Coordinator for SNAP. When I graduated I worked for BC Parks for an 8 month contract, and then came back to the City of Surrey as a relief program coordinator. I‘ve been blessed with the opportunity to have a lot of varied roles and experiences here and in June of 2014 I became the Special Projects Manager for the Parks, Recreation and Culture Department.

Eoin O’Neill, BSc(Nat Res Cons)’09: My role is the Asset Management Analyst. It’s definitely a mixture of many different aspects. I work for the Business Operations and Support Services department and one of my primary responsibilities is to maintain the Parks GIS database. The other component of my job is working with our asset management program, which is called City Works. I think, in general, I’m seen as the IT guy for the office too, so if there are any common issues having to do with computers and technology, I’m the first person they come to.

Mohammad Asadian, BSc(Nat Res Cons)’15: I started out with SNAP and now I work for the Environmental Programs section, promoting environmental programs and green spaces. We represent the Nature Centre and our goal is to get families to go outdoors and appreciate nature through school programs, day camps, natural play areas and family drop in centers. We also have booths and tents in all city wide events to promote going outside and experiencing nature.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Owen: The area I find most fulfilling is hiring excellent people that will carry out the work, and we have excellent people. The other is that I get to mentor junior managers and aspiring young leaders. We have a program called Management 101, where I serve as a lecturer. We also have an Emerging Leaders Program where we select 20 worthy individuals and put them into a program where they can develop their leadership skills and become the leaders of the future.

Neal: I love that we play a major role in greening the city, along with all of the benefits of trees and forests, from clean air to storm water management to the aesthetic side.

Nadia: I like connecting the community with forests and seeing people enjoy and use them.

Leah: It’s phenomenal, being able to just drive people outside to play in Surrey’s urban forests – whether it’s in their backyard, learning about the tree planted outside their house, or walking a new trail in the park.

Rob: The part I enjoy the most is the natural area restoration, I also quite enjoy the forest health aspect of the tree risk assessment.

Yalda: The sky is the limit and I think our city is growing fast and it’s diverse. So, if you have the right idea, you have the support of the city to run with it. Something else that is great is mentorship; we have amazing senior staff that are very supportive of our team. I’m part of the Emerging Leaders Program and I’m enjoying it. It’s a lot of work, but it gives you a lot of tools to be a better leader right now and in the future.

Eoin: It’s a good work environment where I think people really appreciate what you do for them. I also enjoy introducing people to new ways of doing things, whether it is technology or ways of organizing their work – I find that satisfying.

Mohammad: I love teaching and being with kids because that was my background before university, so it’s cool to mix your passion with your education. I’m teaching what I was taught in Forestry and passing it down to the next generation, getting them interested in going outside and learning about nature.

Do you have advice for students or new alumni?

Owen: In urban forestry, we concern ourselves particularly with the interaction between people and trees. I like to quote a colleague, Paul Ries, who has had a full career practicing urban forestry and is now an instructor at Oregon State University. Paul says “Trees are easy to manage; it is managing the human dynamic associated with trees that is hard!” For those entering this field of practice, it is critical to understand how people’s relationships to trees and forests are formed and nurtured, and how to turn that understanding into planning and implementing urban forest policies and practices.

Neil: In terms of urban forestry, a lot of municipalities are still building their programs so don’t be deterred if you put your hat in the ring and you don’t get a position. Keep at it and show your enthusiasm through other avenues, such as volunteering. You can gain valuable skills which will be applicable when you do find one of those full time roles. Just stick with it!

Nadia: Don’t be scared to try a job that you don’t think you’re going to like, or take a job in the middle of nowhere. Give it a try for a season because you might surprise yourself and enjoy it. And if you don’t like it, at least you know you really gave it a try. There are a lot of opportunities we don’t know about and we won’t find out about them unless we try. It’s also worthwhile to try different aspects of forestry because during your career you will be able to understand what the other sides are doing and it makes you better at your job.

Leah: You can end up in so many different careers, so you really need to augment your education with work experience through the summer. Take advantage of lots of different types of work to find out where you want to end up. While I was at Forestry I did one co-op term with SNAP where we worked with habitat restoration and education, which was when I realized I had a passion for environmental education.

Rob: While you are at school, identify what you want to do and talk to professors to see if there are opportunities to work with them. At the end of my third year I got a job with Dr Peter Arcese doing song bird research, and I found that experience enjoyable and very beneficial.

Yalda: Don’t expect the perfect job right away. Start basic, perhaps volunteering if you can, and set a precedent there and work up. If you love the job you do and if you love the place that you work, everything else falls into place.

Eoin: I took a lot of value out of the Forestry Co-op program, so I would highly recommend it. I didn’t really know what kinds of job prospects there were out there for me, so even having a chance to look at the job board was helpful. I think it’s always good to have that goal in mind throughout your education – eventually when this ends, you’re going to have to find a job.

Mohammad: Make a lot of friends and enjoy your time at university because when you look back, you’re going to realize it was one of the best times of your life. Also, enjoy the Forestry building because it’s one of the quietest places to study.

From Branchlines Spring 2016