GVGC Board Member Joanne D’Antonio was featured on a Spectrum News video January 18, 2019 for her advocacy on behalf of our urban forest.
Each member of the GVGC has joined because of an interest in a particular community issue. For Joanne, it was trees. She moved to Valley Glen in 2013 on a beautiful tree-lined street and was surprised one day when the city came and significantly cut back the trees. Her outrage spurred her into action. She joined the Greater Valley Glen Council and dug for answers. It is not easy to uncover how the wheels of the city turn, and she participated in many committees to discover unsurprisingly, that the city does not have a comprehensive forestry policy. That has taken a back seat to public safety and many other issues.
Her recent efforts as part of a 60 person working group resulted in the First Step Urban Forest Management Plan on December 4, 2018 produced by the independent consulting firm Dudek. The report noted the comparative lack of spending on our urban forest and made recommendations to inventory our trees, develop a management plan and hire an urban forestry coordinator.
This process is still just beginning. To get involved, please contact Joanne. Find out more by reading the full First Step Urban Forest Management Plan Report.