Emerging Voices in Arboriculture: A Student Research Forum
Wed., April 15, 2026 Elks Lodge, Natick, MA
Emerging Voices in Arboriculture: A Student Research Forum
VISTA AWARD PRESENTATION TO DAN MAYER MCA
Student Researchers
Stella Dee, MCA, Doctoral Student, UMass
Sprouts and Wings: Expected and Unexpected Impacts of Pruning
How do our arboricultural practices, specifically pruning, as well as various tree factors including growing zone, tree size, site conditions and species influence the community of insects associated with a tree?
Stella Dee, MCA is a Ph. D. candidate in Forest Resources and Arboriculture supervised by Dr. Brian Kane and research assistant with the Frank A. Waugh Arboretum at UMass-Amherst, as well as a commercial / residential climbing arborist. Stella earned her Masters of Forestry from Michigan Technological University and her BA from Duke University.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR:
Sean Mullen, Masters Student, UMass
Environmental Analysis Tools and Urban Forest Management
A review of environmental justice mapping tools. Sean ' s presentation compares five tools— Tree Equity Score, EJScreen, CalEnviroScreen, ParkScore, and i-Tree— and discusses their strengths, limitations, and realworld uses. Sean will also discuss some recent applications of these tools by Regreen Springfield on projects in Springfield and Holyoke.
Sean Mullen is a graduate student completing a Masters in Forest Resources / Arboriculture in the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His graduate work examines the practical application of online urban forestry and environmental justice mapping tools. He is also Project Coordinator at ReGreen Springfield, a urban forestry non-profit corporation dedicated to environmental stewardship, outreach, and education.
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