Roots and Rings: Where the Stories of Our Past Becomes the Strength of Our Future

Today's special guest on Roots and Rings just blew in from the Windy City, Chicago, Illinois.  Steve Lane is the owner and lead consultant at The Response Growth Collective, where he focuses on tree risk management, urban forestry management planning, advanced GIS analyses, expert witness work, and education & development for members of the Arboriculture and Urban Forestry communities. Steve has been in the industry for 22 years, is a Board Certified Master Arborist, TRAQ Instructor, and currently serves on the ISA Board of Directors. Fun Fact:  Steve enjoys getting lost on purpose in an effort to discover new places and things.

Today, we are thrilled to chat with Ken Gilles. Ken is an ISA Certified Arborist who operates a Tree Service in Whitby, ON, providing tree care solutions for the Toronto, Durham, York, and Peel regions. The other half of Ken's Arboriculture life is training. He taught the Arborist Practices course at Humber College for 11 years. He then helped write the curriculum and taught the Ground Worker Training Program. Ken is a lead instructor with Arboriculture Canada Training and  Education. Ken is also heavily involved with ISA Ontario: he served on its board of directors for 10 years, including as president twice, and is currently the chair of the Ontario Tree Climbing Championship. This year, Ken was bestowed with ISA Ontario's Outstanding Volunteer Award for his countless hours of volunteer service dedicated to developing others' careers. 

On this week's Roots and Rings podcast we are thrilled to welcome Julie Tucker. Julie has worked in urban forestry and arboriculture for over 20 years, with experience as a climbing arborist, consultant, business owner, educator, and trainer. She is an ISA Certified Arborist and ISA Qualified Tree Risk Assessor, and currently serves as the Executive Director of ISA Ontario, one of the largest Chapters in North America. Before joining the organization professionally, she volunteered as Chair of the Ontario Tree Climbing Championship and Women in Arboriculture committees, and served nine years on the Board of Directors, including a term as President. ISA Ontario is the province’s largest arboriculture-focused organization, dedicated to advancing the industry through education, research, and public awareness.  Her fingerprints and personal touches are evident throughout ISA Ontario.

This week's special guest, Frank Rinn, flew in to speak at the ISAO Educational Conference.  Born in 1963, Frank Rinn grew up in Heuchelheim, Germany. He studied Physics, Math and Philosophy at Gießenand Heidelberg University after having worked as a carpenter. He invented and developed different methods, machines, and computer programs for dendrochronology: resistance drilling, tree-ring measuring and cross-dating, dynamic tree analysis, and sonic tree tomography. Frank started his own company, RINNTECH, and developed equipment, including RESISTOGRAPH® and ARBOTOM®. Frank has been active in ISA since 2001.  Frank's educational presentations are in great demand worldwide, so we were thrilled when we were able to get him to sit down with us for a few moments to reflect on this journey in the Tree World.

ISA Ontario’s Roots and Rings is excited to introduce Irina Souiki, an International Society of Arboriculture Ontario-certified arborist and the owner-operator of Green Canopy Tree Services, based in Brampton. Irina represents one of the few women-owned tree service operations in Ontario — but her story is about more than breaking barriers. It began with a quiet calling. You’ll hear how she gradually drifted from the structured world of software engineering into the living, breathing world of arboriculture. She traded screens and gigabytes for harnesses and hardwood. Keyboards for climbing lines. Deadlines for tree lines. What began as a solo venture grew into a thriving company rooted in professionalism and best practices. Irina’s journey is a reminder that it’s never too late to change direction, to step outside, and to build something meaningful from the ground up. Her story is unique. Her path is courageous. And her enthusiasm for the trade is unmistakable.

This week's guest is Arborjet Joe Aiken.Joe Aiken is the Great Lakes & Canada Senior Regional Technical Manager for Arborjet Inc.Joe’s 40-plus years in the tree care industry have provided a diverse andvaluable experience, which has permitted him to guide others in plant healthcare decisions. He has worked in all phases of tree care and as a licensedapplicator and an ISA-certified arborist, he developed a strong interest inPlant Health Care, and gained the experience and desire to continue hiseducation.Joe routinely conducts product seminars and presentations on varioustreatment methods which are attended by arborists, city foresters, planthealth care technicians, master gardeners, university extension agents,grounds departments, and research personnel. He also supports Arborjet’sresearch department and cooperating universities, assisting with treeinjections on research sites, and other aspects of research required to aid indevelopment of equipment and formulations needed to control today’sinvasive pests.Joe is a proud founding member of the Arboriculture Society of MichiganFoundation and Curator of the Arboriculture Historical Society. And mostrecently was awarded with MSU’s Honorary Forestry Alumni Award. In 2001Joe joined the team at Arborjet, where he shares his strong belief in treepreservation with clients, and educates others on the benefits of moreenvironmentally friendly solutions for our urban forest problems.He also has a Discovering Forestry Podcast with Korey Lofy. Check it out!

This week on ISAO's Roots and Rings, we have the profound honour of welcoming one of Ontario’s true pioneers in arboriculture — Ian Bruce.Ian’s journey began in 1972 when he graduated from the Niagara Parks Commission School of Horticulture. After gaining early experience in landscape design, municipal parks planning, and project management, he found his calling in 1977 — and from that point forward, he helped shape the very foundation of modern arboriculture in Ontario.For nearly five decades, Ian has worked as a tree climber, tree care company owner, consulting arborist, apprenticeship training program and curriculum developer, and for 22 years, as a program developer, coordinator, and faculty member at Humber College in Toronto. Generations of arborists have passed through his classrooms and job sites, many of whom continue to uphold his standards, discipline, and unwavering ethics.Since 1984, Ian has served as a consulting arborist and expert witness, providing evidence in Ontario Court, before the Ontario Municipal Board, at TLAB hearings, in mediations, in client disputes, and even at coroner’s inquests. His expertise spans tree inventories and protection plans tied to development, forensic arboriculture and tree failure analysis, custom-designed support systems for mature trees, long-term heritage tree management — including retrenchment pruning — and the development of industry standards and best practices.But perhaps Ian’s greatest legacy isn’t found in court transcripts or technical prescriptions. It lives in the arborists he mentored — professionals who don’t just practice tree care, but who “preach” the standards and ethics he instilled in them.Today, we sit down with a man whose career has influenced not only how trees are managed in this province, but how arborists think, teach, and carry themselves.  Please join us in welcoming Ian W. Bruce.

This week's guest on ISAO's Roots and Rings Podcast is Cameron Sherrard.  Cameron grew up in Etobicoke, where he spent countless hours outdoors exploring nature and wildlife. Much of his childhood was shaped by time spent along the Etobicoke Creek and in Centennial Park, where his passion for the natural world truly began.He attended Fleming College and earned a diploma in Conservation Biology. During his studies, he had the opportunity of a lifetime to volunteer in South Africa at a conservation research camp, further deepening his connection and commitment to environmental stewardship.Most recently, Cameron completed the Ontario Ground Worker program, merging his love of trees with the skilled craft of arboriculture. Attending the ISAO Conference confirmed that he has found his community, and he is excited to build a lifelong career in the arborist industry.

Welcome to this week's edition of ISA Ontario's Rings and Roots podcast, where our special guest, Serena Soucy, will be stopping by. Serena started in the industry through the Ontario Ground Worker Training Program and has worked both as a climber at Maple Hill Tree Services and as a consultant with KSP Global before finding her way to her current position as a municipal Arborist in Kitchener. Serena loves helping new people in the industry make connections through her volunteer work with Women in Arboriculture Ontario and other ISAO involvement.  She has also been a stalwart competitor at the Women's Ontario Tree Climbing Championships. Today, she'll talk a little bit more about why she's always so excited to get up every Monday morning and head to work.

On this week's Roots and Rings Podcast, we have the pleasure of chatting with Todd Irvine. Todd has dedicated more than two decades to elevating the practice and the public understanding of arboriculture in Toronto and beyond.Todd Irvine has been a certified arborist for 25 years. As the owner of City Forest, he provides thoughtful tree pruning, detailed yard consultations, and one-on-one pruning workshops that empower homeowners to better understand and care for their trees. His approach reflects both technical expertise and a deep respect for urban ecology.Todd holds a master's degree in Forest Conservation and is the co-founder of Spacing, a magazine focused on urban issues that has shaped conversations about city-building across Canada. His writing on trees and ecology has appeared in major publications, including the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, and Canadian Wildlife, and he has frequently shared his expertise with broader audiences on CBC's Here and Now.Beyond his professional accomplishments, Todd is widely recognized for his commitment to volunteerism in our industry. In recognition of that dedication, he was recently honoured with the Maple Leaf Award from the Ontario Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture — an award that celebrates outstanding contributions through volunteerism.Todd's career reflects a rare combination of practitioner, educator, communicator, and community builder—and we're fortunate to have caught up with him during the Conference.

This week on Roots and Rings, we’re joined by Meg Hanna, Director of Urban and Community Forestry for Canada with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.Meg works with a national network of leaders to implement the SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard, partnering with municipalities, Indigenous communities, NGOs, and industry to strengthen urban forest management across Canada. She also supports SFI’s Career Pathways Program, helping expand access to green careers and build the next generation of forestry professionals.Before joining SFI, Meg spent seven years as Living Collections Supervisor at the Montréal Botanical Garden, overseeing collections care, arboriculture, and decision-making in one of North America’s most visited public gardens.She holds a BA and MA from McGill University, a certificate in horticulture and green space management from Université Laval, and is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist with the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification. She has also volunteered with ISA and its chapters for more than a decade.Meg’s mission is simple and powerful: to elevate urban forests — and the people who care for them.We’re excited to have her with us today.

This week on Roots and Rings, ISA Ontario is pleased to welcome Alexander Martin as our special guest.Alex began his career as a tree-climbing arborist before moving into the world of urban forestry research, bringing real-world experience into the academic arena. A Board Certified Master Arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture, he holds degrees in Urban Forestry and Geography and is currently pursuing his PhD at the University of Oxford.He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, presents regularly across North America, and has helped shape industry best practices and standards — including contributions to ANSI Z133.We were thrilled he made the trip across the pond to join us in London for ISAO’s 77th Educational Conference.