Meet The Team & See Our Work
Jenny Gulick and Rachel Comte have over 50 years of combined experience in urban forest management, planning, and tree care. They can be your advocate and trusted partner to develop, improve, and advance a community forestry program. They are also experienced arboricultural consultants who are highly qualified to assess the condition, safety, and value of one tree or an entire population of trees. Urban Canopy Works pledges to listen to your needs, respect your values, and work within your budget to provide practical solutions that are as unique as you, your community, and your goals are. Urban Canopy Works approaches all our projects with an unmatched enthusiasm for providing expertise and experience in service of our clients.
RACHEL COMTE
Principal, Arborist, Urban PlannerRachel Comte is an arborist, urban planner, trained facilitator and communications expert. She is a leading authority on urban forestry master plans based on multiple years experience developing plans for cities across the United States. Rachel is passionate about making cities better, healthier places for people to live, and a substantial vibrant tree canopy is an essential part of this work.
Prior to forming Urban Canopy Works, LLC, Rachel served as the lead for urban forest master plans for Davey Resource Group, Inc. focusing primarily in the eastern United States. She also managed in-depth urban tree canopy analysis projects for Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky and for the Urban Service Area of the Lexington-Fayette County Urban Government. Additionally, she was the project manager for a large multi-year tree planting contract for the City of Philadelphia, and serves as a consulting urban forester for Newport, Kentucky. Prior to her urban forest management experience, Rachel has served in diverse roles throughout her career. She has over 20 years’ combined experience in project management, strategic marketing, consulting, landscape design, green infrastructure, and planning and urban forestry and has worked in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Starting in project management and marketing in Washington DC for a business lobby, she later held positions in the private sector in online marketing and communications, and served at the White House as a Special Projects Officer. Rachel transitioned into environmental planning after completing a graduate degree in urban environmental planning while working for a regional planning commission. She also worked for a non-profit to clean and plant abandoned urban lots to end blight and encourage redevelopment. Rachel has conducted research in natural resource issues like economic impacts of restoring urban waterways, impact of fracking on communities, trends in land conservation, and trees’ impact on stormwater mitigation. Rachel was the primary lead for the following projects throughout her career:
Presentations & Workshops _____________________________________ Trends, Strategies Messaging & Effective Communication in Urban Forestry Partners in Urban Forestry Conference Livable Communities Through Urban Forestry (Washington DC) Regional Partnerships in Urban Forestry Alliance for Community Trees webinar Intersection of Planning & Urban Forestry American Planning Association - KY Chapter Conference David J. Allor Planning & Zoning Workshop - APA Cincinnati Urban Forest Master Plans Davey Resource Group webinar Inspiring & Sustaining Community Tree Care with Captivating Urban Forestry Campaigns Partners in Urban Forestry Conference (Denver) Beyond the Data: Other Tools to Assess an Urban Forest Urban Forestry Institute (Tampa) Cleveland Tree Plan: Rebuilding an Urban Forest Through Collaboration Ohio ISA Conference (Cincinnati) Historic Tree Preservation NKY Restoration Weekend (Historic Preservation Society) Awards & Certifications __________________________________________ Certified Arborist (OH-6296A), International Society of Arboriculture Volunteer of the Year Award - Newport Business Association Outstanding Council Service Award - Northern KY Urban & Community Forestry Council Publications / Web Development _______________________________ NKY Urban & Community Forestry Council web site KY Roots web site Charlotte Tree Plan web site Professional Affiliations __________________________________________ Kentucky Chapter, International Society of Arboriculture Northern KY Urban & Community Forestry Council, past board member American Planning Association Tree Revitalize, Founder & Past Chair Education & Training ______________________________________________ MA, Urban Planning, University of Cincinnati Horticulture & Design Certificate, Cincinnati State BA, International Business & Politics, Indiana University International Affairs Program, American University of Rome |
JENNY GULICK
Principal, Arborist, Community Forestry ConsultantJenny Gulick is an arborist and forester with over 30 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. She has first-hand experience developing community forest master plans and is nationally known for her expertise in tree protection ordinances, performing operations reviews, planning and managing tree preservation projects, and conducting tree risk assessments and tree value appraisals.
Prior to forming Urban Canopy Works, LLC, Jenny had a successful 17-year career with the City of Cincinnati working primarily in the Urban Forest Management Division and ultimately rising to the position of Acting Superintendent of Park Operations. For the next 19 years, she served as senior consulting urban forester for Davey Resource Group, Inc. focusing primarily in the southern and midwestern regions of the United States. Jenny has successfully completed urban forestry consulting projects across the country for all levels of government as well as for national organizations, including the U. S. Forest Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Veterans Administration National Cemetery Administration, and American Forests. Her clients include municipal forest managers, non-profit agencies, land developers, property and facility managers, construction firms, utility companies, planners, and lawyers. She is passionate about providing real-world, practical solutions to community forestry and tree care issues, and about building bridges and consensus around the management of trees, now and for the future. Jenny was the primary lead for these representative projects:
Presentations & Workshops _____________________________________ Forest Canopy Analysis as a Community Planning Tool U.S. Forest Service Southern Urban Forestry Coordinators’ Winter Meeting Using Partnerships to Expand Urban Forestry Program Resources Partnerships in Community Forestry Conference, National Arbor Day Foundation Urban Forest Master Plans - The Connections between Urban Forestry and Planning Ohio Chapter, American Planning Association Tree Protection During Construction Projects and Urban Forestry Resources for Public Works Managers American Public Works Association’s National Congress Good Urban Forest Management for Emergency Response and Storm Preparedness National Arbor Day Foundation’s Storms Over The Urban Forest Conference Using a Stormwater Model for Educating about Green Best Management Practices Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Urban Forestry Watershed Workshop Overview of i-Tree Tools Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments: Conservation District Annual Meeting Risk Tree Assessment and Risk Management for Park Managers Indiana Parks and Recreation Association Tree Risk Assessment & Storm Damage Management Ohio Department of Transportation: ISA Arborists Certification Training and Test Preparation Virginia Department of Forestry Training Workshop Awards & Certifications __________________________________________ Certified Arborist (OH-0069), International Society of Arboriculture Municipal Specialist, International Society of Arboriculture Tree Risk Assessment Qualification, International Society of Arboriculture Certified Forester (920), Society of American Foresters Awards of Merit and Achievement - Society of Municipal Foresters Award of Appreciation - American Public Works Association Honorary Life Membership - Ohio Chapter, International Society of Arboriculture Publications ________________________________________________________ “Preserving Jacksonville’s History with Modern Urban Forestry Practices” - City Trees, Society of Municipal Arborists “Funding Your Urban Forestry Program: A Guide for New and Seasoned City Foresters” - City Trees, Society of Municipal Arborists “Take Action to Prepare for the Invasion of Exotic Pests and Diseases” - American Public Works Association Reporter “Tree Protection During Construction Projects” Pocket Reference Guide for the American Public Works Association “Street Tree Smarts” and “Urban Dwellers Only Need Apply” American Nurseryman Professional Affiliations __________________________________________ American Public Works Association, Past-Chair National Facilities and Grounds Committee Ohio Chapter, International Society of Arboriculture, Past-President State of Kentucky, Division of Forestry, Urban Forestry Advisory Council, Board Member Cincinnati Branch Professional Grounds Management Society, President Society of Municipal Arborists Society of American Foresters, Kentucky/Tennessee Chapter Kentucky Arborists Association Education & Training ______________________________________________ MA, Public Administration, University of Cincinnati BS, Forest Resource Management, West Virginia University |
