Rachel Comte
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Rachel Comte leads Urban Canopy Works (UCW), a woman-owned business dedicated to advancing trees and the tree canopy in urban and developed areas. As an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, and urban planner, Rachel has a foot in both worlds of technical arboriculture and urban planning and is considered a leading authority on urban forestry.
She has spent more than a decade managing urban forestry master planning, urban tree policy, analysis, action plans, and multi-year tree planting projects. Rachel has consulted to cities across the United States. Cities include New York City, Columbus (OH), Boston (MA), Knoxville (TN), Charlotte (NC), Greenbelt (MD), Atlanta (GA), Tallahassee (FL), Largo (FL), Louisville (KY), Lexington-Fayette County (KY), and Philadelphia (PA). As an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist and an expert in tree biomechanics, Rachel also works on the technical side of arboriculture, providing tree risk management services to campuses and municipalities nationwide, utilizing advanced tools like resistograph and sonic tomography. This includes annual tree risk assessments on the US Capitol Grounds in Washington, DC. |
Rachel and her staff also serve as city foresters for multiple small municipalities throughout the Cincinnati metro area, where UCW is based.
With roots in her first career as a marketing and communications specialist and trained facilitator, Rachel served in many positions, including as a Special Projects Officer at the White House. Prior to starting Urban Canopy Works, she started her second career as a landscape designer and worked for a tree/landscaping company, with a focus on nursery production, country club grounds management, and sales. After completing a Masters degree in urban planning, Rachel became the lead UFMP project manager at Davey Resource Group, leaving to start UCW in 2018. She has conducted research in natural resource issues, including the economic impact of restoring urban waterways, the effects of fracking on communities, the impact of trees on stormwater mitigation, and trends in land conservation. With this combined 30 years experience in private, public, and not-for-profit sectors, Rachel is a great asset to UCW clients. |
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AWARDS & CERTIFICATIONS
ISA Board Certified Master Arborist #OH-6296B Tree Risk Assessment Qualified (TRAQ) John Aston Warder Award Recipient, Taking Root APA OH Best Practice Award (Columbus Urban Forest Master Plan) Volunteer of the Year Award, Newport Business Association Outstanding Council Service Award, Northern KY Urban & Community Forestry Council 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 PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
International Society of Arboriculture, KY Chapter TriState Trails, Board Member American Planning Association, KY Chapter Communications Tree Revitalize, Founder & Past Chair Green Umbrella, member |
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Rachel has served as tue primary lead in many projects:
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