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Community Forestry Council

Delaware UCF Council 2017

Urban and Community Forestry Council
Meeting Schedule:

Jay Ashby, Chair
Tunnell Companies

Marcia Fox, Vice-Chair
DNREC

Dorothy C. (Dot) Abbott
University of Delaware

Kesha Braunskill
Urban and Community Forestry Program Director

Valann Budischak
Delaware Nursery and Landscape Association

Darin Callaway
 DelDOT

Kyle Hoyd
Assistant State Forestry Administrator

Kerin Hume
 Kent County

Mike Krzyzynowski
Delmarva Power

Carol Larson
Village of Arden

Taryn Davidson
Delaware Urban Forester

Megan Pleasanton 
Delaware Master Gardener

Richard Pratt
Governor’s Council on Forestry

Elaine Schmerling
Ardentown

Michael A. Valenti
State Forester

Jay Ashby, Chair

  James Ashby, II Graduate of University of Delaware, BSAG 92   Working in Green Industry 25 + years Operations Manager At Cypress Tree Care LLC. Responsible for Managing Day to Day Operations, Consulting and Sales, Safety Training and Employee Development. Visit www.cypresstreecare.com for more info Credentials Attained: ISA Certified  Arborist and Municipal Specialist PD-2050AM ISA  Tree …

Dorothy C. (Dot) Abbott

Dorothy C. (Dot) Abbott University of Delaware Cooperative Extension Abbott is a Delaware native (Dover) currently residing in Wyoming, Delaware. A graduate of Dover High School and West Virginia University, she earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree – Forest Resource Management in 1979. Post-college employment included working in greenhouse management operations at a local wholesale-landscape …

Kesha Braunskill

Kesha Braunskill Delaware Forest Service Kesha Braunskill is the Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator for the Delaware Forest Service, overseeing a statewide grant program that has provided over $1.75 million in community tree projects and planted more than 13,000 trees. Kesha Braunskill is also a member of the Stakeholder Council of the U.S. Chapter of …

Marcia Fox

Marcia Fox Del. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control State Street Commons Dover, DE 19904 Phone:  302.739.9922 Email:  Marcia.Fox@state.de.us Marcia is a Delaware native currently residing in Dover.  She received both her undergraduate degree in Wildlife Management and graduate degree in Natural Resource Management from Delaware State University.  Her master’s studies focused on Bat …

Valann Budischak

Valann Budischak Delaware Nursery and Landscape Association Website: dnlaonline.org

Kyle Hoyd

Kyle Hoyd Delaware Forest Service Assistant State Forester Kyle Hoyd received an associate degree in Forest Resource Management from The Pennsylvania College of Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry from West Virginia University. In 2000, he started work as a climber for Brown Hill Tree Co. and later became owner/operator for Hoyd Inc., where …

Kerin Hume

Kerin Hume Kent County

Mike Krzyzanowski

Mike Krzyzanowski Delmarva Power

Carol Larson

Carol Larson Village of Arden

Taryn Davidson

Taryn Davidson is the urban forester for the Delaware Forest Service and has been with the program since 2020. She is an ISA-certified arborist and graduated from Delaware State University. Taryn previously worked for the Delaware Forest Service as a forest health associate and worked as the GIS specialist for Kent County for several years.

Megan Pleasanton

Megan Pleasanton Master Gardener Program Megan is a Kent County Delaware native residing in Marydel, Delaware. She is a graduate of Caesar Rodney High School and proud past FFA Chapter President. Graduate of Delaware State University with a bachelor’s of science degree – General Agriculture 2009. Megan is employed by Delaware State University Cooperative Extension …

Richard Pratt

Richard Pratt, Member Governor’s Council on Forestry   Richard Pratt  is the retired Supervisor of Gardens & Grounds for the Hagley Museum & Library.  He has over 40 years of experience in Arboriculture.   He is an ISA-Certified Arborist.  He also lectures and writes article on Arboriculture.

Darin Callaway

Darin Callaway Roadside Environmental Supervisor Delaware Department of Transportation Darin.Callaway@state.de.us 302-760-2186

Elaine Schmerling

Elaine Schmerling Ardentown Elaine has worked on environmental issues since studying biology & environmental studies at Oberlin College (B.A., 1986).   Her favorite class was Vascular Plant Systematics, traipsing through the Ohio woods and identifying all the plants they encountered.  She worked for 10 years in recycling, most recently as Chester County’s Recycling Coordinator, helping to …

Michael A. Valenti

Michael A. Valenti Delaware State Forester Michael was born and raised in Stamford, CT, and earned a B.S. in Forestry from the University of New Hampshire in 1982. He then earned two subsequent M.S. degrees: Forest Biometrics from Louisiana State University (1984) and Forest Biology from the State University of New York, College of Environmental …

Herb White

Herbert W. White, Associate Member Urban Forest Administrator for the City of Wilmington, Delaware Herbert White is an ISA board certified master arborist. He is a past member of the Penn-Del Chapter ISA Board of Directors and currently an at large member of the International Society of Arboriculture Board of Directors. He earned a degree in …