There are approximately 6,000 trees on the MU campus — a large arboreal flock that is in constant need of tending. A dedicated staff position to head that effort has long been at the top of MUBG’s wish list. And it turns out some dreams do come true. In December 2022, Sam Wright was hired to serve as MUBG’s Urban Forester. 

When asked what the job entails, Wright said that anything that comes up on campus that has to do with trees falls under his purview.

“My job is management and maintenance of the tree canopy on campus,” he said. “That’s a lot of moving parts. It’s biology, hydrology, soil science, entomology — all parts of the living ecosystem.”

Campuswide tree health care — diagnosis and treatment — including integrated pest management (IPM), also is on the urban forester’s list of responsibilities.

Knowing when to enlist outside help and hiring contractors falls to Wright. “Sometimes things like tree removal are outside our scope. We don’t always have the necessary equipment to complete a job by a specified deadline or to access a tough-to-reach tree,” he said. 

“All of us in Landscape Services are here to meet the needs of the botanic garden; to maximize the beauty and functionality of the campus landscape. The campus’ tree canopy is a big part of the garden’s natural beauty. It’s my belief the Urban Forester’s role is necessary to the role of garden as a whole.”

 

From the roots up

Wright grew up in Columbia and links his early experiences to his career path.

“I was fortunate to have been raised by outdoorsy parents,” he said. “My dad is a conservationist; my mother is a master naturalist. I would fish after school, train dogs in conservation areas with my dad and ID birds on the weekends with my mom. I loved the outdoors. Tree work was a natural transition. I’ve always enjoyed having an outdoor office.”

Wright said he got started in the field unintentionally.

“I was a rock climber, and my climbing partner convinced me we could make money climbing trees. At the time, we were building fence and he said, ‘We could make more money in a day doing tree work than we could in a week building fence.’ I realize now, the offer was likely because I had a truck and he did not, but in high school you don’t think too deeply about things like that. I was just excited about the idea of getting paid to climb trees.

“I eventually went to work for a tree service for a couple of years and then secured a position with a second company whose owner was a certified ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) arborist. That gave me exposure to the world of science-based tree care, and I was hooked. I got my certification in 2007.”

In addition to being self-employed, Wright said he has worked for some great Columbia-based tree companies — work that has exposed him to different fields within the industry and colleagues who have taught him a lot. And, he said, it has been satisfying to see the fruits of his Columbia tree labors over an extended period of time.

Wright is serving his fourth year on the City of Columbia Tree Board. 

 

Working his way up the trunk

“I started work on campus at the end of December and one of the first things I did was prune as many oak trees as I could before school started,” Wright said. “I did structural pruning and deadwood removal on the swamp white oaks on the Carnahan Quad.”

Inventory and management of the ash trees on campus in the face of the destructive emerald ash borer beetle has been ongoing. Now those environmentally responsible decisions about removing or adding trees falls to Wright.

“Significant ash plantings — about 30 trees — will be preserved. I hope to complete removal of non-protected trees within a year,” he said. “I’ve discovered a couple of ash trees that were not previously treated that I would like to preserve, including a showpiece of a tree at the front of the property where MU’s Tara apartments are located.”

“We are delighted to have been able to add an urban forester to our staff — a vital position that greatly strengthens and compliments the work of Landscape Services,” said Pete Millier, director of Landscape Services and Mizzou Botanic Garden. “Sam hit the ground running and has done a phenomenal job in the short time he has been here. We are beyond pleased to have someone of his caliber and dedication on our team.”

Another of Wright’s early campus functions has been to work with others in recognition of MU’s Tree Campus USA designation, a program of the Arbor Day Foundation (ADF). Wright recently worked with forestry students and their advisor, Hank Stelzer, an associate professor of forestry extension, to prune the Legacy Oaks on the Francis Quad. In addition to fulfilling a portion of ADF requirements, Wright said it was a great hands-on learning experience for the students.

Of his daily considerations, Wright said tree preservation comes up almost weekly. 

“There has been a lot of construction on campus lately. Tree preservation includes protecting the soil from compaction, mitigation pruning and root-pruning after a dig. And maintaining tree protection barriers is critical; you can’t be on-site enough.” 

When asked about the last summer’s extreme drought conditions and the impact they had on campus trees, Wright said it is a waiting game.

“Time will tell. Drought effects trees over time, not necessarily the years of or after a drought. They can be affected for a decade.”

He emphasized that trees growing in an urban environment are more susceptible to drought because productive soil is limited and there is a lot more concrete and associated runoff than there is in a tree’s natural environment.

“Trees use their energy to tolerate water stress and extreme heat, and that makes them more likely to fall prey to other stressors or pathogens,” Wright said. “That makes selecting trees that will do well in a changing climate more important, including different cultivars and proven natives. We need to make sure we plant a variety of trees across campus.”

“I’m thoughtful and conservative in my treatment of trees,” he said. “They are adaptable, but unique living specimens, and working on them has implications down the road. It’s an important aspect of my tree-care philosophy.

“The decisions I am making are because we in Landscape Services love trees,” Wright added. “Part of the campus beauty and what makes being here so enjoyable is the tree canopy. I am here to contribute to that legacy — to support and enhance the beneficial and beautiful urban forest here on campus.”