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August 21, 2008

Edmond urban forester one of first to graduate in program

A part of 20 under 35, a supplement of The Edmond Sun

Courtney Crauthers

EDMOND — Edmond’s urban forester was the second person to graduate from Oklahoma State University’s urban forester graduate program.

Carrie Tomlinson interned with the City of Stillwater while attending OSU and was hired full-time to be their city forester. The City of Edmond offered her the position of urban forester in 2002. She mainly focuses on tree removals and replacements, tree maintenance, upcoming trees located in city medians and reviewing site plans for landscaping.

“We try to encourage tree preservation as much as possible with new site plans,” Tomlinson said.

She said Edmond’s urban forestry program is unique because it works closely with the Community Development Block Grants program. Shannon Entz, Edmond’s CDBG coordinator, also worked in Stillwater with Tomlinson.

“A lot of cities try to emulate what Edmond does in urban forestry and that’s because of Carrie,” Entz said. “She has contributed and written tree preservation ordinances, which are an asset to Edmond.”

Tomlinson said both programs focus on health and they work together on different projects, including Neighbor Woods. Neighbor Woods uses CDBG funds to remove and replace trees for low- to moderate-income families.

“It’s a continuation of what we started in Stillwater,” she said.

The urban forester recently coordinated a project that created an arboretum in Bickham-Rudkin Park. Tomlinson said the arboretum contains 275 new trees in the south end of the park. She said they soon will label each tree with its name and scientific name.

Another current project, is the construction of a xeriscape garden, which also will be in Bickham-Rudkin Park. Tomlinson said the garden will demonstrate what type of landscape uses little-to-no water.

“It does burden our infrastructure for that pressure of water in certain areas of town,” she said.

The xeriscape garden will include a rain garden, which will be built in a tiered basin to allow plants to filter contaminants out of the water before it flows through storm drains and reaches the ocean, its final destination.

“Cottonwoods are good for taking heavy metal into the soil,” Tomlinson said.

She said contaminants harm the ocean’s plant and animal life.

Tomlinson said she knew she wanted to be an urban forester after her father took her to the Sequoyah National Park when she was 16-years-old. The park ranger took her on a guided interpretive tour of the park.

“I went through that tour three times,” Tomlinson said.

She asked the ranger what degree was needed to do her job and declared urban forestry as her major freshman year at OSU. Tomlinson said she enjoys the fast pace of her job and the opportunity to make decisions every day.

“I want to make a difference,” she said. “I can drive around 50 years from and see all the plants I’ve planted.”

Tomlinson also volunteers as a member of the Oklahoma Urban and Community Forestry Council and the Oklahoma Arborists Association. She spends her free time working on her house and spending time with her 1-year-old daughter, Raen.

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