Matt Ulrey
The City of Westerville recently celebrated its 40th year as a Tree City USA, a national honor bestowed upon American cities for their exemplary tree conservation and maintenance efforts. Central to this effort is the City’s Urban Forestry Division, which maintains 13,000 street trees throughout the community.
At the helm of the Urban Forestry Division is Matt Ulrey, parks and urban forest manager, who works with residents, businesses and contractors on a daily basis to ensure Westerville’s Tree City USA status remains intact. Since summer brings lawn care to the forefront of everyone’s minds, now seemed like the perfect time to catch up with Matt and to learn some basic tree maintenance tips that can easily be applied at home.
Where are you from originally?
I was born and raised in Waynesfield, Ohio, which is near Lima. I went to Waynesfield-Goshen High School and then attended college at Hocking College in Nelsonville. I graduated with a degree in Recreation and Wildlife Management and worked a few different jobs in central Ohio before ultimately landing a position at TruGreen Lawn Care where I worked for three and one-half years in different areas of the company.
What’s your professional background? And how did you come to your position at the City of Westerville?
While at TruGreen, I learned of a job opening with the City of Westerville for a tree trimmer position. One of my colleagues at the time casually mentioned that he had applied for it, and it sounded like a great opportunity. I rushed home to research the position, complete an application and submit it before the deadline. I joined the City in 2002 as a tree trimmer for the Parks and Recreation Department and worked in that capacity for four and a half years before I was promoted to my current role as parks and urban forest manager.
Beyond the obvious experience with lawn pest control and planting management practices, a lot of what I did at TruGreen was customer service, and a lot of what I do here at Westerville is also customer service. More often than not, it all boils down to being organized and taking the time to speak with your customers to better learn about the issues at hand and what you can do to support them.
Westerville is a 40-year “Tree City USA”. Tell us what’s meaningful about the designation.
Having this designation for 40 years is incredibly meaningful because of the consistency and dedication the City has demonstrated to this initiative over time. Since the program began in 1976, many communities have lost their “Tree City USA” designations, either as a result of funding cuts or new goals and priorities. In fact, of the 42 communities that were named Tree Cities in the first year, only 16 have successfully retained their status for each of the 40 years. Westerville is one of those communities.
Being a “Tree City USA” is a wonderful thing. Trees improve air quality and reduce storm runoff, provide food and shelter for local wildlife, shade homes and buildings, and improve privacy and aesthetic improvements when incorporated into commercial and residential landscaping. “Tree City USA” designations can also assist us in our efforts to qualify for larger, department-wide accreditations and enhance our professional reputation in the industry, which is important for pursuing and securing grant dollars for the Parks and Recreation Department.
What are simple things homeowners can do to keep their trees lively and healthy?
It’s very important to water your trees when dry conditions are present, especially if the trees are young and still fortifying their roots. Trees also benefit from a general fertilization program, which can be part of either a professional lawn service or a DIY at-home application.
Now that we’re in the throes of lawn care season, take care around the base of your trees. Add mulch, keep leaves and weeds at bay, and avoid hitting it with a mower or weeding device. Also, think about the tree’s root system. Parking your car under a tree to wash it will not only compact the root system, it will also wash chemicals into the soil that could negatively impact the tree.
How does your work relate to Westerville’s goal to be “A City within a Park?”
Trees do a lot for that. When people think about parks, they think about areas for play and picnicking, and trees and shade naturally follow as integral components. It’s hard to have a park without access to a healthy and vibrant tree system.
Also, our management of the street tree program literally extends our work out onto the roads near all the homes and businesses in our community. Street trees are the trees located in public rights-of-way, and there are 13,000 of them in the City. When you think about it in that sense, there is in fact very little in Westerville that goes untouched by our crews in the field.
What would Westerville residents be surprised to know about your work?
The care and maintenance of street trees is very much a cooperative relationship between our residents and the City. A lot of residents think because there’s an ordinance, a program and a name for the tree in the right-of-way, it’s City property and they can’t do anything as it relates to its health and well-being. But the reality is they’re much closer to their trees than we are day in and day out, and they can see and respond to developments much faster than we can. There are many problems residents can address themselves, such as a dangling limb. Don’t be afraid to take it upon yourself to conduct some basic maintenance. Contact us, tell us what it is that you are seeing, and we’ll gladly help you figure things out.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
My top priority is raising my three daughters and spending as much time with them as I can. I also like to volunteer with my church and enjoy the outdoors. From kayaking and hiking to jogging and utilizing the great parks system here in Westerville, there’s never a shortage of something to do.
Learn more about the City’s Urban Forestry Division at www.westerville.org/urbanforestry.
