02:20
Making Forestry Relevant
When you feel overwhelmed or need inspiration, go for a walk among the trees.
About Meridith
- While none of my family had any background in nature, I could tell growing up that I felt happier and more grounded at the nearby park.
- In high school, I started getting more involved with science and nature by taking biology classes and joining the environmental club.
- When I got to college, I didn’t want to keep taking biology but I was interested in learning more about trees, so I decided to major in forestry.
- After college, I consciously shaped my career toward urban forestry because I knew I preferred the community of a city over rural life.
- I started my career in urban forestry consulting, doing tree inventories across the region I was in.
- I moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and ran the urban forestry program for the Utah Department of Natural Resources for about 10 years.
- I eventually decided to move my family back home to St. Louis, Missouri, and used my professional network to get back into consulting.
- After six years doing management plans and upper level consulting for municipal government, I took on the role of executive director at Forest ReLeaf.