Did you know there’s a living organism in Utah that has survived for an estimated 80,000 years — and it’s a tree? Imagine having a career where you spend your days climbing trees, solving plant mysteries with magnifying lenses, helping cool down entire cities, and teaching communities how trees can actually make neighborhoods safer and healthier. What if your future job let you work outside instead of behind a desk while helping create greener communities people actually want to live in?
In this presentation, Amanda Westendorf, certified arborist with The Park People, shares how she discovered her passion for trees after realizing traditional office jobs were not the right fit for her. Amanda explains what it’s really like to work in urban forestry and how arborists help care for the “urban forest” — the trees and green spaces found throughout cities and neighborhoods. From pruning branches away from stop signs for public safety to diagnosing tree diseases, teaching workshops, planting trees in neighborhoods, and leading volunteer projects, Amanda shows how arborists play a huge role in improving communities and protecting the environment. She also explains how trees help reduce the “urban heat island effect,” making cities cooler and more livable, especially in neighborhoods with limited green space.
Amanda also shares some incredible tree facts and behind-the-scenes experiences from her work, including Pando — a massive aspen grove in Utah connected by one root system that has survived for an estimated 80,000 years, making it one of the oldest and largest living organisms on Earth. You’ll also discover how arborists use tools like moisture meters, magnifying hand lenses, ropes, chainsaws, and pruning saws to care for trees and solve real environmental problems. Whether you enjoy science, working outdoors, teaching others, climbing, landscaping, environmental conservation, or hands-on work, this presentation highlights how careers in urban forestry combine adventure, curiosity, teamwork, and real community impact every single day.