Date: Friday September 25, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Location: Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio, 6393 Oak Tree Blvd, Independence 44131
Cost: $25 entry fee covers a continental breakfast and lunch from Aladdin’s
ISA CEU’s will be offered.
Cuyahoga Tree Summit
All Cuyahoga County municipalities are losing tree canopy. The 2026 summit acknowledges the fact that we can’t plant our way out of canopy loss. The rate of individual tree removals must be slowed through education and tree removal ordinances.
Summit presentations will help understand local canopy loss and how to slow the trend. Education initiatives come from advocacy groups and tree-care professionals. Protection ordinances are presented by lawyers and lawmakers. Conversations are anchored in case studies from Bay Village and Orange Village. Bay Village’s program is, in great part, resident-led in promoting the value of trees. Orange Village’s program is government-led, employing ordinances and planning review.
The summit is intended for local mayors, planners, and council members, as well as for urban foresters, arborists, landscape architects, and tree enthusiasts.
For more information:
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8:30 - 8:50 Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 - 9:10 Welcome & Introduction to the 2026 Summit
9:10 - 9:25 Survey Questions to Audience
Morning Session: Trends in Canopy Loss and Reversing It
9:25 - 9:40 Using Cuyahoga County Planning Commission Greenprint Data to Understand Canopy Loss by Land Use Type, Dan Meaney, CCPC
9:40 - 9:55 Patterns of Canopy Loss in Bay Village Since 2011, Dave Robinson, Bay Village Urban Forestry
9:55 - 10:10 Perspectives from the Bay Village Tree Commission
10:10 - 10:25 Commercial Arborist, Colby Sattler
10:25 - 10:40 Bay Village Tree Conservancy, Tim Doyle and Joanne Kilbane
10:40 - 10:55 Break
10:55 - 11:55 Panel Discussion: Community Tree Stewardship at the Grassroots Level, moderated by Chris Vild
11:55- 12:55 Lunch
Afternoon: Industry and Legal Professionals on How to Keep Trees Upright
12:55 - 1:10 Commercial Arborist: Tina Graver, Master Arborist and Owner of Trees & Garden Consulting
1:10 - 1:25 Legal: John Mills, Legal Counsel at Cuyahoga County Board of Health
1:25 - 1:55 Orange Village Tree Ordinances, Mayor Jud Kline and Kathy Moran, Landscape Architect
1:55 - 2:10 Break
2:10 - 3:10 Panel Discussion: Government-led Stewardship and Education Supported by Policy, moderated by Sara Tillie
3:10 - 3:20 Closing Remarks & Evaluations
4:00 Optional Happy Hour at the Winking Lizard (6111 Quarry Ln, Independence)
