Minnesota Tree Habitat

Karen Zumach receives Mark Stennes Award

At Tree Trust, Karen Zumach is more than just a name; she’s a force of nature. As Tree Trust’s Director of Community Forestry, Karen’s unwavering dedication to trees and people ignites the spirits of staff, volunteers and external partners. A witty tree pun enthusiast, she wields her voice to promote environmental stewardship. Karen loves to say, “A tree planted anywhere helps people everywhere.” Her persistence in educating legislators about the importance of preserving our ash tree canopy has resulted in over $25 million dollars in funding to help Minnesota’s communities save and preserve their treescapes. On March 13th at the Shade Tree Short Course, in a packed auditorium of her peers, Karen graciously accepted the Mark Stennes Award for her outstanding work in advancing the field of arboriculture.

The Mark Stennes Award

Mark Stennes was passionate about sharing his love for trees with people. A tree biologist focused on pathology, Mark dedicated his career to the study of elm trees and is credited with the discovery of the St. Croix Elm. Mark’s mastery of trees represented only a fraction of his professional journey. What truly set him apart was his ability to instill his fervent love for trees in others. His mentorship inspired many to progress in the field of arboriculture. Created in 2014 by the Shade Tree Short Course Steering Committee, the Mark Stennes Award recognizes Mark’s leadership, research, and support of the green community. During the Shade Tree Short Course Conference, Mark’s lasting impact is celebrated by acknowledging the successes of fellow arboricultural visionaries.

MNSTAC & The Shade Tree Short Course

The Shade Tree Short Course, organized by the University of Minnesota, provides training for arborists. Tree Trust’s staff attend each year for professional development, earning credits to maintain their International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) credentials. The Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee (MNSTAC) is well-known for its role in supporting community forestry in Minnesota. MNSTAC provides advice, coordination, and advocacy for public and private interests in forestry, fostering the exchange of ideas. Tree Trust has a long history with MNSTAC. Both of Tree Trust’s founders, Don Willeke and G. Rolf Svendsen, served on MNSTAC’s board as chairs and Karen currently serves as president.

Growing Community Forestry

In addition to serving her community, Karen helps guide Tree Trust as a member of the Tree Trust senior leadership team. Karen moved to Minnesota in 2007, beginning her 16-year career at Tree Trust as Community Forestry Manager. In her first year alone, she led Tree Trust in planting and distributing over 1,600 trees. Thanks to Karen’s leadership, Tree Trust is on track to plant and distribute at least 10,500 trees in 2024! Karen also supports our Career Pathways programs in her advocacy for young people in arboriculture, connecting youth to urban forestry through workforce training, education, and career opportunities.

Here are some highlights of Karen’s Tree Trust career to date:

  • Planted/distributed over 55,000 trees.
  • Increased survival rate of urban trees by moving to plant well-established trees instead of seedlings.
  • Encouraged the planting of diverse trees species to help ensure communities are not faced with the harmful effects of over-representation of a single species. In 2023, Tree Trust planted 83 different varieties of trees.
  • Inspired women arborists to make space for themselves in a traditionally male industry.

Tree Trust is grateful for Karen’s dedication to transforming lives and landscapes. Let’s take a moment to celebrate Karen Zumach’s contributions to the entire arboriculture community!