Inspector Intern & The Case of the Dry Leaves

by Josh Celio Espinoza

Unleashing my inner Johnny Appleseed was not on my summer schedule. I expected to spend my Communications & Business Relations internship at Friends of Trees behind a desk, researching potential business partners and monitoring social media metrics. As it turns out, that is only half the story. The other half involves filming staff gushing about their favorite trees, exploring local parks with the community, and learning how to identify native plant species with the best of them (a.k.a, my coworkers).

Recently, my job took me to the beautiful neighborhoods of southern Vancouver to inspect trees. Armed with a pencil, clipboard, and a sunny disposition, I hit the streets. From checking the moisture levels of the soil to making sure the mulch had the perfect donut shape, I had my work cut out for me. But as they say, if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.

The goal of the Friends of Trees summer inspection program is to make sure that our newly planted trees (in their first 1-3 summers) are healthy and thriving. As a volunteer summer inspector, you’ll get to share your tree knowledge with your community, learn how to spot healthy and unhealthy trees, and ensure the survival of these young trees.

I’ve learned that, here at Friends of Trees, we don’t just plant and walk away. If a tree has dry leaves, we figure out why. Most likely, it needs more water. Mystery solved!

When speaking with Litzy Venturi, our Community Tree Care Coordinator, I gathered that this program isn’t simply about inspecting newly established trees.

“A lot of these volunteers have gotten a tree themselves and by inspecting these neighborhoods, they get to form a relationship with not only the neighborhood trees, but the neighborhood itself. You get to bond with others in your community about your shared passion.”

After I took the requisite training, which only took me a couple of hours, I was assigned a route. A great aspect of this role is that you can make your hours. I picked a cool summer morning to explore my route’s neighborhood and find my new tree friends to see how they were doing.

The whole inspection process was cathartic, methodically checking each aspect of the tree for damage or irregularities. Even more than that, every house was unique in its inspection. Some had lush gardens. Others had intricate decorations all around. Only one had a large, loving cat named Biscuits, even if I wish he was at all the houses.

The one constant I found was that all these homeowners truly invested in their tree’s well-being. Everyone was delighted that their trees were being inspected, but even more so that they were doing their part for the environment. “I’ll be sure to be bright and early for your guy’s next planting,” said Catherine Ricci, a Treecipient. As I continue my internship, I realize that Friends of Trees goes beyond planting trees—they create a community invested in climate advocacy.