Mary’s Story

Mary Hammes, Reforestation Strategy Manager, The Nature Conservancy

I’ve been working with Urban Roots since 2016. First in my role with Mississippi Park Connection and now with The Nature Conservancy. Some highlights from my work with MPC are in the below pictures. David Woods and youth Conservation interns helped with the install of a gravel bed nursery and the planting of an Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change research project. A throughline for me has been an appreciation of Urban Roots’ dedication to place, nimbleness, and peer to peer learning model.

David helping with the install of a gravel bed nursery.

Since 2022, I’ve been working with Urban Roots Conservation interns to collect tree seed. The Nature Conservancy is working on a large scale reforestation in Minnesota, but we can’t do it without more tree seedlings and more tree seeds. Seed collection is the foundation of this work and we need to build a foundation that is strong and sustainable. We know that we need to train a new generation of tree seed collectors to be future foresters, habitat restoration managers, and outdoor professionals. These youth are helping us ensure that tree seed collection maximizes species and genetic diversity of our forests so they are resilient to future changes.

What’s the most valuable seed that you and Urban Roots have planted, grown, and harvested, in yourself or our community? Tree seeds!

-Mary Hammes, Reforestation Strategy Manager, The Nature Conservancy