The Fredericton Tree Commission is dedicated to the enhancement, protection, and promotion of Fredericton’s urban forest.
Established in 1952 as an advisory body to City Council, members are impartial, non-political volunteers appointed by Council. Membership includes one City councillor, the City Forester, and a Forest Technician. Tree Commission members collaborate with city staff, providing expertise on subjects such as the restoration of the “Old Burying Ground”, insect and disease problems other than Dutch Elm, beautification of parks and other public places, and Arbour Day Celebrations.
This committee’s duties include:
- ensuring high quality tree care throughout the Urban Forest
- providing advice and recommendations to mayor, council and staff on issues related to the Urban Forest
- acting as a resource for city staff, special interest groups and the public on matters related to the Urban Forest
- monitoring trends and forecast future impacts on tree health and urban forest sustainability
- providing input on Urban Forest issues in the Municipal Plan Review process
- evaluating and assisting with the development of municipal policies, ordinances and activities related to the urban forest.
Members:
Sonya Hull, Chair
Sonya is a graduate of UNB and Queens University (BA, MA Economics) and has worked as a consultant for most of her career focusing on environmental sustainability, climate change and renewable energy. During this time, she was project manager and lead architect of the City of Fredericton’s greenhouse gas inventory, reduction, and monitoring program, in partnership with the Canadian Federation of Municipalities’ Climate Change Program. This work included recognition of the carbon sequestration potential of Fredericton’s significant urban forest. Sonya has lived and worked in Fredericton for over 30 years, is a long-time volunteer with Harvest Music Festival and is currently Managing Director of UNB’s Faculty of Computer Science.
Andrew Steeves, Past Chair
Andrew is a graduate of the University of New Brunswick (UNB) with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in both engineering and business. He has taught business and engineering courses at the University of New Brunswick, Mount Allison University, and the University of Prince Edward Island. Andrew is a Professional Engineer with over 40 years of consulting engineering experience. Currently he is a principal in DFS (Design Firm Seminars), a company offering management training to design service professionals. Andrew has had many community volunteer roles, and in addition to being Past President of the Fredericton Tree Commission, he is Past President of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce and Past Chair of Enterprise Fredericton (now Ignite), amongst others.
Jasen Golding
Jasen is from Quispamsis, NB, and has lived most of his life in Fredericton. He holds a BSc in Biology from Dalhousie University, a BSc in Forestry, and a Masters of Forest Engineering and is a Registered Professional Forester. He spent first 10 years of his career with J D Irving Ltd. And now is a Teaching Professor at UNB with a focus on Forest Operations, Silviculture, and Management Planning, along with being the Director of the Office of Forest Lands at UNB. He owns a Forestry and Environmental Consulting business and works closely with marketing boards, government, industry, and municipalities on the problems facing our forests.
Meagan Betts
Meagan Betts was born, raised, and educated in Fredericton. She has a background in environmental management, soil conservation, biology, and forestry which has enabled for her to specialize in land restoration. Throughout her career, Meagan has worked in both the public and private environmental sector with several governmental agencies, academia, and multiple non-government organizations. Meagan is passionate about environmental stewardship and ensuring environmentally sound practices while working in or near environmentally sensitive areas. Meagan is a long-time admirer of Fredericton’s Urban Forest and has volunteered her expertise to the Fredericton Tree Commission to help ensure high quality tree health now and in the future for both people and wildlife to enjoy!
Wayne MacKay
Wayne graduated from McGill University with a BSc (Agriculture) majoring in environmental biology. He worked for Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service for 41 years. He was a member of the Forest Insect and Disease Survey monitoring forest insect and disease populations in Nova Scotia and PEI. He also conducted research in forest health, invasiv forest pests and acid rain. He has volunteered his time for both the Truro Tree Commission and the Fredericton Tree Commission.
Martha O’Sullivan
Martha holds a BSc in Forestry from the University of New Brunswick and is currently an Assistant Deputy Minister with the Government of New Brunswick in the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development and formerly the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. She has also served on the New Brunswick Forest Products Commission, the New Brunswick Forest Audit Board, a founding member of the Association of Saskatchewan Forestry Professionals and the Saskatchewan Forestry Association. She loves volunteering for the Harvest Music Festival too. Martha grew up in Fredericton and remains involved in urban forest management because planning and being proactive will let generations to continue enjoy all the values that the urban forest provides for the community and its citizens.
Bruce Martin
Bruce spent his youth and young adulthood in Fredericton graduating from UNB with a forestry degree with a major in wildlife biology. He then went on to earn a master's degree in landscape architecture from the University of Guelph. Working as a planner in both New Brunswick and Saskatchewan his responsibilities included park facility design and master planning, ecosystem management planning and, in Saskatchewan, natural resources policy development and implementation.
Bill Jones
Bill is a graduate of UNB Civil Engineering, UofT MBA and received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from UNB. He is a business consultant, entrepreneur and mentor who has lived in Fredericton since 1968. He owns and operates sustainable woodlots in Kings County and Maple Leaf Homes in Fredericton. Bill is an active volunteer and donor who received Southern NB Woodlot Owner of the Year Award, Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Land Conservation and YMCA Canada Fellowship of Honour. He is a Director of Nature Conservancy of Canada Atlantic and a member of JANB Business Hall of Fame. Margaret and Bill have enjoyed living on the bank of St John River next to Morrell Park since 1976.
Coun. Margo Sheppard, Council Representative
Margo Sheppard is an Environmental Studies graduate from the University of Waterloo, ON. Her thirty-five-year career in environmental planning and has encompassed non-profits and two Provincial Government ministries (Transportation and Environment). Margo was Executive Director with the Nature Trust of New Brunswick, a charitable land conservation organization, where she served for twenty years. Her Trust work involved chairing a federally funded Sustainable Forestry working group involving multiple non-government, forest industry and academic parties. Margo was elected to Fredericton City Council in May 2021, where she currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Environmental Stewardship Committee and Chair of the [Heritage] Preservation Review Board.