Roots and Rings: Where the Stories of Our Past Becomes the Strength of Our Future

Steve Lane, The Response Growth Collective

Today's special guest on Roots and Rings just blew in from the Windy City, Chicago, Illinois.  Steve Lane is the owner and lead consultant at The Response Growth Collective, where he focuses on tree risk management, urban forestry management planning, advanced GIS analyses, expert witness work, and education & development for members of the Arboriculture and Urban Forestry communities. Steve has been in the industry for 22 years, is a Board Certified Master Arborist, TRAQ Instructor, and currently serves on the ISA Board of Directors. Fun Fact:  Steve enjoys getting lost on purpose in an effort to discover new places and things.

Ken Gilles, ISA Certified Arborist

Today, we are thrilled to chat with Ken Gilles. Ken is an ISA Certified Arborist who operates a Tree Service in Whitby, ON, providing tree care solutions for the Toronto, Durham, York, and Peel regions. The other half of Ken's Arboriculture life is training. He taught the Arborist Practices course at Humber College for 11 years. He then helped write the curriculum and taught the Ground Worker Training Program. Ken is a lead instructor with Arboriculture Canada Training and  Education. Ken is also heavily involved with ISA Ontario: he served on its board of directors for 10 years, including as president twice, and is currently the chair of the Ontario Tree Climbing Championship. This year, Ken was bestowed with ISA Ontario's Outstanding Volunteer Award for his countless hours of volunteer service dedicated to developing others' careers.

Julie Tucker, ISA Ontario, Executive Assistant

On this week's Roots and Rings podcast we are thrilled to welcome Julie Tucker. Julie has worked in urban forestry and arboriculture for over 20 years, with experience as a climbing arborist, consultant, business owner, educator, and trainer. She is an ISA Certified Arborist and ISA Qualified Tree Risk Assessor, and currently serves as the Executive Director of ISA Ontario, one of the largest Chapters in North America. Before joining the organization professionally, she volunteered as Chair of the Ontario Tree Climbing Championship and Women in Arboriculture committees, and served nine years on the Board of Directors, including a term as President. ISA Ontario is the province’s largest arboriculture-focused organization, dedicated to advancing the industry through education, research, and public awareness.  Her fingerprints and personal touches are evident throughout ISA Ontario.

Frank Rinn, Founder of RINNTECH

This week's special guest, Frank Rinn, flew in to speak at the ISAO Educational Conference.  Born in 1963, Frank Rinn grew up in Heuchelheim, Germany. He studied Physics, Math and Philosophy at Gießenand Heidelberg University after having worked as a carpenter. He invented and developed different methods, machines, and computer programs for dendrochronology: resistance drilling, tree-ring measuring and cross-dating, dynamic tree analysis, and sonic tree tomography. Frank started his own company, RINNTECH, and developed equipment, including RESISTOGRAPH® and ARBOTOM®. Frank has been active in ISA since 2001.  Frank's educational presentations are in great demand worldwide, so we were thrilled when we were able to get him to sit down with us for a few moments to reflect on this journey in the Tree World.

Irina Souiki, Owner-Operator of Green Canopy Tree Services

ISA Ontario’s Roots and Rings is excited to introduce Irina Souiki, an International Society of Arboriculture Ontario-certified arborist and the owner-operator of Green Canopy Tree Services, based in Brampton. Irina represents one of the few women-owned tree service operations in Ontario — but her story is about more than breaking barriers. It began with a quiet calling. You’ll hear how she gradually drifted from the structured world of software engineering into the living, breathing world of arboriculture. She traded screens and gigabytes for harnesses and hardwood. Keyboards for climbing lines. Deadlines for tree lines. What began as a solo venture grew into a thriving company rooted in professionalism and best practices. Irina’s journey is a reminder that it’s never too late to change direction, to step outside, and to build something meaningful from the ground up. Her story is unique. Her path is courageous. And her enthusiasm for the trade is unmistakable.