As the City Forester at Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Erica manages the Urban Forestry Unit, including the TreePhilly Community Forestry program, street and park tree planting and maintenance, and emergency tree work. She was the project lead for the Philly Tree Plan, a 10 year strategic plan for the equitable growth and care of Philadelphia’s urban forest, which was released in 2023. She is an ISA certified arborist and the recipient of the Arbor Day Foundation’s 2018 Trailblazer Award. Erica received a B.S. in biology from Haverford College and an M.S. in environmental horticulture from the University of California, Davis.
As Community Forestry Manager, Kate leads the Community Forestry Team and the community based programming of TreePhilly. She has a BA in English and Gender Studies from Rutgers University. She found her way to gardening through mentors, friends and great books. She has expressed her deep love of Philadelphia by caring for public green spaces, tending historic gardens, and coordinating community-lead food sovereignty projects. Now, she’s grateful to share her enthusiasm by helping empower communities to build and maintain thriving, healthy neighborhoods. Kate loves cooking for friends, listening to old music, trying new flavors and swimming.
Vince Eldering is a Community Initiatives Specialist with TreePhilly. His work is grounded in accessibility to nature and environmental conservation. He believes everyone deserves a clean and beautiful neighborhood connected to the earth. Previously working as a CIS at The Free Library of Philadelphia, Vince brings experience throughout the city and centers community education in his work. He holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Temple University. When not working, you can find him being active and outside as much as possible, whether that’s biking, swimming, bouldering or even horseback riding.
Donnel Brown is a Community Initiatives Specialist with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, where she serves on the Community Forestry team within TreePhilly, the department’s citywide community forestry program. She brings a justice-centered approach to regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, and community greening, focusing on advancing self-determination, land sovereignty, and land-based workforce development in urban spaces. Donnel’s work is also grounded in the social determinants of health, recognizing how expanding Philadelphia’s urban tree canopy can improve air quality, reduce heat-related illness, and support the long-term health and well-being of residents—particularly in historically underserved communities.
Originally from Ghana, Donnel’s passion for growing food and connecting with the land was first nurtured by her grandmother, Lydia Adowa-Djan, who introduced her to indigenous Ghanaian foodways.
Donnel holds a Master of Science from American University and has a background in Criminology and Human Services. She envisions a world where everyone has access to clean air, clean water, nourishing food, and the dignity of meaningful work. A skilled cook and enthusiastic gardener, Donnel lives in Germantown with her daughter, Lydia Akosua-Djan, where they stay grounded through community, cultivation, and the shared joy of the natural world around them.
Riki is an ISA certified Arborist with a deep and abiding love of the forest, particularly for trees and mushrooms which led her to pursuing work in environmental restoration and justice. She feels strongly that developing a personal relationship with our environment is the key to its protection as well as its ability to provide for us. She has an AA in Biological Sciences from CCP and looks forward to fostering community engagement and planting more trees in our city.
As a lifelong Girl Scout, community organizer and someone who has been described as having big “camp counselor energy,” Charlotte has always had a passion for environmental justice work. A recent Temple grad with a bachelor’s in Communications and Urban Planning, they are a transit nerd who can be frequently spotted insisting friends just give Amtrak a shot. She is excited to use her communications experience to grow TreePhilly’s online profile and add to her personal score of trees planted.
The Arborists of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s Urban Forestry & Ecosystem Management divisions are charged with the care of the trees on 10,250 acres of park land, and the 117,000 trees along the city streets. These men and women are passionate, hardworking, and proud of the work they do to keep Philadelphia’s trees healthy and its citizens safe. For this project, photographer Sabina Louise Pierce worked with the TreePhilly program to capture the special relationship between Philadelphia Parks & Recreation arborists, the trees they care for, and the tools of their trade.
“When I was asked by TreePhilly
to shoot portraits
of Philadelphia’s Arborists as a freebie,
I said sure!
I love trees,
I love Philly.
Little did I know was how much the people
that worked with them loved them too.
Deeply!
Some have master’s degrees and all could
make more in the private sector
but they do this because they love trees too!”
Sabina Louise Pierce
Photographer,
Artist,
Lover of trees and nature.
sabinashoots.com
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation One Parkway Building, 10th Floor 1515 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19102 P: 215.683.0217 F: 215.683.0205 treephilly@phila.gov Phila.gov/programs/treephilly
Created with Masterminds