Tree Lodi - About Us

	Tree Lodi is a community-based non-profit organization created to promote, and advocate for the planting, maintenance and preservation of Lodi’s urban forest through education, stewardship, and community involvement. We are arborists, business owners, employees, homemakers, and retired folks . . . citizens just like you. We appreciate trees, and what they do for our community and the environment. We are determined to make a difference in Lodi’s urban forest. Our group is involved in local beautification projects and we work in cooperation with the City of Lodi, Lodi Unified School District, community organizations, local businesses, and private citizens. We are proud of our involvement with Lodi’s urban forest, beginning with the planting of many of Lodi’s Centennial Cork Oak Trees. With the generous help and support of city staff and community volunteers, Tree Lodi has been an active participant in Arbor Day and Earth Day celebrations. We have helped to plant trees at Lodi Lake, Kofu Park, Hale Park, Henry Glaves Park, Lawrence Park, Salas Park, Emerson Park, Vinewood Park and Borchardt Elementary School. We are especially concerned about the future of Lodi’s trees and the need to develop stewardship programs that involve the youth of our community. We have had the opportunity to work with volunteers from the Boy Scouts, Brownie Scouts, and the young people from several schools and churches. We have also provided assistance to homeowners through demonstrations on tree planting, the proper methods of pruning and working to keep your trees healthy. We are a valuable resource for those seeking information about trees and their care, and can speak at community service groups and other functions. Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to make a difference. Come and join us. Visit our “Contacts Page” for more information.



	Richard Blackston I was born on Walker’s Air Force Base outside of Roswell, New Mexico in 1955. I have been living in California since the late 1950’s when my parents moved to Stockton. In 1963 my family moved to San Luis Obispo and I lived there until I graduated from California Polytechnic State University in 1981 with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture. I then moved back to San Joaquin County and started attending the School of Education at UOP, were I earned my Masters of Special Education in 1984. I have been a classroom teacher since 1981. I have been working for Stockton Unified School District since 1994 as a Special Education teacher and am presently at Franklin High School teaching severe to moderate handicapped students. I have been actively involved with all aspects of Horticulture since I was a junior in high school. During my junior and senior year at San Luis Obispo Senior High School I was a member of the Future Farmers of America and served on the Horticulture Judging Teams. I spent over ten years as a landscaping teacher with Adult Education and as a Landscape Contractor working throughout San Joaquin, Sacramento, Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties. I have been actively involved in the nonprofit world as a volunteer and a director, working with Stockton Beautiful, Solutions, The Computer Recycling Project, and now Tree Lodi. I was a past member of the Galt Beautification Committee and am currently a member of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee of the San Joaquin County Council of Governments representing the citizen’s of Lodi.

	Steve Dutra Being the first born of five children, I am told that my mother would not allow me to go outside the house because she was afraid that I might get dirty. Lucky for me, my mother must have changed her mind. I have enjoyed being outdoors ever since. As a young boy I enjoyed sports and scouting. My scouting experiences taught me teamwork and helped foster my love of the outdoors, especially with trees. In 1973 I graduated from Delta College with an AA in Ornamental Horticulture. In 1975 I graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a BS in Environmental Resources. In 1980 I was hired as a Park Maintenance Worker I with the City of Lodi. Twenty-seven years have passed and I am still enjoying being a public servant. I currently hold a Pest Control Advisors License and am a Certified Arborist. I hope my involvement with Tree Lodi will allow me the opportunity to share my passion of trees.

	Bruce Engel Welcome, and hello. My name is Bruce Engel. I am one of Tree Lodi’s newer members, and honored to be so. I was born and lived near to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I attended college where I studied Ornamental Horticulture and majored in Arboriculture. I am an ISA certified arborist and truly appreciate trees. I have had the pleasure of working for two municipalities in Canada. I am looking forward to learning and doing much in the world of trees – here in Lodi.

	Joyce Harmon I have been the President of TREE LODI, Inc. since its inception in 2005. I was born in eastern Nova Scotia, Canada, and attended schools there until I went into Nurses Training in Montreal where I graduated from the Royal Victoria Hospital (McGill University). I moved to California in 1949 and was employed in two Bay Area hospitals until coming to Lodi in 1962. I worked at Lodi Memorial Hospital from 1962-1985 and as a paralegal from 1978-1995. I have always been an outdoors person. I first became interested in trees when I organized 150 lot and homeowners to fight the blight of Mistletoe in the native oak trees in Wallace. Following that I truned my attention to Lodi’s Mistletoe problem, writing letters to the local newspaper, speaking to groups, educating residents as best I could until I became known as the “Mistletoe Lady” of Lodi. In 2005 I realized I could do no more as an individual, and that an urban forest organization was needed. With the help of a wonderful Board of Directors, TREE LODI has become a vibrant entity in the community. Our first endeavor was involvement in Lodi’s 100th Anniversary Centennial tree plantings. Since then we have participated in tree events like Arbor Day, planting trees at schools and parks. Future activities will concentrate on the beautification of Lodi through education, involving Lodi’s youth and interested volunteers.

	William “Billybob” Hobson Born in Oakland, Bill became a tree hugger by age five while hugging trees at summer camp in the East Bay Regional Parks. Billy’s favorite trees to hug were Coast Live Oaks (the city tree of Oakland), Coast Redwoods (the State tree), and Blue Gum Eucalyptus (which helped his asthma). Soon his mother taught him gardening, and he assumed the care of the family’s garden. This propelled his horticultural career as well as giving his mother more time for her domestic duties, such as making him lots of chocolate chip cookies. During high school and after graduating, Bill worked in retail and wholesale nurseries. This led him to study Ornamental Horticulture at Merritt College in Oakland, where he received an A.A. degree in Ornamental Horticulture in 1974. Then he began working for E.B.M.U.D. (the water company in Oakland and the East Bay), where he first learned tree trimming. Later he became a self-employed CA licensed landscape contractor, pest control advisor, and pest control applicator. A return to college at U.C. Davis in the 1990’s earned him a degree in Soil and Water Science with a minor in Geology, and a masters in Soil Science and Biogeochemistry. His transformation included becoming an ISA Certified Arborist, as well as adopting the title “Billybob.” Since then Billybob has been the designated tree hugger (Urban Forester/Tree Operations Supervisor) for the City of Lodi, an Environmental Scientist for the State Water Resource Control Board, and he currently is the designated tree hugger (Arborist/Tree Operations Supervisor) for the City of Stockton.

	Andi Kutlik I am a third generation Lodian who still enjoys livable, loveable Lodi. I was fortunate to grow up in a rural setting and was actively involved in the 4-H program. From raising sheep to dog training to community service activities, I learned about leadership and getting involved in the community at an early age. My parents were very supportive of 4-H and encouraged me and my siblings in all aspects of our involvement. Their support helped mold me into the community involved citizen I am today, whether it is helping friends and neighbors or working with community organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, or Tree Lodi. I worked at a wholesale nursery for ten years, and for the past seventeen years I have been a member of the great team who maintains the grounds for the local school district. I have always been an avid tree lover, but nothing takes my breath away like the beauty of a heritage valley oak. There is a magical feeling in watching a gentle breeze rustle the branches of a 100+ year old oak and seeing the treetop sway. I stand in awe of its majestic beauty and enjoy nature at its finest. Over the years I have met professionals in the tree industry who have become mentors and have taught me many aspects of tree care. I became a charter member and a director of Tree Lodi in hopes of putting that knowledge to practical use to better the urban forest in our wonderful community.

	Rose Lazzaro Hi. I am Secretary/Treasurer of Tree Lodi. I was asked by Joyce Harmon if I would attend a meeting with several people that she had invited to take notes regarding Mistletoe in the trees of Lodi. I agreed and after several meetings the group decided to form Tree Lodi as a non-profit organization, and as a charter member, I was elected to this position. Growing up and living in San Francisco there were three things that most people did not learn until much later: To swim, to garden, and to drive. So therefore, I did not know much about gardening or trees outside of what I saw in Golden Gate Park; so you can say that I am a novice. I knew what Mistletoe was used for, and that was during New Years Eve – “kissed under the Mistletoe” – but had no clue that it was a parasite. In 1969 my husband and I moved to Lockeford and purchase acreage with many native oak trees. Very picturesque, but I had not a clue what and how these trees grew and for how long. So here was the opportunity for the novice to learn about the urban forest with people who have degrees in Horticulture and Arborist. Already I have learned what has to be done when you put an acorn in dirt and then replant it. How you nurture this little baby acorn, take care of it until it is ready to be planted. Aha, not so fast, did you know that once you replant the acorn seedling, you will need to nurture its first five years so that it will become a strong healthy tree and have a long life. Did you know that all the trees in a town are referred to as an “Urban Forest?” Also, did you know that Lodi is recognized as Tree Lodi, USA, which is quite an honor as many cities do not have this recognition? So enjoy your lovely town of Lodi with its many trees which helps us to stay green and cool in the summer. Enjoy our site and come join us as a volunteer for many of the projects that Tree Lodi is involved in or may be involved in the future. If a novice like me can learn – so can you. Live with GREEN and make the world a better healthy planet.

	Esther Milnes I’m a native Lodian concerned about the environment and the aesthetic qualities of my home town. Having been raised on a farm by a mother who loved flowers and a father who loved trees, especially fruit trees, I developed a strong interest in nature at an early age. I graduated from Lodi High School in 1951. I finished my formal education at the University of California at Berkeley, receiving a B.Sc.degree. As my husband’s career took us to many locations – Westwood Village, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; Belize; Central America; and Toronto, Canada, I fulfilled my career goals doing various kinds of lab work as the situation would allow. I returned to Lodi in 1987. I have a keen interest in nature and belong to several nature-oriented groups including the San Joaquin and National Audubon Societies, a founding and continuing member of the Belize Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, and the Central Valley Bird Club. I have been a member of the Sandhill Crane Festival steering committee since the festival’s inception in l997. I am a docent with the California Department of Fish and Game in their Watchable Wildlife program leading tours at The Phil and Marilyn Isenberg Sandhill Crane Reserve. My love of flowers lead me to the Lodi Garden Club, and with this group, I participate in their municipal planting and maintenance projects. I am presently president of the Lodi Garden Club.

	Bruce Schweigerdt From the lofty Redwoods on the northern coast, to the hardy Bristlecone Pines of our own White Mountains, trees have, for millennia, brought life and beauty to the state of California. Nevertheless, I was raised in a family that failed to appreciate this and as a result, we planted no trees on our property! But this didn’t stop me from planting a variety of trees on my own first home site when I had the chance. And as the generations would have it, I am proud that our oldest son was Neighborwoods Coordinator for the Sacramento Tree Foundation for several years. Today the 18 trees of several varieties my wife and I planted on our typical residential lot provide us ample shade, and keep us more than busy with leaves, pruning, pinecones and needles, and various root challenges. As a charter member of Tree Lodi, I am finally learning about the care and nurture of trees -- an education I should have had 40 years ago! Through Tree Lodi I hope to assist the community to enhance and steward its urban forest, and to promote the love of trees through various educational and volunteer opportunities.

	Vern Weigum My name is Vern Weigum. I was born in Lodi in 1937, some seven decades ago; and I’ve lived here all of my life. I attended Lodi schools, followed by one year at Stockton College, and a year at Biola University in Los Angeles. As a young man, my father began a gardening and landscape business in 1948. He always enjoyed working in the dirt and with plants. I worked part-time with him, and in 1957 started working full-time for the General Mills plant in town. After 26 years at the Mill I retired and took over the family business (1983) when father retired. Weigum’s Nursery is still a family owned and operated business with the third and fourth generations continuing to serve the people of Lodi. My wife Lee Ann and I have been married almost fifty years. Our three children and ten grandchildren all live in Lodi and are involved in one way or another at the Nursery. As my father before me, I’ve always loved plants, dirt, trees, as well as enjoying my customers. In April of 2005 a group of tree-loving Lodi people formed Tree Lodi to further that love in the community. By the way, if you’ve ever wondered where all of the squirrels came from that populate the trees of Lodi, drop by the Nursery sometime; I’ve got quite a story to tell you. And yes, it’s safe to bring the children!