About

Stella values the role of people as a part of their local ecosystem, tending to their environment with an eye to the future and a respect for natural cycles of growth and decay. In practice, this includes transitioning to retaining organic matter on-site, using hand or electric tools and aspiring to fossil-fuel-free arboriculture, and cultivating a resilient and interdependent community of plants.  

 

Stella has over two decades of experience working with and studying plants. This includes as a commercial climbing arborist for companies including Hartney Greymont/The Davey Tree Expert Company, J.M. King Landscaping & Arboriculture, and Woodsmith Forestry. Prior to starting tree work she obtained a Masters of Forestry at Michigan Technological University. As an undergrad at Duke University she was deeply involved in the world of community gardening, including founding the garden at Duke, working at the local community garden in Durham, NC and the community farm at the International Institute in her hometown of St. Louis, MO. As a major in archaeology with a focus on archaeobotany, she situates her work within a tremendously long history of human/plant interaction.

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Stella is currently a PhD candidate in environmental conservation with a focus on arboriculture at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where she examines the biomechanical, physiological and ecological consequences of arboricultural practices, including bracing, cabling and pruning. She is also a research assistant with UMass Grounds and the Waugh Arboretum. 

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