David Meshoulam: Trees as Boundary Objects

Trees as Boundary Objects: Growing Boston's Urban Forest for Equity, Justice, and Resilience
Co-Founder and Executive Director of Boston-based Speak for the Trees
David (pronounced Dah-veed) Meshoulam co-founded Speak for the Trees in 2018 and now serves as its Executive Director. Trained as a science educator, his work has focused on ways to increase understanding of the connections between science, culture, and history and to empower people to be change agents. He holds a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a Senior Fellow at the Environmental Leadership Program, and is co-chair of the Urban Ecology Collaborative.
Speak for the Trees, Boston, is guided by the values of Tree Equity: that trees are crucial for building resilient communities and healthy residents, but that low-canopy neighborhoods receive fewer benefits than their well-canopied neighbors. The organization exists at the intersection of environmental justice, racial and social equity, public health, and climate change and works to improve Boston's urban forest through plantings, education, and advocacy. Speak for the Trees recognizes that the inequities of tree canopy coverage found in Boston have a long and complicated history tied to systemic racism, redling, and so-called "urban renewal" and works at the community level to develop a shared-vision for a sustainable future for all.