{"id":2063,"date":"2025-04-23T20:34:34","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T20:34:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/?p=2063"},"modified":"2025-04-23T20:34:34","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T20:34:34","slug":"five-questions-with-jennifer-killian-assistant-professor-practice-in-urban-forestry-and-urban-forest-extension-specialist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/2025\/04\/23\/five-questions-with-jennifer-killian-assistant-professor-practice-in-urban-forestry-and-urban-forest-extension-specialist\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Questions With… Jennifer Killian, Assistant Professor (Practice) in Urban Forestry and Urban Forest Extension Specialist\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Can you share a little about your background and why you decided to join the College of Forestry?<\/strong>
Absolutely! I\u2019m originally from southcentral Wisconsin, where my family runs a large peppermint farm\u2014a place where I first developed a deep connection with the land resources. My interest in municipal forestry, however, sparked during my time on the Emerald Ash Borer team at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, my very first job out of undergrad. That role opened my eyes to the critical and often overlooked work happening at the intersection of urban environments and forest health. I came to Oregon State to earn my master\u2019s and deepen my involvement in the field, and after gaining experience across the nonprofit, municipal, and state sectors, I\u2019ve found my way back to OSU \u2014 where it all began. I\u2019m thrilled to bring those experiences into the classroom and contribute to the College of Forestry\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you become interested in urban forestry? <\/strong>
My first job out of college was with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture\u2019s Emerald Ash Borer team. It took me across the state \u2014 searching for signs of the invasive beetle and helping communities prepare for its arrival. Every city I visited had a unique approach to managing its urban forest, and I became fascinated by the different strategies and challenges involved. I realized then how vital urban forests are \u2014 and how much they need advocates. That was the moment I knew I wanted to be one of those voices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are you teaching and doing in your work as the urban forestry extension specialist at the COF? <\/strong>
I\u2019ll teach a range of courses including FES\/HORT 350: Urban Forestry, FES 506: Urban Forestry Capstone, FES 560: Green Infrastructure, and I\u2019m currently developing an exciting new course for fall term \u2014 FES 454\/554: Managing Trees in the Wildland Urban Interface. On the extension side, I create educational materials, lead workshops on small tree structural pruning and support communities in preserving trees during development. I\u2019m also contributing to Oregon\u2019s statewide efforts to prepare for Emerald Ash Borer, which was first detected here in 2022. I\u2019m open to knowing what sort of needs there are both locally and statewide, so if you have any ideas please send them my way!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you like to do in your free time? <\/strong>
I love hiking, camping and exploring the outdoors \u2014 but I\u2019m also just as content spending the afternoon in my garden with a cold beverage. I\u2019m also a semi (emphasis on semi) professional cake and cupcake maker. But honestly, one of my favorite things in the world is hanging out with my two-year-old \u2014 he keeps life joyful and very, very lively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s your favorite book\/movie genre or your all-time favorite title? <\/strong>
I\u2019m a big fan of anything by Jon Krakauer or Bill Bryson \u2014 especially the way they blend storytelling with adventure. But my all-time favorite book is \u201cA Sand County Almanac\u201d by Aldo Leopold. It\u2019s timeless, thoughtful and has shaped the way I see the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can you share a little about your background and why you decided to join the College of Forestry?Absolutely! I\u2019m originally from southcentral Wisconsin, where my family runs a large peppermint farm\u2014a place where I first developed a deep connection with the land resources. My interest in municipal forestry, however, sparked during my time on the… Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3455,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[603042],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faculty-staff"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3455"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2063"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2063\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2065,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2063\/revisions\/2065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}