2026 Great Tree Summit

Description: Archangel is currently working on planting old-growth genetics in cities across the U.S., offering our Tree School to inner-city students, and collaborating with local schools and tree groups.

Bio: David Milarch believes in the importance of archiving the genetics of the world’s last old growth forest giants for future scientific research, providing educational opportunities to “propagate the propagators”, promoting historic botany projects and assisted migration of plant species, and raising public awareness in order to restore our arboricultural heritage for future generations. David and his sons, Jared and Jake, founded the non-profit Champion Tree Project which evolved into the 501c3 Archangel Ancient Tree Archive in 2007.

Together, they have traveled across the globe to collect cuttings from ancient trees and cloned them to save their genetics, eventually planting them back in the wild. Milarch is a fourth generation Nurseryman with over 50 years of experience in growing and supplying landscape trees for resale for the national market. Through the years, he was aware that the longevity of trees planted in urban areas was declining, and his interest in extending the lifespan of these trees by introducing the genetics of old growth native trees was a passion he followed.

Milarch has been awarded the following honors: Detroit News Michiganian of the Year, Grant Thornton Leader and Innovator Award, NMEAC Clarence Kroupa award, Garden Clubs of America Distinguished Service Award, National Daughters of the American Revolution, National Conservation Medal, the National Garden Clubs Award of Excellence for Conservation, Biography Magazine’s Hero Award, and the Garden Clubs of America-Zone X Highest Award for Conservation. He was also the subject of the book The Man Who Planted Trees, by New York Times science reporter, Jim Robbins. Archangel Ancient Tree Archive also continues to garner global media coverage for close to three decades.

Description: A once-overgrown traffic right-of-way in Northside, near Parker Woods and Buttercup Valley Nature Preserves, is being transformed through the efforts of Maria Weyler and other neighborhood volunteers. Maria completed the Greenspace Guardians program through the Civic Garden Center and was inspired to tackle this neglected urban space. She pursued and won a City of Cincinnati Government Office of Environment & Sustainability Seeds of Change grant, and she sought partners such as Northside Greenspace Inc., Cincinnati Parks, and Canopy Crew. Her project, the Langland Wildway, involves clearing invasive species and planting native, edible plants which both support biodiversity and offer sustainable food sources for wildlife and neighbors alike.

Bio: Brendan Bogosian is currently the Conservation Volunteer Coordinator for Cincinnati Parks, Division of Natural Resources. In addition, he is also the President of Northside Greenspace Inc., an all-volunteer nonprofit organization founded to identify, preserve and protect natural areas in the Northside neighborhood of Cincinnati.

A retired Montessori teacher, mother of three, and grandmother of six, Gail lives in Covington, Kentucky, with her husband of 46 years. She is passionate about people, food, cycling, and the natural world, with a long-standing commitment to gardening, composting, and recycling.

After moving to the urban core in 2020, she and her family set out to deepen their connection to their new neighborhood. That commitment took root in an ambitious project: planting a Miyawaki mini-forest of 777 native trees on their property along the Licking River levee, transforming a small urban lot into a thriving forest ecosystem.

Description: Caring for our public green spaces doesn’t have to be complicated to be impactful. Small, consistent action— such as litter removal, weeding, & mulching— can lead to cleaner forests, healthier trees, stronger neighborhoods, and more engaged communities.
Keep Cincinnati Beautiful’s Adopt-A-Spot model is a practical approach for empowering residents, businesses, and organizations to take ownership of our public land. Citizen organized maintenance reduces barriers to participation while fostering long-term care, stewardship, accountability and a shared sense of responsibility for the local environment. 

Bio: Madison Lentz is a lifelong volunteer with a bachelor’s degree in urban planning and a minor in horticulture from the University of Cincinnati. With her knowledge of cities and plants she hopes to get more people enthusiastic and involved in their local environmental efforts. She currently works with volunteers at Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, whose vision is to create thriving communities with equitable, healthy, and vibrant public spaces.

Description: Come learn about some of the methods that Fernald staff use in order to keep the preserve diverse and allow native species to thrive.

Bio: Luke Thies is an Interpretive Specialist at Fernald Preserve, specializing in all things nature Luke believes a connection with the world around us should be a core part of everyone’s life. Luke is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and is an active member of the birding community and is on the board of the Cincinnati chapter of the National Audubon Society.