There’s a good chance Kenneth Fisher has had a hand in making sure you have a favorite tree to read under or have a picnic by in Boulder.

Fisher has worked in forestry jobs at the city for 30 years. He moved to Boulder County in 1992 from Buffalo, New York, and has worked for the Boulder city government since May 22, 1995.

The city’s Forestry Division manages the tree population in Boulder, from monitoring insects and disease on them to planting native species.

What does your work look like?

It’s our job to understand what condition the urban canopy is in at all times to make appropriate decisions and to spend our budget responsibly. We do this work on city-owned property, which is approximately 47,000 trees in street rights-of-way, adjacent to residential and commercial properties. We also do this work on approximately 15,000 City of Boulder park trees.What about this line of work called to you?

As a child, I always felt at peace when in nature and especially if I was interacting with it … how each species is so different and how each one needed to be taken care of differently. I always thought that working for a city forestry organization would be a “dream job”!

Then, in 1995, while (I was) working for a local tree care company a position came open with Boulder Forestry Division. It was a temporary job, and I applied. It became a standard position within a year. Becoming a city forester changed the way I looked at trees. Instead of caring for a sheep, I was tending to the flock. I like having a part of the responsibility of caring for the flock.

How has the job changed over 30 years?

I didn’t have a computer or a cell phone for the first several years. I had a clip board, chainsaw, tree climbing gear and a truck! We had an inventory of our trees, but we didn’t use it as a guide.

We were in a position where we reacted instead of being proactive. But we always tried to do the right thing for the City of Boulder urban canopy and for the tree.

Around 2000, we re-inventoried our public trees. We did this ourselves using handheld GPS devices with antennas sticking out of our backpacks. It took us a couple of years to complete. When we were finished we began using our inventory to guide us and to help us justify where we needed help.

Still, today, doing the next right thing for the urban canopy and the tree is our priority. But tracking it all in our inventory is what helps us manage the trees proactively and responsibly.

What forthcoming projects are you most excited for?

I plan to retire (in) May of 2026, so the projects that I’m most excited for are maintaining and building relationships inside the City of Boulder organization. Doing my best to set my team and future replacement up for success is exciting for me.

What moments, big or small, make the job worth it for you?

Urban gorestry along the Front Range of Colorado is a challenge. Our soils are not great, the climate can be punishing, (and we have) snow and windstorm damage and unique insect and disease problems. Somehow through all these events we’ve been able to manage a safe and healthy urban canopy. I’m really grateful for all the past and current co-workers I’ve had who helped the trees and Boulder residents though some difficult situations. … Plant the right tree in the right location, to do the follow-up work and see it grow into a large mature tree — for me, that is what has given me the most satisfaction.