Trey Marrero has always loved being in nature.
The Alvin native was always out in the woods as a boy and grew up hunting and fishing with his grandfather. After his graduation from Alvin High in 2014, he became a plant and soil sciences major at Sam Houston State University and worked with the Campus Urban Forester while attending college.
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Now as Conroe’s sole urban forester, his passion for conservation and nature carries over into maintaining the city’s urban forest canopy and making sure the natural beauty of the area is around for generations to come.
What does an urban forester do?
Conroe created the urban forester position in 2022 because the City Council determined that trees are important public resources that contribute to the unique character of the city and its physical, historical, cultural, aesthetic, ecological and economic environment.
Conroe’s website defines an urban forester as someone who “is responsible for enforcing the tree ordinance within city limits. Protecting the city’s natural resources and ensuring developments are compliant with the tree ordinance are of the utmost importance. The urban forester is involved in all stages of development, including but not limited to pre-development meetings, plan reviews, site inspections and bond releases. In addition, the urban forester shall stay updated on best management practices and implement new policies and procedures to ensure the longevity and health of the city’s urban forest.”
Marrero graduated from Sam Houston State University in May 2021. He spent six months with the U.S Forest Service and then a year and a half as a wildlife biologist with Raven Environmental Services based in Huntsville.
“That’s where my love for conservation really took off. We were interacting with wildlife, did habitat management. I tagged snakes and turtles and got to work with the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker,” he said.
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After those two six-month contracts were up, he came on board with Conroe but still does volunteer work with Raven Environmental Services.
Fighting to protect trees
“The urban forester is managing multiple trees in an urban environment and helps develop policies and procedures to maximize the city’s urban canopy,” he said.
He said it’s an ongoing battle of protecting trees in areas of rapid development like Conroe.
Most larger cities will have some sort of urban forestry program, he said. The city of Houston’s urban forestry department is a part of the city’s Permitting Center.
Right now Marrero is a one-man team. It’s his hope to develop an urban forestry program for the city and expand the department.
John Mangiameli, chief building official for the city, said Marrero is a real asset to the city and he’s been impressed with Marrero’s knowledge and dedication.
Soon Marrero will embark on a tree inventory for the city to have a better idea of the percentage of tree canopy cover in the city’s roughly 72 square miles.
He also assisted with getting recognition for one of Conroe’s historic trees. The Texas Historic Tree Coalition has voted to recognize the McDade Magnolia tree on FM 2854 as historic.
A dedication ceremony for the McDade Magnolia will take place later this year.
He’s also looking forward to the first city sponsored Arbor Day event Nov. 2, where various forestry and conservation groups will be present and able to provide information to the public.
Correction (June 17, 11:45 a.m.): This article has been updated to accurately reflect Marrero’s career history. He worked with the Campus Urban Forester while attending Sam Houston State University and worked for a year and a half as a wildlife biologist with Raven Environmental Services.
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