Inclusive Community Engagement and Cradle to Career Strategies for Urban Forest Management

In the United States, the conservation movement\u27s problematic historical relationship with racism, settler colonialism, and land use discrimination has led to distrust and apprehension towards environmental management and leadership. With its history of redlining and environmental racism, Louisville is no different. Providing job and management opportunities to historically marginalized people can provide economic opportunities and help heal the disconnect between healthy natural areas and healthy people. The City of Louisville has employed several long-term strategies to attract people in historically marginalized communities to job opportunities in Louisville\u27s natural areas. However, those strategies have only been moderately successful to date. The City of Louisville continues to work with non-profit groups, economic development organizations, and youth job programs to develop strategies to fill employment gaps and provide leadership opportunities in urban forest management