Some endearingly call her the "tree whisperer." Others, like Unitil spokesman Alec O'Meara, liken Sara Sankowich to Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax" because, as the company's system arborist, she "speaks for the trees."
"I really like the idea of trying to have trees and people's lifestyles coexist," Sankowich said. "Everyone needs power -- we watch TV, we enjoy having lights at night, and we wouldn't want to live without it, but at the same time we want to have beautiful streets and nice parks. So the challenge is to have the wires and the trees coexist -- and that's what we work on every day."
... Sankowich, 32, originally from Cranbury, N.J., earned her forestry degree from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse.
Through family and Girl Scout trips to national parks when she was younger, Sankowich says she developed a love for the outdoors.
"When I got into school I realized that I really liked the tree aspect, more than recreation or tourism. I liked urban forestry, and the interaction of communities with trees," she said.
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