Portrait of a Career in Urban Horticulture - Michael Orfanedes

Third in a series highlighting those who have chosen careers in horticulture – “How did we get here?”

Man can not live on tech alone

We are increasingly becoming a society based on technology, however, we must remember that careers in agriculture, forestry, arboriculture, horticulture, agronomy, ecology and other life sciences, will always be necessary. Whether we like it or not, we can’t exist without the natural world around us, and stewarding that by working in the agricultural and life sciences is a noble endeavor.

It all began with a little tree…

Never underestimate your influence on the youth in your life. Whether it’s a word of encouragement, time spent learning a skill, or a special gift given, these things can often guide our fate.

Dr. Michael Orfanedes remembers his grandfather giving him 2 small potted trees to plant; a cherry and a maple when he was about 6 years old. This gift started a lifelong love of plants. So much so, that in college he majored in biology.

Roots

Growing up in Chicago, he attended the University of Illinois and transferred into the Agronomy department following a job he took in a virology lab as an undergraduate. Upon graduation, he became an extension intern and following that, an agent, specializing in corn, soybeans and 4H, while still living in Illinois. By this time, Mike had met and married his wife, Beth, and went on to pursue a master’s degree in IPM, specializing in weeds, followed by his Ph.D. in Weed Management. However, during his course work he took a tree/ornamental plants class and discovered his passion for trees…

Mike and Beth relocated to Buffalo, NY where they both pursued their careers in academia and Mike became an extension agent with Cornell University, specializing in vegetables.

New seeds begin to sprout

In 2000, Mike and his family (three children by now) moved to South Florida for an opportunity his wife had gotten at FAU. As fate would have it, Mike landed a position as an agent with UF/IFAS Extension in Broward County. From 2000-2003 he became an ISA certified arborist, and LIAF certified. In 2005 after a short stint with Davie Planning and Zoning, he realized that he missed education, and returned to Broward Extension.

Broward County’s tree ordinance established

Mike returned just as the new Broward County Tree Trimmer Ordinance was in full effect. From 2001 – 2025, Broward County was the only county in Florida out of 67, to require all tree trimmers to have basic education in proper tree pruning based on the ANSI A300 guidelines.

For the next 24 years, Mike distinguished himself in the South Florida green industry in all things trees, from pruning, to grades and standards, acquiring additional certifications in TRAQ (Tree Risk Assessment Qualification), and PPQ (Prescription Pruning Qualification) with ISA (International Society of Arboriculture). He has also spent many years supporting programs such as FNGLA, GI-BMP, LIAF (Landscape Inspector’s Association of Florida) and many others.

Dr. Orfanedes is also active educating Broward County Parks employees, especially invasive weed management in natural areas. Watch: Managing the Invasive Species on Pine Island Ridge.

Leaving a legacy

In his 24 years teaching both Basic and Advanced Tree Trimming Classes, thousands of arborists have been taught to avoid tree abuse and to use structural pruning to develop urban friendly trees. Mike credits UF Professor Emeritus Dr. Ed Gilman for inspiring him along the way, and Way Hoyt for showing him how it’s done.

As he nears retirement, Mike reflects on his path into arboriculture noting that, “If you follow your passion, windows and doors will open and lead you there.” And so it has.