Welcome Andrea Cristina to the BOD

The Sugar Pine Foundation is elated to welcome Andrea Cristina as one of our newest board members. She is a spiritually attuned artist who is guided by intuition and a love for nature and a lifelong learner currently pursuing regenerative agroforestry and geospatial mapping at LTCC. 

What is your favorite childhood memory of the natural world?

I grew up in El Salvador. I would run in the wilderness barefoot and touch and talk to all the little plants. My grandfather would get concerned and say, “you’re going to get fungus on your feet!” I would nonchalantly respond with, “No I won't.” In the tropics of El Salvador, my uncle would make a game of ‘spotting pumas.’ He would take us through the deep, rugged rainforest in search of the elusive cat. Then we would trek through the jungle while swinging off Tarzan lines to get to my grandpa’s home. I miss it a lot. The last time I visited was in 2024 and the whole property had turned into a business, leaving me to cherish memories of my childhood home. The rapid development sweeping across El Salvador is changing the landscape, transforming quiet rural properties into commerce.

What sparked your interest in pursuing a career in forestry and GIS?

     I’ve struggled to focus on one major since I have interest in a lot of subjects. Deep down I've always wanted to protect wilderness areas and I wanted to stay local to Tahoe since I have been inspired by the forest around here. I chose forestry because it was more specific to my goals than environmental science. 
     As for GIS, I wasn’t initially sure about what it was - I knew it was part of the forestry program. I loved using field maps, and screen capture so I thought the first class was really cool and I absolutely loved it. It got harder in the second class. Specifically, I found the urban planning portion to be overwhelming but it plays a critical part in protecting forests. For instance, by prioritizing wildland spaces in urban water planning, we align water infrastructure with natural hydrology that will protect forests, prevent erosion, and manage water efficiently. 

Where were you during the Caldor fire and how did it impact you?

     I was in Tahoe. The sky changed colors overnight and there was debris everywhere. Two days before the evacuation notice, I bought a vehicle and started loading it up with family photos, art pieces, my favorite gear, and my laptop. I had a strong feeling that it was going to come to town so I left a day before the evacuation. It was traumatizing to think of the damage the fire would do. I didn’t know what rebuilding looked like. Even though I had left, I constantly kept checking updates on how the firefighters were doing. Watching the massive Caldor Fire creep on the map was terrifying and caused severe anxiety. My mind kept racing with questions - Where will the bears, squirrels, coyotes, go? How would it be rebuilt? I usually tend to make the best of everything and stay positive even in adverse situations, but I was struggling to find the silver lining. 
     After the fire, Andrea was fortunate to come back and find out that her apartment was spared during the burn.

Hearing about the devastation caused by the fire was heart wrenching and galvanized her to help with reforestation at Sierra-at-Tahoe and eventually do a planting with Sugar Pine Foundation in Christmas Valley. Her swift action to help with reforestation efforts is a testament to the resilience of the community. 
What is one specific lesson you learned in school that you realized is vastly different in the field?

     The botany class I took had a heavy focus on cellular structures and anatomy, and for some reason, my brain will remember some things, but then I would not find it really useful. It felt detached from the real world. At the nursery that I work at, however, we do a lot of trial and error. For instance, we could have 2 identical genus and species, and I don’t know why one would thrive while the other one died. So in the real world, there is a lot of nuance, and some answers are incomplete. Whereas in school everything is structured and answers are written in a textbook. 

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the forestry industry today?

     The planet is getting hotter, and the weather patterns are becoming more extreme. As things get hotter, it's going to affect every living creature. We have firsthand witnessed the impact of megafires that were caused by a combination of climate change, vegetation changes from widespread fire suppression, and rampant development at the wildland-urban interface. We are already tackling environmental issues - invasive species, megafires - that are exacerbated by extreme weather. Consciousness and the environment are deeply interconnected, and taking actionable steps to protect your local ecosystem is the best way to practice those values. If everyone from urban planners, to the government, to conservationists, and consumers focused on prioritizing the health of the planet, change would be a lot quicker. Entire systems would be rebuilt, and extractive mechanisms would transform into regenerative pathways instead. It truly is a human consciousness dilemma.  

What are your hopes and aspirations for the future? What brings you joy and fills you with energy?

I would love for human consciousness to put the environment first and I would love to help in any way that I can. Personally, I would want to build a base of knowledge and work on what is needed - be it conservation, soil science, regenerative farming. I’m not sure what that looks like yet, but I'm open to possibilities. The goal is to be a catalyst for the care and protection of the environment.
A lot of things bring me joy- my dog, my partner, my friends, my work, studying, being in nature. The bond I share with my dog reminds me of the beautiful connection we share to the wild. Even now I will take my shoes off and hike barefoot. I’ll lay in a meadow and be one with the wildflowers while watching the clouds go by. That completely fills me with energy. 

Andrea's multidisciplinary mindset is a celebrated advantage, allowing her to synthesize ideas from different disciplines, adapt quickly to new challenges, and thrive in dynamic environments. She has dedicated herself to living as sustainably as she possibly can. Her presence adds immense value to the board, ensuring they can navigate complex challenges while embedding value-driven strategies that are aligned with the organization's overarching goals. We are honored and privileged to welcome her.