Trees are essential to life, helping to remove carbon from the atmosphere and purify the air we breathe. To Emsud Horozovic, they give even more — a driving professional purpose in his role as Forestry Manager for the City of Round Rock.
Emsud has called the Parks and Recreation Department his professional home for over 21 years, becoming the go-to guy when it comes to trees in Round Rock.
From the nursery where growth as a seedling happens, to planting and nurturing, through to reincarnation into the mulch that helps other plants grow and thrive, he is involved in every step of the life cycle process of trees throughout our community.
“In an urban environment, we need nature more than ever before. With trees, we are able to paint the canvas of our community.”
Emsud works to help protect and enhance Round Rock’s landscape and overall environment through tree preservation, tree care and enforcement of the local tree ordinance.
He dedicates himself to educating residents on the importance of trees and how to best care for them, while engaging the community via multiple events each year, including Arbor Day, brush pickup and holiday tree recycling opportunities, storm cleanups and more.
In 2021, he was uniquely involved in the City’s effort to serve Round Rock during the harsh winter storms that blanketed the entire community, including its trees, with historic amounts of ice and snow.
“We spent weeks cleaning up the town. Now in the months after the storm, we are still working with tree removal and assessing which tree is going to live or die and helping residents in making the decision of what they should plant.”
With Emsud’s expertise, the City of Round Rock is able to offer free residential tree inspections for homeowners across the city — something that became especially important following the storm. During these inspections, Emsud or another member of his team assess a tree, look for signs of serious tree disease or other problems and provide guidance on the health and future of a tree at their home.
Trees are a part of who Emsud Horozovic is. Having immigrated from Bosnia and with family from Australia, he has a deep love for enchanted forests, rolling hillsides and mountains — none of which are native to Round Rock. But he still found a home in the trees right here in Central Texas.
Why does he do it? Because to him it’s more than just a job. He loves what he does and he loves our community.
“I moved all my family here through the course of the years and we put our roots here and just like my trees I like to be rooted in a community. We don’t make too many movements throughout our lives, so for me it’s much more than a paycheck and just a job. It is finding a place you can call home and feel like you are home.”
