Urban wood

Urban Wood Fest Celebrates Local Wood

Posted on by patricialindquist

By Erich Ebert, Urban Wood Lab Supervisor, Wisconsin@UrbanWoodNetwork.org or 608-622-7212

Urban wood (lumber and live edge slabs sourced from neighborhood trees) is more than a local, carbon-smart, sustainable source of building materials. It’s a way to capture the natural beauty of Wisconsin and bring it inside your home. In true Milwaukee tradition, there’s a festival to celebrate it. The Urban Wood Network and the Urban Wood Lab Store by Hoppe Tree Service will host an exciting day of all things urban wood on Saturday, Sept. 16 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Wood Lab’s location in Caledonia.

This is an event for people who love trees. You don’t have to be a woodworker to appreciate the natural beauty of urban wood. We’ll be joined by a collection of local artisans selling finished products made of urban wood. Many of them are available to do custom projects, so a customer can come find a piece of wood they love and meet an artisan who can make something from it.

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Register Now For The World Forum On Urban Forests

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The second edition of the World Forum on Urban Forests will take place in Washington, D.C. from Oct. 16-20. The aim of the forum is to continue to highlight positive examples of planning, design and management approaches that cities with diverse cultures, forms, structure and histories have implemented to optimize the contribution that urban forests and green infrastructure can provide in terms of economic development, environmental conservation and resilience, improved social cohesion, and increased public involvement.

This year’s theme is “Greener, Healthier and Happier Cities for All.” Join friends and colleagues from around the world as we focus on the importance of building inclusive and accessible cities where the goods and services of urban forests and trees are universally available.

View the agenda on the Arbor Day website.

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Municipal Forestry Institute Now Accepting Applications

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The Municipal Forestry Institute is an intensive high-level professional growth program of the Society of Municipal Arborists. The week-long training provides personal and professional development opportunities for key urban forestry decision-makers who want to become influential leaders and managers.

The cadre of dedicated urban forestry instructors has taught over 800 leaders since 2005. Grow your professional skills and community tree program by joining the Municipal Forestry Institute.

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Career Opportunities With The Wisconsin DNR: Join The Urban Forestry Team

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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Bureau of Applied Forestry is hiring a dual Limited Term Employee (LTE) Forestry Specialist and Forestry Outreach Specialist. Workstation assignment will be based on the appointee’s preference, pending supervisor approval and available space. There is potential for these positions to telecommute for a portion of the work week. Hybrid remote scheduling is subject to supervisor approval.

This dual LTE appointment is comprised of two 20-hour positions for an expected work schedule of 40 hours per week. The intention is to hire one candidate to fill both positions.

More information including position descriptions, salary information, job details, qualifications and how to apply is available online at wisc.jobs. Search for job ID 11427.

Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. CT on Aug. 28, 2023 in order to be considered.

Applications For Urban Forestry Grants Are Now Open!

Posted on by patricialindquist

Cities, villages, towns, counties, tribes and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in or conducting their project in Wisconsin can apply for a regular or startup 2024 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Urban Forestry Grant.

The grants range from $1,000 to $25,000, and grant recipients must match each grant dollar for dollar. A startup grant of up to $5,000 is available for communities that want to start or restart a community forestry program. Grants are awarded to projects that align with state and national goals for increasing the urban forest canopy and its benefits.

The recent Governor’s 2023-25 Biennial Budget increased funding to urban forestry grants by $350,000 over the biennium. In 2024, the annual allotment will increase by $175,000 to further fund Urban Forestry projects. Also available this grant cycle is an additional $145,000 in federal funding to be used for emerald ash borer treatment and ash tree removals and replacements. In total, $806,680 is currently available in regular and startup grant funding for 2024, with an additional $139,920 in reserve for catastrophic storm grants.

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Students Graduate From The Community Tree Management Institute

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Congratulations to the latest class of CTMI graduates!

The Wisconsin Community Tree Management Institute (CTMI) wrapped up its fifth class mid-June. CTMI is an advanced training course designed specifically for people responsible for urban forest management who do not have a degree and/or experience in urban forestry. Conversely, they may have the technical skills, but lack the leadership and management experience.

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DNR Urban Forestry Welcomes New Interns

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The DNR Urban Forestry team is excited to welcome two urban forestry interns to the Milwaukee office for eight weeks this summer. This is the second year of a collaborative program between the department, the USDA Forest Service, Southern University and A&M College, a public historically black land-grant university (HBCU) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Get to know our new interns, Deron Isom and Jada Walden, from their bios below.

Deron Isom will be graduating this spring from Southern University and A&M College’s Urban Forestry and Natural Resources Department. He chose urban forestry and natural resources to contribute to the care of the environment. During his time at Southern, he had opportunities to intern with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and partner with the Recreation & Park Commission for East Baton Rouge Parish to produce multiple resource management plans and tree inventory projects. He is currently employed with the USDA at the Honeybee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Agricultural Research Lab. He is known for his master status as a professional pugilist as well as pursuing a professional boxing career. He is a member of The Society of American Foresters, The Louisiana Forestry Association, Southwest Parks and Recreation Training Institute, and Spartans Boxing Club. He has goals to increase global contributions to sustainable living and spread his knowledge of agriculture.

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Upcoming Environmental Justice Webinars

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The Arbor Day Foundation and the Chicago Region Trees Initiative are each hosting an environmental justice webinar next week.

On Tuesday, July 18, from 11 a.m. – noon, the Arbor Day Foundation is presenting Environmental Justice in Tree Cities: Where to Begin? A conversation with Dr. Christine Carmichael of Fair Forests Consulting for the Tree City USA network. In this webinar, attendees will learn the defining characteristics of environmental justice, evidence of environmental injustices in urban and community forestry, and strategies to integrate environmental justice principles into their Tree City USA programs.

If you, your organization, your city or town are new to environmental justice concepts and practices, this webinar will equip you with tangible next steps to advance your efforts, including ways to measure your success and adapt as needed along the way. 

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Applications For Urban Forestry Grants Are Now Open

Posted on by patricialindquist

Cities, villages, towns, counties, tribes and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in or conducting their project in Wisconsin can apply for a regular or startup 2024 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Urban Forestry Grant.

The grants range from $1,000 to $25,000, and grant recipients must match each grant dollar for dollar. A startup grant of up to $5,000 is available for communities that want to start or restart a community forestry program. Grants are awarded to projects that align with state and national goals for increasing the urban forest canopy and its benefits. Also available this grant cycle is an additional $145,000 in federal funding to be used for emerald ash borer treatment and ash tree removals and replacements.

The application deadline is Oct. 2, 2023. For more information, visit the Urban Forestry Grants webpage.

If you have questions regarding the application process and eligible projects, contact your DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator.

Please note: The DNR was recently allocated $4.875 million in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding. We expect to competitively sub-award most of this allocation to local governments, tribal governments and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations through our grant program to fund projects that support equitable access to trees and the benefits they provide in disadvantaged communities across Wisconsin. We will be sharing more information about the IRA funding soon.