Last Chance! Urban Forestry Award Nominations Due Oct. 31

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We want to hear from you!

The online Urban Forestry Award application is easy to complete, so why not recognize a person or group for the work they are doing?

Some examples of past award winners have been…

  • Teachers inspiring the next generation
  • Planting events completed by nonprofit organizations partnering with businesses
  • Urban forestry-related research projects
  • Parks and Recreation departments that have implemented tree walks or other community events
  • Volunteers who have dedicated a significant amount of time to improving the canopy
  • Retiring municipal foresters who have had a substantial impact on the communities they serve

    Gov Tony Evers with past award winners. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

The Urban Forestry Council presents annual awards to outstanding individuals, organizations, communities and tribes that further urban forestry in Wisconsin. Awards are presented in the categories of Next Gen, Project Partnerships, Lifetime Achievement, Innovations in Urban Forestry, Leadership and Species Diversity. The awards are announced each year at the annual Wisconsin Arborist Association/Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Annual Conference and presented to winners in their community.

Learn more about the awards and complete the nomination form.

Tree City USA – Online Portal Open!

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By Laura Buntrock, DNR Urban Forestry Partnership & Policy Specialist
Laura.Buntrock@wisconsin.gov or 608-294-0253

The online portal for Tree City USA is now open, with applications due Dec. 31. If you’re new to TCUSA, you can learn more about the program on the Arbor Day Foundation website or from your DNR urban forestry coordinator.

There were 188 Wisconsin communities that obtained TCUSA status for the 2025 recognition year, which was awarded last spring. The highest number we achieved was 201 certified communities in 2020 and 2021. We need you to help us set a new record for 2026! Continue reading “Tree City USA – Online Portal Open!” →

Community Spotlight: Sheboygan County’s Wade House Planting Project

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By Tracy Folz, Sheboygan Sun Reporter

volunteers plant a tree

Photo Credit: Tracy Folz

The Sheboygan Rotary Club’s Restoration of Our Trees Sheboygan initiative, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Urban Forestry Team, Wade House Historic Site and a team of people from Johnsonville and Kohler planted a mixture of 59 trees during United Way’s Day of Caring on Thursday, Sept. 24 at the Wade House.

DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator Olivia Witthun and two DNR college summer interns, Emma Kimball and Casey Czerwonka, created a planting plan listing the types of trees to be planted and the location where the trees should be planted. The interns are studying environmental science. Kimball is a junior at Marquette University, and Czerwonka is a senior at UW-Milwaukee. Continue reading “Community Spotlight: Sheboygan County’s Wade House Planting Project” →

Fall Workshops On Tree Resilience A Success

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By Olivia Witthun, DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator
Olivia.Witthun@wisconsin.gov or 414-750-8744

root samples

Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

DNR Urban Forestry successfully partnered with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension’s Horticulture Team to host several fall workshops on Tree Resilience: Planting, Pruning & Care. Dr. Rich Hauer (former UW-Stevens Point professor and current Eocene Director of Urban Forestry) was the lead instructor, with Adam Alves (Dane County Parks) providing assistance. Four workshops were held around the state during the week of Sept. 21 in Dane, Waukesha, Jackson and Outagamie counties. Over 175 registrants from municipalities, private companies and other organizations attended the workshops. Continue reading “Fall Workshops On Tree Resilience A Success” →

Funding For Firewood Banks Available

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stacked firewood

Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

With winter approaching, the Alliance for Green Heat is seeking proposals from firewood banks across the country to expand their capacity to provide free firewood to families struggling to heat their homes.

AGH received $1.7 million in additional Infrastructure Assistance and Jobs Act funding through the U.S. Forest Service to extend its firewood bank grant program, which supports firewood banks in rural and tribal communities. The grants will help firewood banks purchase equipment, such as chainsaws, firewood splitters and protective gear, to help communities put low-grade wood removed through forest management on federal and other lands to productive use heating homes. Continue reading “Funding For Firewood Banks Available” →

Upcoming Training & Events

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class observing tree roots

Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

*These training opportunities are provided as an information service only and do not constitute endorsement by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

See below for information on training topics and events, including oaks, diseases, fungi, volunteer leadership in natural resources, winter tree ID, fruit trees, invasives, research project presentations and insect identification. Continue reading “Upcoming Training & Events” →

Kelsey Taylor Joins DNR’s Battle Against Forest Invasive Plants

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head and shoulders photo of a woman

Kelsey Taylor joined the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Forest Health team as Forest Invasive Plants Coordinator in October 2026. / Photo Credit: Kelsey Taylor

By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Communications Specialist, Fitchburg
608-335-0167; Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov

Often, the best way to solve a problem is to look at it from many angles and through a variety of experiences.

That makes Kelsey Taylor ready to take on the set of challenges she’ll face as the new Forest Invasive Plant Coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) – battling buckthorn, scrapping with stilt grass and going after garlic mustard.

Continue reading “Kelsey Taylor Joins DNR’s Battle Against Forest Invasive Plants” →

After A Quiet Year, Conduct Spongy Moth Egg Mass Surveys This Fall

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The only mature spongy moth caterpillar detected at Harrington Beach State Park in Ozaukee County in July 2026 crawls up a tree’s mainstream. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Bill McNee, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Oshkosh
Bill.McNee@wisconsin.gov

Wisconsin’s recent period of high spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) populations came to an end in 2025 and the population remained very low in 2026.

Only a handful of caterpillar reports were received, most often coming from southern Jefferson County and eastern Dane County. Most notably, numerous bur oaks were reported to be infested with several hundred caterpillars per tree in and around Cambridge, Fort Atkinson and Lake Mills; light feeding damage was visible.

Continue reading “After A Quiet Year, Conduct Spongy Moth Egg Mass Surveys This Fall” →

Oak Wilt Control: A Thousand-Foot View

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A view of two pockets of oak wilt treatment areas using the girdle-herbicide treatment, one from the previous year (bottom, yellow circle) and one from the current year (top, blue circle), captured from an airplane. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Alex Hornung, Forest Health Specialist, Plover
Alexandra.Hornung@wisconsin.gov

An aerial survey was conducted in late August over parts of Lincoln and Taylor counties, primarily looking for new oak wilt infection centers.

A rare glimpse of what oak wilt control can look like was captured from the vantage point of the airplane. The photo below shows a girdle-herbicide oak wilt control treatment from this year, with trees dying; and another from last year, with dead trees standing.

Continue reading “Oak Wilt Control: A Thousand-Foot View” →

Parts Of Northern Wisconsin Experience “Exceptional Drought” Conditions

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By Bill McNee, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Oshkosh
Bill.McNee@wisconsin.gov

map

A Wisconsin map showing drought conditions as of October 6, 2026. Map created by David Mocko, NASA/GSFC/SSAI. / Graphic Credit: Wisconsin DNR

Property owners and land managers in the northern half of Wisconsin are encouraged to monitor forest stands and ornamental trees for signs of decline and mortality due to the intensity of the current drought. In late September, parts of several counties reached the “Exceptional Drought” condition on the U.S. Drought Monitor (see maps). This is the most severe drought category used and it has only been seen in Wisconsin one other time since the U.S. Drought Monitor was created in 1999 (source: National Weather Service).

Continue reading “Parts Of Northern Wisconsin Experience “Exceptional Drought” Conditions” →