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

Most of you are doing your best to keep things watered, but you could always use some help. Below are a few ideas for public awareness and pleas to get homeowner assistance in watering trees. As always, contact your DNR Urban Forestry staff if you’d like more specific examples.  

• Social media is a great avenue to get these types of messages out. Use your community’s Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms to your advantage.
• Consider dropping off a doorhanger reminding folks to water trees. Perhaps work it into your watering schedule; each address you stop at gets a doorhanger.

• Put out ‘Water Your Trees’ yard signs around newly planted street trees in the community, especially onto those busy streets.
• Publish an article in the local newspaper.
• Include watering information on your website, e.g. https://stevenspoint.com/913/Watering-Mulch.
• The City of Stevens Point rented space on advertising signs on the outside of their city buses.
• I’ve even seen phone apps that let homeowners update a map when they’ve watered a street tree.

Thanks for everything you do for the trees!