Governor Evers has declared this as Forest Appreciation Week in Wisconsin.  Bookended by Earth Day and Arbor Day, Forest Appreciation Week celebrates Wisconsin’s 17-million acre forest resource and the bountiful ecological, economic, social and cultural values it provides every day.  This week’s celebration encompasses all ages of trees, from seedlings to seniors!

Wisconsin has a long history of planting trees and the DNR’s reforestation program is proud to have supplied more than 1.6 billion tree seedlings planted in Wisconsin since 1913.  And, for the past 40 years, DNR has provided tree seedlings to fourth-grade students throughout Wisconsin for their Arbor Day celebrations. 

While the purpose of tree planting in the early 1900s was to reforest the cutover forestland, today’s tree planting focus is on using trees as a tool to mitigate climate change. In fact, the state of Wisconsin pledged in 2021 to work with public, private and non-governmental partners to plant 75 million trees by the end of 2030 and to conserve 125,000 acres of forest land.

This week’s celebration also includes the introduction of the revitalized champion tree program.  This program, started in 1941, recognizes and celebrates the largest of each tree species in Wisconsin.

Join the celebration as you enjoy and honor Wisconsin’s urban and rural forests.