By Olivia Witthun, DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator
Olivia.Witthun@wisconsin.gov or 414-750-8744
Congratulations to the latest class of Wisconsin Community Tree Management Institute (CTMI) graduates! The CTMI wrapped up its sixth cohort 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 technical skills but lack leadership and management experience.
Over six days of intensive training, students acquired the knowledge and skills needed to manage municipal trees and green space. Their exposure to various teaching perspectives gave them a well-rounded 38-hour training experience. The retreat-like setting created by the small class size and interactive learning curriculum reinforced the focus on support-network development with other students, staff and instructors. The capstone of the institute required each student to complete an applied project that benefited their community by utilizing their new skills and knowledge.
CTMI is divided into three two-day sessions. The first two days took a high-level approach, looking at the foundation of a successful program. It included information on tree canopy, public awareness, legal issues, ordinances and more. The second session focused on how to manage the work. Students learned about inventories, plans, biology, tree risk, wooded areas and other topics. The third session brought it all together. In this final session last month, students spent time in the field identifying trees, insects and diseases, took a tour of the city of Stevens Point’s forestry operations and shared the successes of their applied student projects.
A formal graduation ceremony honored the students’ commitment to improving the management of their community’s forest. Members of the Urban Forestry Council and DNR Forestry’s Deputy Division Administrator Jake Walcisak participated in the event, which included a conversational mixer and dinner. To celebrate their dedication to Wisconsin’s urban forests, the Wisconsin Arborist Association gifted CTMI graduates a free one-year membership. This complimentary membership will provide numerous technical training opportunities and enhance student engagement with the professional urban forestry community over the next year.
CTMI is sponsored and developed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) with assistance from UW-Stevens Point and the city of Stevens Point. CTMI instructors have wide-ranging backgrounds and include municipal forestry staff, utility foresters, university staff, consultants, tree board members and DNR staff. A new CTMI cohort starts every three years. A CTMI graduate workshop is offered in the off year.
This year’s attendees included 32 students from local Wisconsin governments, a tribe and nonprofits, including: Ashland, Bad River Tribe, Belleville, Brandon, Brooklyn, Cambridge, DeForest, Eau Claire Urban Foresty Commission, Edgar, Evansville, Francis Creek, Germantown, Ledgeview, Lynden Sculpture Garden, Menomonie, Middleton, Neenah, New London, New Richmond, Oconto Falls, Rice Lake, Richland Center, Rock River Coalition, Slinger, South Milwaukee, Superior, Two Rivers, Verona, Waukesha County, the DNR and WisDOT. After completion of this sixth cadre, CTMI has trained urban forestry staff representing a population of nearly 3 million people. That’s 50% of our total population here in Wisconsin!