DNR Urban Forestry staff, led by Urban Forestry Coordinator Olivia Witthun, successfully planned and executed a 4-day annual meeting for the Northeastern Area Association of State Foresters – Urban & Community Forestry Committee (NAASF UCF) in Madison in May.

State UCF Coordinators from the 20 northeastern states and the District of Columbia attended, as well as US Forest Service staff, members of the Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council and Wisconsin DNR Forestry leadership. Participants learned of, and recommended, policies to influence UCF on regional and national levels. They exchanged information and ideas to deliver efficient and effective federal and state initiatives within their overall programs. The meeting included a tour of Madison urban forestry stops and two optional tours (the Aldo Leopold Foundation Center & Shack and the Forest Products Laboratory.) There were three evening events as well, including a panel discussion and dialogue with leaders of the three branches of the Forest Service sharing their vision of how UCF intersects with their respective mission areas. Olivia has now assumed the Chair position of the NAASF UCF Committee and will serve over the next year.

For more information contact Ellen Clark (EllenA.Clark@Wisconsin.gov), Urban Forestry Communication Specialist, at 608-267-2774.