Governor Tony Evers addresses the crowd prior to planting 15 large shade trees.
As part of the 2025 NFL Draft festivities in Green Bay during the week of April 21, the Wisconsin DNR Urban Forestry Team proudly served as a key technical partner for the tree planting event. Held in partnership with the NFL, Oneida Nation, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers and Verizon as part of the NFL Green initiative, the event brought attention to the importance of community trees and environmental stewardship.
NFL Green is the NFL’s environmental program. It works to mitigate the environmental impact of the NFL’s major events and create a green legacy in each community that host events such as the NFL Draft. These objectives are addressed through active partnerships with NFL sponsors, local committees and government agencies such as the DNR. The event included Oneida Nation of Wisconsin Chair Tehassi Hill and Gov. Tony Evers.
Olivia Witthun demonstrates how to properly plant a tree.
DNR Urban Forestry staff played a key role in the project’s success. Patricia Lindquist led logistics coordination for the public tree planting component of event, ensuring a smooth setup and organized planting effort. Olivia Witthun led volunteer tree planters through a tree planting demonstration and shared best practices for tree care, while also assisting with planting site preparation alongside Jay Dampier, who served as an extra set of hands for both prep and planting-day activities.
DNR Secretary Karen Hyun also participated at the event, as did State Forester Heather Berklund, who helped get balled and burlapped trees into the ground.
The event highlighted the value of partnerships in urban forestry and the positive impact trees have in our communities, especially during high-profile events like the NFL Draft. A special thank you to other DNR staff that contributed to the events success: Natasha Gwidt, Elle Soderberg, Bobbi Winebar, Sean Kennedy and Ben Cornelius
State Forester Heather Berklund and other DNR Staff helped plant trees alongside volunteers.
You can catch a glimpse of the event and media coverage at the links below: