By Allen Pyle, UW-Extension Horticulture Outreach Specialist and Jay Dampier, DNR IRA Grant Coordinator, Jason.Dampier@wisconsin.gov or 920-765-1935

Reliable and up-to-date research-based information is vital for tree care professionals and urban foresters to make sound, scientific management decisions. To make trusted resources more accessible, UW-Extension’s Horticulture Program and Wisconsin DNR’s Urban Forestry Program have developed this curated selection of useful webpages with free information and resources for urban forestry professionals and community tree managers.

We recommend bookmarking this page in your web browser for easy future reference.

UW-Madison, Division of Extension Key Resources

• Deciduous trees and shrubs: Provides guidance on selecting, planting and maintaining deciduous trees and shrubs. It includes fact sheets, videos and links to resources for emerald ash borer management, invasive plant lists, species profiles and general deciduous woody plant care topics. Also has useful information for selecting species for urban and community settings, including options for maintaining diversity in a changing climate.
• Evergreen trees and shrubs: A collection of information on conifers and broadleaf evergreens, including site suitability, planting tips, long-term care and guidance on hardiness and environmental adaptation. Provides good information on selecting evergreens by use or environmental tolerances, including salt and urban landscape conditions.
• UW Learning Store Urban Forestry Publications: Offers downloadable, research-based publications on urban forestry in Wisconsin. Topics include tree selection, planning and design, tree preservation during construction and pest management.
• Wildlife Management: The wildlife section here provides useful information on a range of topics related to urban wildlife, including species important to urban forestry. These resources provide information on attracting birds and pollinators to urban settings as well as managing damage from potentially destructive species like moles, deer, jumping worms, rabbits and other small vertebrates.
• Wildlife Ecology & Damage Management: A cooperative effort from UW-Madison Extension, USDA-Wildlife Services (Wisconsin) and the Wisconsin DNR providing fact sheets on wildlife damage management, including laws and regulations on the subject.
• Traditional Forestry Resources: Publications, videos and guides for woodland stewardship relevant to urban-adjacent woodlands. Articles can be filtered by topic, including tree planting, invasive species management and site maintenance. Urban foresters can benefit from this broader perspective on managing trees in parks, edge habitats and larger woodland green spaces.
• The Renz Weed Science Lab: Offers research-based information on weed and invasive plant identification and control. Resources include Invasive Plant Identification Slides, Invasive Plant Management Fact Sheets, virtual tours of Woody Invasive Plant Management Demonstration Sites and Rights of Way Vegetation Management Factsheets. These resources provide up-to-date, practical information on integrated vegetation management (IVM) for urban foresters tasked with managing invasive species.
• UW-Madison Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic (PDCC): Provides educational resources and diagnostic services for identifying and managing plant diseases. Offers diagnostic analysis for both digital and physical samples and a wide range of detailed Plant Disease Fact Sheets.
• UW-Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab: Offers educational resources and diagnostic services for arthropod identification and management. Maintains an extensive collection of Landscape Insect Pest Fact Sheets and maps of invasive insect species distribution in Wisconsin. Accepts digital, mailed and walk-in samples.
• UW-Madison Pesticide Applicator Training (PAT) Program: Commercial pesticide applicators in Wisconsin are required to be certified, as are private applicators using Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs). The UW PAT Program provides educational resources and training for pesticide applicators seeking certification in Wisconsin.
• UW-Madison Extension AgWeather Oak Wilt Vector Emergence Thermal Model: An online model developed cooperatively with the Wisconsin DNR using degree day modeling to predict emergence of beetles that vector oak wilt disease in order to determine times when oak pruning and harvesting should be avoided to reduce the risk of spreading oak wilt.

DNR Key Resources

• Urban Tree Planting Resources: Provides guidance for planning and planting trees in Wisconsin communities. Factsheets and videos include tips on species selection, proper planting techniques, and tree care during establishment. Suitable for use by urban forestry professionals in educating the public for tree planting events.
• Starting an Urban Forestry Program: Offers tools for starting, maintaining, or improving municipal urban forestry programs. Information covers tree boards, ordinances, management plans and best practices for public works staff. Communities can use these resources to build structured, sustainable urban forestry programs.
• Urban Forest Tree Inventories: Contains information on how to conduct and use tree inventories in managing urban forests. Highlights the multiple benefits of tree inventories in planning, funding, species diversity and long-term urban forest management. Municipalities and community groups can use this information to maintain healthy and resilient urban forests.
• Climate Change and Urban Trees: Provides information on how climate change affects urban trees and forests, including strategies for species selection in a changing environment and long-term planning to increase urban forest resilience.
• Urban Forestry News, Training, and Events: A page providing information on urban forestry news, including the Wisconsin DNR Urban Forestry Newsletter, as well as events and training resources useful to urban and community foresters.
• Urban Forest Data, Analysis, and Monitoring: DNR data collection programs and projects provide useful details on the size, health and species composition of urban forests in Wisconsin. Efforts include compiling data on public tree inventories, establishing and monitoring long-term urban forest plots and using aerial imagery to evaluate tree canopy cover. Includes information on the economic contributions of urban and community forestry to Wisconsin’s economy.
• Urban Forestry Grants: The Wisconsin DNR offers urban forestry-related grants to Wisconsin villages, towns, cities, counties, tribes and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. These DNR grants fall into four categories: regular grants, startup grants, IRA grants and catastrophic storm grants. A recorded webinar provides guidance for submitting Urban Forestry grant proposals.
• Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council (UFC): Advises the Wisconsin DNR on preserving, protecting, expanding and improving the state’s urban and community forest resources. The site houses information on UFC bylaws, meetings, members, awards and UFC biennial reports.