On September 13^th, the 2^nd ‘Asia Pacific Urban Forestry Meeting’ was held in Seoul, South Korea.  Asia is home to a large urban population that continues to grow, almost depleting many natural resources. This meeting was hosted to share industry knowledge on how well-managed forests and urban green spaces can help relieve many of the socio-economical stresses while creating a more sustainable and resilient urban environment. This year’s meeting was focused on developing an Action Plan to “guide countries toward the sound implementation of urban forestry in the region.”

One of Wisconsin’s projects was mentioned and used as resource at this year’s meeting. A diagram that showcases the monetary values associated with tree benefits was developed a few years ago and continues to be used, even half way around the world. Recently, the urban forestry program announced the release of the Wisconsin Community Tree Map. One of the features of this map is the ability to look-up the monetary savings trees provide, based on any number of variables (community, tree species, or for a specific tree) from community inventories provided to the DNR.

There are currently inventories from 38 communities incorporated into Wisconsin Community Tree Map, totaling over 350,000 trees, and that number is increasing. Communities that want to upload or update their inventories, or are interested in creating one, should contact DNRUrbanForestryAssessment@wisconsin.gov.

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