By: Olivia Witthun, Urban Forestry Regional Coordinator

CTMI groups work together to develop marketing plans for scenarios. Source: Olivia Witthun

After being postponed twice due to the pandemic, the third time was a charm. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)’s Urban Forestry Team hosted the first of three Community Tree Management Institute (CTMI) V sessions. The CTMI session took place at the Green Lake Conference Center in Green Lake, Wis. and brought together DNR Urban Forestry staff and 28 students from across the state. CTMI students, community foresters, utility foresters, UW Extension staff and a tree board member served as instructors to help educate and led exercises for the 2-day event.

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 – think of your typical small Wisconsin community’s Public Works Director. This CTMI class jumped right in from the get-go and were very involved in the conversations. The foundations of urban forestry were covered in this first session. The second session, February 2023, will cover planning, operations and biology. The third session, June 2023, will bring it all together. An applied project is also a requirement of attendees; each will work on something that will benefit their community’s urban forest.

This year’s attendees include students from the following communities and organizations:

Algoma, Antigo, Ashland, Dane, DeForest, Edgerton, Fennimore, Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum, Glendale, Lancaster, Little Chute, Lynden Sculpture Garden, Manitowoc, McFarland, Mineral Point, New London, New Richmond, Omro, Poynette, Shell Lake, Sparta, Sun Prairie, Two Rivers, Waupaca, Whitewater, DNR, Windsor and Wisconsin Rapids.

the CTMI 2022-2023 Cohort with matching CTMI shirts. Source: Olivia Witthun