Archives

Is That A Crack In My Tree?

By Olivia Witthun, DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator
Olivia.Witthun@wisconsin.gov or 414-750-8744

tree with frost crackWisconsin winters with subzero weather can create problems for our trees. Frost cracks are one of those problems we’re seeing an uptick of lately. These longitudinal openings can run the entire length of the trunk, often extend deep into the wood, and permanently damage a tree. In wintertime, the tree may even look like it’s splitting in half! Then warmer weather comes, and the crack seems to close, repeating this process annually. Over time, frost cracks may even develop a raised area where callus tissue develops in an attempt to close over the wound, only to reopen again next winter. Continue reading “Is That A Crack In My Tree?”

Post Your Forestry Jobs For Free

Have a job opening you need to get the word out about before the busy field season ramps up?

The UW-Stevens Point’s Wisconsin Forestry Center welcomes employers to send in their job openings using this email: wfc@uwsp.edu. Web links are preferred, but PDFs are also acceptable. Be sure to include job title, type of employment (full-time, part-time, temporary, internship, etc.), location and application due date. There is no cost for posting openings. Continue reading “Post Your Forestry Jobs For Free”

Run For The Trees

Now is the time to sign up for Run for the Trees: Happy Little (Virtual) 5K! Run, walk or roll to support tree planting and forest protection efforts in state parks. The program was started in 2019 when Bob Ross Inc. partnered with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to raise awareness of and money for tree planting and has since expanded to 13 states. Continue reading “Run For The Trees”

Urban Forestry Internship Application Period Now Open

The application period is now open for hundreds of internships with the state of Wisconsin, including two positions with the DNR’s Urban Forestry program!

The urban forest interns will focus on data collection and analysis projects to expand our knowledge of the sustainable management of community forests. Daily work will mostly consist of different tree inventory projects, with opportunities to learn about the wider forestry and urban forestry fields in Wisconsin. Continue reading “Urban Forestry Internship Application Period Now Open”

Register Now For The WAA/DNR Annual Conference, Feb. 16 – 18. 2025

What: 60+ Years of Enhancing the Urban Forests in Wisconsin
When: Feb. 16-18, 2025
Where: Hyatt & KI Convention Center – Green Bay, WI

Green Bay can’t wait for arborists to return for the WAA and Wisconsin DNR Annual Winter Conference! The program committee outdid themselves again with this year’s lineup. Continue reading “Register Now For The WAA/DNR Annual Conference, Feb. 16 – 18. 2025”

New Tree Canopy Resources Released

By Dan Buckler, DNR Urban Forest Assessment Specialist
Daniel.Buckler@wisconsin.gov or 608-445-4578

Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) assessments using aerial or satellite imagery have been one of the primary ways people estimate the extent of urban forests across an area of interest, whether it be a single park, a streetscape or a whole community.

Two recently released UTC resources are ready for use by Wisconsin communities and urban forestry practitioners. The first, TreeCanopy.us, is a mapping application that shows UTC and other land cover in urban areas across the country for 2017 and 2022. It also shows changes in canopy cover between those five years. Continue reading “New Tree Canopy Resources Released”

Lumber Milling At McFarland High School

By Peter Lindblad, HNG News Reporter, PLindblad@hngnews.com

Reprinted with the author’s permission.

The price of wood is soaring. To save a little money, the technology education department at McFarland High School has devised an ingenuous DIY cost-saving scheme.

Since 2019, Steve Pennekamp’s woodworking classes have been milling their own lumber. The village, in a partnership with the students, provides the logs, removed from projects around town. Continue reading “Lumber Milling At McFarland High School”

International Society Of Arboriculture Credential Renamed

The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist Municipal Specialist® credential will now be called ISA Certified Urban Forest Professional.

New Logo, Same Benefits

As an ISA Certified Urban Forest Professional, you continue showing the public, employers and peers that you have achieved the critical knowledge and skills needed to manage trees as a community asset providing societal benefits in an urban forest context. Continue reading “International Society Of Arboriculture Credential Renamed”

Winter Tree ID

How do you learn to identify trees in the middle of a Wisconsin winter when most of the leaves are on the ground?

LEAF’s Winter Tree Key follows the dichotomous process of our regular tree key but uses detailed illustrations of buds, twigs and features other than leaves for identification. The key also includes an illustrated glossary defining the specific vocabulary involved in this process. Winter tree identification can be a bit more demanding. Continue reading “Winter Tree ID”