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Nominate Your Community Tree Champion For An Urban Forestry Council Award!

The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council (UFC), comprised of municipal employees, elected officials, nursery operators and arborists, advises the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Forestry on the best ways to manage urban and community forest resources.

Every year, the Council bestows several awards to recognize and thank individuals, organizations, communities and tribes across Wisconsin for their work and commitment to trees, plantings, habitat and the economic benefits they provide. The awards are announced at the annual Wisconsin Urban Forestry Conference in February and presented to winners in their communities.

We are currently seeking nominations for next year’s awards. The deadline for 2022 nominees is Oct. 31, 2021. However, you can nominate your community tree champions at any time.

There are five categories of awards, including our new Next Gen award:

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A Reminder that the Application Deadline is Coming Up for 2022 Urban Forestry Grants!

Cities, villages, towns, counties, tribes and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in or conducting their project in Wisconsin are encouraged to apply for a regular or startup 2022 Department of Natural Resources Urban Forestry Grant! The grants range from $1,000 to $25,000, and grant recipients must match each grant dollar for dollar. A startup grant of up to $5,000 is available for communities that want to start or restart a community forestry program. Grants are awarded to projects that align with state and national goals for increasing the urban forest canopy and the benefits it provides.

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WAA Fall Seminar

The Wisconsin Arborist Association (WAA) will host this year’s Fall Seminar in-person and virtually.

The in-person seminar will be held on Sept. 15 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Army Lake Camp & Retreat Center in East Troy, Wisconsin. Up to 6 CEUs are available. The registration deadline is Friday, Sept. 10. The fee is $100 for WAA members or $110 for nonmembers plus a $25 late registration fee. Full-time students may attend for free. Register online here.

For those who prefer to participate online, the content of the in-person seminar will be repeated on a virtual platform that can be viewed Oct. 1-15. The online seminar will include five hours of virtual learning and engagement with 5 CEUs available through an online quiz. The registration deadline is Sept. 30, and the fee is $90 for WAA members or $100 for nonmembers. Full-time students may attend for free. Register online here.

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ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program

Created and administered by the Morton Arboretum in Chicago, the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program is the only international accreditation program specific to arboreta. It fosters professionalism and collaboration and recognizes arboreta at various levels of development.

The program is free of charge, and accreditation is valid for five years with a simple renewal every five years.

Examples of institutions that may be accredited include arboreta and botanic gardens, historic properties, college campuses, cemeteries, zoos, city tree collections, corporate campuses, school properties, golf courses, nature reserves and municipal parks.

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Partners In Community Forestry Conference

Sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, the Partners in Community Forestry conference will be held in-person in Louisville, Kentucky on Nov. 17 and 18. This conference is the largest international gathering of urban forestry practitioners, advocates, researchers and government leaders. Bring your skills, your hunger for knowledge and your passion for community forestry as you mingle with like-minded professionals; the thinkers, doers, and thought leaders in community forestry. CEUs will be available.

Partnering events held the same week include the Society of Municipal Arborists’ 57th Annual International Conference and Trade Show (Nov. 15-16), the Alliance for Community Trees Day (Nov. 16), and Urban Wood Network Academy (Nov. 19).

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Invasive Plant Management Factsheets

Tree-of-Heaven. Photo credit: Richard Gardner, Bugwood.org

The Renz Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension has created a series of factsheets discussing the identification and control of many common invasive plant species problematic to natural areas.

Mechanical, cultural and chemical control methods are discussed in detail, including the effectiveness of the control method and appropriate rates and timings of chemical control applications.

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Outdoor Hazards In Wisconsin: A Guide To Insects, Plants And Wildlife

Published by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, this guide will help you recognize, avoid and handle potential problems caused by wildlife, insects or plants.

Contents:

  • Amphibians (salamanders, toads)
  • Reptiles (turtles, snakes)
  • Birds (defending territory, handling birds)
  • Mammals (short-tailed shrews, bats, skunks, porcupines, coyotes, gray wolves, deer, black bears)
  • Stinging insects (bees and wasps)
  • Blood-feeding insects (mosquitoes, deerflies and horseflies, blackflies, biting midges, ticks, chiggers)

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Diplodia Shoot Blight vs. Red Pine Shoot Moth

By Todd Lanigan, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Eau Claire, Todd.Lanigan@wisconsin.gov or 715-210-0150

Scattered damage to new red pine shoots has been observed across many counties this summer. With the intermittent rains during the summer, the first thought was that Diplodia shoot blight, a fungal disease, was causing the damage. Upon a closer look, some of the shoot mortality is caused by the red pine shoot moth. From a casual glance, these two problems will look the same, so you really need to take a closer look. 

If Diplodia causes the shoot mortality, the shoot usually forms a shepherd’s crook. And, in time, you will find the fungal fruiting bodies on the needles, especially if you look under the needle sheath (covering) at the base of the needles.

Shepherd’s crook caused by Diplodia shoot blight. Photo Credit: Elizabeth Bush, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Bugwood.org

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Redheaded Pine Sawfly Numbers Remain Elevated In Northeastern Wisconsin

Written by: Linda Williams, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Woodruff, Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0665. 

For the third year in a row, colonies of redheaded pine sawfly have been noted on understory red pine in northern Wisconsin, with the most reports coming from Vilas and Oneida counties.

Redheaded pine sawfly larvae feeding on red pine needles. Note the needle stubs where they have eaten nearly to the base of the needle. Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

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White Pine Branch Tips Red And Wilting

Written by: Linda Williams, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Woodruff, Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0665. 

White pine trees in many counties in northeast and northcentral Wisconsin have developed rusty-colored wilting needles on outer branch tips scattered throughout the tree’s crown. These dead branch tips are associated with the feeding by white pine bast scale. The scale is a tiny insect that inserts its straw-like mouthpart into the twig to suck sap from the outer layers of phloem called bast. Damage has been observed on trees over 20 feet tall this year. 

Branch tips on this white pine indicate a problem with bast scale and the disease Caliciopsis. Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

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