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. Continue reading “CTMI V Session I Successfully Completed”
The Arbor Day Foundation’s Recertification 
You may have participated in this survey led by DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator Don Kissinger in 2020 (if so, thank you!) Wisconsin municipalities with more than 2,500 residents were asked a series of questions about the types of trees they prefer to plant (such as root stock type and caliper size), which lesser-used species they had successfully planted, which species they cannot find but would like to plant, and whether they use a gravel bed.