By Brenna DeNamur, Forest Health Outreach Specialist, Madison, Brenna.DeNamur@wisconsin.gov or (608) 335-0167
Don’t mind the bleating! Brule River State Forest (BRSF) staff recruited goats to manage forested areas overrun with invasive plants.
Urban Forestry News
Reflections On A Summer Internship With The Wisconsin DNR Urban Forestry Program
By: Kolin Bilbew, Odell Kimble, Dan Buckler
(Dan Buckler)
Summer is an exciting time for those of us working and playing in the woods, and this year it was especially true as I spent much of it with two great urban forestry students. Kolin Bilbrew and Odell Kimble, both rising juniors in the Urban Forestry program at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, spent two months in Milwaukee learning about urban trees, forest management, and data collection. A collaboration between the university, the Wisconsin DNR, and the USDA Forest Service created the internship program, which welcomed Kolin and Odell as its first cohort.
Odell Kimble (front) and Kolin Bilbrew (back) assess the condition of a ginkgo tree in Milwaukee.
Continue reading “Reflections On A Summer Internship With The Wisconsin DNR Urban Forestry Program”
Find New Trees to Plant with the Iverson Park Tree Map
A Fort McNair Horse Chestnut. The tree is one of 31 trees identified as underused or uncommon in Iverson Park. Credit: Stevens Point Forestry Department
The Stevens Point Forestry Department has created an interactive GIS map called Iverson Park Trees. This map allows a self-guided tree walk that identifies 31 trees that are underused or not common in the area to help residents learn about uncommon trees they can incorporate in to their private property.
The interactive map focuses on Iverson Park’s value as a tree evaluation site. The Stevens Point Forestry Department test plants specific tree species here for a few years to see how well they do before the department decides to buy large quantities of the species and place them throughout the city. Continue reading “Find New Trees to Plant with the Iverson Park Tree Map”
Studies Find Small Urban Forests Can Help Cool Cities
Heat waves are no joke. Temperatures can increase to a dangerous level, exacerbating existing health issues, induce heat stroke, and can even result in death. Increased temperatures do not affect all communities evenly, however.
Studies have found that the highest temperatures and the most heat-related deaths occur in urban areas. Concrete, asphalt, and other paved surfaces often readily absorb and release heat, causing a phenomenon known as an urban heat island effect.
Urban land managers have the potential to mitigate some of this heat island effect with the types of foliage they incorporate into their landscape designs. Studies find that tree canopy cover can provide shade that reduce the heat absorbed in paved surfaces and lower surface temperature in general. However, many policies that try to implement urban forests as cooling effects focus on large green spaces, which are often not feasible in urban areas. Continue reading “Studies Find Small Urban Forests Can Help Cool Cities”
Tree Ordinances: Why They’re Important, How To Write Them, And Resources For Help
By: Abigail Krause, DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator
Trees contribute to a community’s character and livability. Improved air quality, stormwater management, energy savings, and increased aesthetics are just a few of the frequently referenced benefits provided by trees. However, as with any community infrastructure, trees also need to be managed and maintained.
Ordinances are one step communities can take to shift from reactive to proactive management and avoid large, unexpected maintenance costs.
Continue reading “Tree Ordinances: Why They’re Important, How To Write Them, And Resources For Help”
UW Stevens Point Offering Tree Health Workshop
The University of Wisconsin Stevens Point is hosting a workshop that will be of interest for those who wish to learn how to identify potential hazards and structural health concerns of trees.
The class is called “Leaves Down, Loop Up! A Tree Health Workshop,” and takes place on Nov. 4, 2022 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. and will take place at the Trainer Natural Resources Building. The registration fee is $30 and the registration deadline is Oct. 21, 2022. The listing notes the target audience is for landowners and nature enthusiasts, but municipal employees new to forestry may find it useful.
Find more information here.
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Hungry, Hungry Japanese Beetles
By Linda Williams, Forest Health Specialist, Woodruff, Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0665
Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) are an invasive insect that feed on many plant species. They skeletonize leaves, which means that they eat the material between the veins and often leave lacy veins that turn brown and curl.
Japanese beetle adult. Photo: Wisconsin DNR
Tubakia Leaf Disease Mimicking Oak Wilt
By Linda Williams, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Woodruff, Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0665
Tubakia leaf spot (Tubakia dryina) is a leaf disease that typically affects the lower canopy of oaks. It caused some issues in 2021 and is affecting red oak trees in north-central Wisconsin this year as well.
Tubakia creates abnormal blotches and spots on oak leaves that can coalesce. Photo: Wisconsin DNR
2023 DNR Urban Forestry Grant Application Now Open!
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is encouraging cities, villages, towns, counties, tribes and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations to apply for a 2023 DNR 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. The DNR will award grants to projects that align with state and national goals for increasing the urban forest canopy and the benefits it provides.
Continue reading “2023 DNR Urban Forestry Grant Application Now Open!”
Trees Will Need More Water this Summer
We are likely to see a hotter than average summer, which means you, your pets, your plants, and yes, your trees, will need more water!
Stress from drought can affect all plants, from a newly planted sapling to a well-established, mature tree. Trees that are already weakened from other types of stress, such as tree leaf predation by spongy moths, are of particular concern.
See our watering tips below for how you can help!