Urban Forestry News

DNR Announces Additional Funding Now Available For Communities Impacted By Storm Damage

Posted on by patricialindquist

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that five communities impacted by severe weather last July will receive an additional $123,600 of aid from reserve funds.

On July 28, 2021, Marathon County and the cities of Omro, Ripon, Tomahawk and Watertown each experienced catastrophic storm damage following severe weather conditions.

Initially, the five grant applicants sought $228,435 from the DNR’s Urban Forestry Catastrophic Storm Grant program to lessen the burden of the impacted communities. However, the grant funds were limited to $104,920.

To assist with funding, the DNR submitted a request in November to the Joint Committee on Finance to transfer additional funds from the forestry emergency reserve. 

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90 New Municipal Detections Of Emerald Ash Borer In 2021

Posted on by patricialindquist

By Bill McNee, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Oshkosh, bill.mcnee@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0942

In 2021, emerald ash borer was found in 90 more communities in Wisconsin than in 2020, including 10 cities, 14 villages and 66 towns. This increased the total number of communities with a reported emerald ash borer detection 11% to 898 at the end of 2021.

Emerald ash borer was confirmed for the first time in Barron, Iron and Langlade counties during the year. It has now been found in 61 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties and confirmed on Oneida Nation land, and we believe additional unreported infestations are present.

Municipal emerald ash borer detections during 2021 are shown in orange. Older detections are shown in green or blue. Map courtesy of Wisconsin Department Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

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Learn About Wisconsin’s Urban Forestry Council In New 2021 Biennial Report

Posted on by patricialindquist

By Shahla Werner, Urban Forestry Council Chair and Plant Protection Section Chief for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP)

The purpose of the Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council is to advise the state forester, currently Heather Berklund, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on the best ways to preserve, protect, expand and improve Wisconsin’s urban and community forest resources.

The 27 members, who serve after being approved by DNR Secretary Cole, hail from all over Wisconsin. They represent a wide array of stakeholders, including citizens; municipal and utility foresters; medical and higher education professionals; nursery staff; environmental groups; public works, planning and parks staff; landscape architects; the Wisconsin Arborist Association (WAA); the Urban Wood Network Wisconsin; the League of Wisconsin Municipalities; and partner agencies like the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. 

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Understanding The Extent Of Invasive Species And Other Urban Forest Challenges

Posted on by patricialindquist

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

How extensive are buckthorn and other invasive species in our communities? We don’t know yet, but Wisconsin’s Urban Forest Inventory And Analysis (UFIA) project will be able to answer that and many other questions.

Buckthorn beneath dead ash trees at Big Foot Beach State Park. Photo by Bill McNee.

Besides simple stem counts, we can learn about the type of land where buckthorn is found, species under which buckthorn is growing and trends in invasive species expansion or decline over time.

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Upcoming Webinars: EAB University And TREE Fund

Posted on by patricialindquist

The EAB University Spring 2022 Webinars are right around the corner. All webinars are free, and many count towards continuing education programs.

Can’t watch them live? No problem! All webinars are recorded and posted afterward.

Check out the EAB University Spring 2022 webinars and register for them here. All sessions begin at 10 a.m. CST.

  • Feb. 24: The Biology and Management of the Invasive Spotted Lanternfly. Holly Shugart, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Scholar, Pennsylvania State University
  • March 1: Firewood Rules, Certifications, and Recommendations across the USA.
    Leigh Greenwood, Forest Health Program Director, North America Region, The Nature Conservancy 
  • March 3: The Worst Kind of Snowbird: The Invasion of Asian Longhorned Beetle in South Carolina. David Coyle, Assistant Professor and State Extension Specialist, Clemson University 

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Garden Planning – Avoid Invasive Plants

Posted on by brenna.denamur

By Jaqi Christopher, DNR Forest Invasive Plant Specialist, Rhinelander, Jacquelyn.Christopher@wisconsin.gov and Mary Bartkowiak, DNR Forest Invasive Plant Coordinator, Rhinelander, Mary.Bartkowiak@wisconsin.gov

With winter in full swing, many gardeners dream of spring and begin planning what plants to add to their gardens. Now is a great time to brush up on what not to plant to avoid invasive species that might be hiding in plain sight.

Woodlot in fall, most trees have lost their leaves which are covering the ground. Several burning bush shrubs still with their bright red leaves stick out against the brown backdrop.

Burning bush as a forest invasive.
Photo: Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org

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Register Now for the Annual WAA/DNR Urban Forestry Conference!

Posted on by patricialindquist

Join the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Wisconsin Arborist Association for the 2022 Wisconsin Annual Urban Forestry Conference. The conference will be held on Feb. 20 – 22 at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay with select sessions available for attendance virtually.

The in-person conference is limited to 462 attendees this year. This is approximately half of our usual attendance.

The early bird discount is available until Jan. 28. Prices will go up on Jan. 29.

To register for the in-person conference, go here.

The virtual conference will be available for viewing all of March. Register for the virtual conference here.

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Landscape and Grounds Maintenance Short Course

Posted on by patricialindquist

The virtual Landscape and Grounds Maintenance Short Course will once again be offered by the UW-Madison Division of Extension in Dane, Kenosha, Racine, Sheboygan and Waukesha counties. The course will be held from 1-3:30 p.m. every Wednesday in February; all are welcome to attend.

The cost of registration is $50 for all four weeks or $25 for a single session. The class will only be available during the live presentation on the specified date and time. It will NOT be available to view later.

The course offers up-to-date, science-based information to help landscape professionals increase the economic and environmental sustainability of the landscapes they care for and their businesses.

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New Wauwatosa Forestry Dashboard Educates Residents About Area’s Urban Forest

Posted on by patricialindquist

By Alex Krutsch, Supervisor of Forestry and Grounds, City of Wauwatosa

Over the past few years, the Wauwatosa Forestry Department has been working with the City’s geographic information system (GIS) manager to inventory City trees into a GIS database.

The results have been transformational for the forestry department allowing staff to update tree inventory and manage department work functions such as tree removal, pruning and planting from the field in real-time via any mobile device with an internet connection.

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Protecting Our Urban Forests to Protect Our Globe’s Biodiversity

Posted on by patricialindquist

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

The natural world lost one of its most ardent champions last month with the passing of biologist Edward O. Wilson. Wilson was an extremely accomplished observer (especially of ants) and theorist of nature, winning two Pulitzer Prizes among many other awards and accolades. However, he dedicated himself to cultural and political campaigns to protect animal species and their homes for much of the last two decades.

Wildlife benefits are lumped in amongst other “ecosystem services” that urban forests provide, though they often play second fiddle to more human-centric contributions of trees.

Likewise, the urban forestry community’s excellent focus on species diversity (especially in light of emerald ash borer) is framed by diversity’s role in mitigating future damages and costs, rather than what diversity can offer to wildlife or any intrinsic value of maintaining many species on the landscape.

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