Urban Forestry News

Inaugural ‘Good Health Grows on Trees’ conference a success!

Posted on by margueriterapp

Whether it be a hike through the woods, time spent with your family at a local park or sitting beneath the shade of that stately red oak in your backyard, we, as urban forestry professionals and enthusiasts, experience and recognize the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of spending time outdoors in nature.

For decades, scientists have been researching and documenting the health benefits that trees and nature provide, and as urban populations continue to rise, the impact of nearby nature on human health has generated a lot of interest in our world of urban and community forestry.

To further that conversation in Wisconsin, the first ever ‘Good Health Grows on Trees: The Influence of Nearby Nature on Public Health’ conference was hosted by the DNR Urban Forestry program at the Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville on May 30th.  Continue reading “Inaugural ‘Good Health Grows on Trees’ conference a success!” →

Changes in DNR Urban Forestry grant staff

Posted on by margueriterapp

There are some new faces in the DNR Urban Forestry grant staff.

Chase O’Brien started on June 10th as the Urban Forestry Grant Manager located in the Madison office. He has spent the last 3 ½ years working in the DNR Forest Tax Program. He has a degree in Geography & Earth Science with a GIS concentration from UW – La Crosse. Chase enjoys spending his free time seeing live music, traveling, crafting food and drink and playing Ultimate Frisbee. His contact information is Chase.OBrien@wisconsin.gov and 608-640-6143.

Nicolle Spafford is the Forestry Division Budget and Grant Specialist located in the Tomahawk office. She’s been working with our program for several months now, but you’ll be seeing even more of her in the future. Nicolle has been with the DNR Division of Forestry for 28 years. She enjoys spending her free time at her daughter’s academic and sporting events, running races with her daughter, bicycling, reading/collecting books, traveling, training for a marathon and collecting wine corks. Her contact information is Nicolle.Spafford@wi.gov and 715-453-2188 ext. 1274.

Information on the Urban Forestry Grant Program can be found at https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/UrbanForests/grants/index.html. DNR Urban Forestry grant staff may also be reached at DNRUrbanForestryGrants@wi.gov.

Soliciting teachers and students for school tree inventories

Posted on by margueriterapp

There is a small sign in the Milwaukee DNR office that instructs the reader to “Learn of a pine tree from a pine tree.” In other words, to better understand something, one has to see it, feel it, smell it, rather than just reading about it. In urban forestry, this manifests itself in tree inventories, or surveys of individual trees in a given area. Municipalities have recognized the importance of these tree inventories for years, and now, led by a few pioneering teachers, so have some schools. Continue reading “Soliciting teachers and students for school tree inventories” →

Spring 2019 chainsaw safety training

Posted on by margueriterapp

Routinely, DNR North Central Urban Forestry Coordinator Don Kissinger puts a call out to his networking group regarding chainsaw safety training. This past winter he hit the jackpot and received a great response and a first ever request for an Advanced Training. Thus, two courses occurred this past April (Basic & Advanced). Continue reading “Spring 2019 chainsaw safety training” →

The continuous transformation of Havenwoods State Forest

Posted on by margueriterapp

On the north side of Milwaukee is a park with a name more evocative of a medieval forest than one of the most densely populated parts of modern Wisconsin. Yet its history is as rich, its canopy as green and its deer as plentiful as any royal hunting ground. Havenwoods State Forest is Wisconsin’s only urban state forest and thus plays a critical role in connecting urban populations to nature. Continue reading “The continuous transformation of Havenwoods State Forest” →

People from across the state celebrate trees

Posted on by Ellen Clark

In 1872, J. Sterling Morton recognized the power of and need for trees. Morton helped set aside a special day for planting trees. After the success of the first Arbor Day that year, it became a legal holiday and now is celebrated across the world.

There is a lot to celebrate when it comes to trees, they shade us and reduce cooling costs, they help clean our air and water, they create a safe and inviting community, and they beautify our cities, streets and neighborhoods. Continue reading “People from across the state celebrate trees” →

Trees clean the air and prevent respiratory illness

Posted on by Ellen Clark

May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. Did you know trees help prevent asthma and other respiratory diseases? Trees filter particles out of the air we breathe, which decreases our risk of respiratory illnesses, including asthma. One study found that in 2010, trees removed 17.4 million tons of air pollution across the US, which prevented 850 human deaths and 670,000 cases of acute respiratory symptoms. Continue reading “Trees clean the air and prevent respiratory illness” →

Urban tree identification tool available

Posted on by Ellen Clark

By Dan Buckler, Urban Forestry Assessment Specialist

Many guides help you distinguish between a black and a northern red oak, or between a beech and a musclewood. But for many people just trying to identify a tree outside their door, these guides might not be appropriate. Some include too many trees from out-of-state, some focus on trees only found in rural areas, and some others are weighed down by detail.  Continue reading “Urban tree identification tool available” →

New, customizable resource shows the value of trees

Posted on by Ellen Clark

Money doesn’t grow on trees, or does it?

People know the many benefits that trees can provide – clean our air, beautify our communities, reduce stormwater runoff, and decrease noise pollution – but did you know trees also save you money?  With technology from i-Tree you can calculate how much your trees are saving you.  Now, with a new resource from the USDA Forest Service Urban Natural Resources Institute (UNRI), you can let others know exactly how much your trees are saving you. Continue reading “New, customizable resource shows the value of trees” →

EAB found in third Douglas County township

Posted on by margueriterapp

By Paul Cigan, forest health specialist, Hayward, Paul.Cigan@wisconsin.gov, 715-416-4920

Emerald ash borer (EAB) has been confirmed in Highland Township in Douglas County, making it the third township with a known EAB infestation in this county. Utility line professionals reported white ash with heavy woodpecker damage, or “flecking,” that was later confirmed to be an EAB infestation. The extent of damage to the tree suggests that the infestation is approximately 4 years old. Surrounding black ash do not display signs or symptoms of EAB. Nevertheless, based on EAB’s natural rate of spread, there is likely to be a low-density population for about 15 miles around the infested tree in all directions. The nearest previous EAB detection, made in the Town of Amnicon in 2017, is located 23 miles away. Firewood transport is the most likely source of this latest outlying introduction.

Known EAB detections as of April 25, 2019.

Known EAB detections as of April 25, 2019.

Forest managers working with ash should become familiar with the revised EAB Silviculture Guidelines, and landowners and managers in northern counties are encouraged to report EAB suspect trees to their regional forest health specialist.

EAB-infested white ash with heavy woodpecker flecking and dead epicormic sprouts.

EAB-infested white ash with heavy woodpecker flecking and dead epicormic sprouts.

Dense EAB larval galleries on the wood surface of infested white ash.

Dense EAB larval galleries on the wood surface of infested white ash.