Upcoming Forest Products Events

Wisconsin Local Use Dimension Lumber Grading Classes (WI LUDL) – Woodruff, Wisconsin
May 31, June 1 – 2, 2022
To register for one of these courses, please visit this webpage.

Hardwood Sawmilling Certificate – Antigo, Wisconsin
June 6 – July 1, 2022
This unique certificate prepares learners for hands-on, in-demand positions within the hardwood lumber industry. This short four-week certificate will help launch you into a lifelong, rewarding career. All classes are taught in person and utilize Northcentral Technical College’s 27,000 square foot state-of-the-art Wood Technology Center of Excellence.

The training will focus on hardwood lumber inspection; sawing, edging and trimming to maximize profits; hardwood log scaling and grading; and species identification for hardwood lumber and logs.

To learn more about this program, please visit this webpage. To register, visit the registration page.

Small Live Edge Slab Business Workshop – Grafton, Wisconsin
June 9, 2022
This one-day educational and networking workshop focuses on the business and operational skills needed to operate a live-edge slab producing sawmill business successfully. There will be on-site slab sawing demonstrations. To learn more about this workshop and register, please visit the event’s registration page.

National Firewood Workshop – Arlington, Wisconsin
June 15 – 16, 2022
This firewood industry event combines education and networking opportunities. The workshop offers discussions on business and equipment topics and outdoor sawing and firewood splitting demonstrations by multiple equipment manufacturers.  To learn more about this workshop and register, please visit the event’s registration page.

Spring Yard Cleanup – Safety First!

“Don’t like the weather? Wait five minutes.” A saying that rings true during spring in Wisconsin. While March signals the beginning of spring fire season for us, it can be interrupted by rainfall and snowstorms. Wet weather gives firefighters a chance to recharge and can be an opportunity for people to burn yard debris while it’s safer to do so.

The yard around your home may currently be filled with an assortment of fallen leaves, pine needles and branches. Recent ice storms in northern Wisconsin have contributed significantly to the volume of debris around our homes. If the recent widespread ice storms have damaged the trees on your property, take some time to assess the damage and realistically determine if you can handle the cleanup yourself or if it’s time to call in some professionals. Watch for damaged branches and bent trees that could fall. Prioritize your physical safety before attempting any cleanup activities.

Recent ice storms have caused lots of branches to fall

Many places in Wisconsin have experienced damage to trees due to recent ice storms.

You may now wonder what to do with all this debris leftover after winter and those recent ice storms. Some communities have brush collection services or a site where you can drop off leaves, pine needles and branches. Perhaps there’s enough debris on your property to warrant the rental of a brush chipper. Or, if your property is large enough, creating a brush pile away from buildings could serve as a shelter for wildlife. Larger pieces of hardwood could be cut for future use as firewood or campfire logs. If none of these alternatives works for your situation and your community allows for burning the material, timing your burn around periods of wet weather may be the safer choice.

Before you light that match, take the following precautions:

– Check for burning restrictions and permit requirements first. You can find this information on the DNR burning restrictions webpage or by calling your nearest DNR office or fire department.  – Check the weather forecast. Delay burning if dry or windy weather is predicted. Be aware of your county’s fire danger forecast by calling 1-888-WIS-BURN or searching “burn” on the DNR website.
– Keep your piles small, with the area around the pile cleared of any burnable vegetation.
– Have an attached hose or other water source handy.
– Stay with the fire until you have completed the burn. Make sure it’s out before you leave by dousing the ashes with water and mixing it in. Then, just to be safe, add more water. If any unburned branches or larger pieces of wood remain unburned, check back frequently to make sure this material hasn’t reignited.

Winter burning when the ground is completely snow covered

Taking advantage of wet weather to conduct debris burning is a safer option.

In Wisconsin, spring fire season typically lasts from snowmelt to “green up” (when the grasses are green and leaves are budding out again). Many parts of our state are still experiencing drought conditions, even coming out of winter. Fire officials will be suspending outdoor burning as needed when fire danger conditions become elevated.

For more information, contact Catherine Koele, fire prevention specialist or Jolene Ackerman, wildland urban interface specialist.

By Any Other Name, It Is A Pest

By Josh Lancette, Entomological Society of America and Andrea Diss-Torrance, Wisconsin DNR Forest Health

The Entomological Society of America (ESA) has approved “spongy moth” as the new common name for the moth species Lymantria dispar, formerly known as “gypsy moth.”

The ESA gathered a working group of entomologists and forestry professionals to help propose the new name. The name spongy moth—derived from the common name used in France and French-speaking Canada, “spongieuse”—refers to the sponge-like appearance of the egg masses.

The name replaces “gypsy moth” in ESA’s Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms List. The society removed the name in July 2021 for its use as a derogatory term for Romani people.

Learn more about the change from the ESA.

Continue reading “By Any Other Name, It Is A Pest”

Wisconsin Tree Champions Lauded For Outstanding Community Service

By Sara Minkoff, DNR Urban Forestry Council Liaison, Sara.Minkoff@wisconsin.gov or 608-669-5447

The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council recently announced their annual awards honoring those dedicated to protecting, preserving and increasing the number of trees that line city streets, fill community parks and enhance neighborhoods throughout the state.

The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council advises the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on the best ways to preserve, protect, expand and improve Wisconsin’s urban and community forest resources.

Continue reading “Wisconsin Tree Champions Lauded For Outstanding Community Service”

Five Applicants Receive DNR Urban Forestry Grants In Second Round Of Funding

During its second round of 2022 funding, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Urban Forestry Grant program awarded a total of $90,000 to five Wisconsin communities for urban forestry projects. These funds were made available through a United States Forest Service grant. 

The Village of Grafton received $25,000, the City of Greenfield received $17,238.62, the City of Monroe received $7,917.67, the Ozaukee County Planning & Parks Department received $14,843.71 and the City of West Bend received $25,000. The communities that received these must match them dollar-for-dollar.

The DNR Urban Forestry Grant program funds projects consistent with state and national goals to increase the urban forest canopy and its benefits. The urban forest encompasses trees on both public and private property.

Continue reading “Five Applicants Receive DNR Urban Forestry Grants In Second Round Of Funding”

Sheboygan: Wisconsin’s First Tree City Of The World

By Tim Bull, City of Sheboygan Forester, Timothy.Bull@sheboyganwi.gov and
Olivia Witthun, DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator, olivia.witthun@wisconsin.gov or 414-750-8744

The City of Sheboygan has done it again. Not only do they hold the honor of being Wisconsin’s first Tree City USA back in 1976, but they are now also Wisconsin’s first community earning Tree Cities of the WORLD status! They are one of only 120 cities currently recognized, sharing the stage with San Francisco, Washington D.C., Minneapolis, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Brussels and Milan, to name a few.

Continue reading “Sheboygan: Wisconsin’s First Tree City Of The World”

Please Help Guide The Future Of i-Tree

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

Whenever you hear about the benefits that trees provide to a home, community or region, there is a good chance that that information came from i-Tree, a suite of software from the USDA Forest Service and the Davey Tree Expert Company that quantifies forest structure and estimates trees’ benefits to the ecosystem. Within i-Tree, for example, a user can convert easy to-collect tree data, such as species and diameter, into estimates of the tree’s carbon storage, air pollution reduction or ability to prevent rainwater from entering the sewer system.

While i-Tree has been a foundational tool for telling the urban forest story from the local to global levels, the i-Tree program needs your help to adapt to tomorrow’s management challenges. They are urging current and future i-Tree users to attend one of three Town Hall sessions where you can share your thoughts on what i-Tree has meant to your work and how you think it should change for the future. The sessions are organized by experience level, but if you cannot make your preferred time, select any that might work for you. Additionally, if you cannot attend but are interested in providing feedback, please register as comments can be captured during the registration process.

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Arbor Day 2022 Celebrations

Did you know that 2022 is both the 150th anniversary of the Arbor Day holiday and the 50th anniversary of the Arbor Day Foundation? To mark these events, the Arbor Day Foundation is compiling all of the Arbor Day celebrations across the United States, putting them on a map, and sharing it far and wide.

To add your celebration or find one in your state, visit the Arbor Day Dates Across America webpage.

Also, a reminder that the Arbor Day Foundation requires communities to hold an Arbor Day celebration and declare a proclamation to earn or maintain Tree City USA designation in 2022. Learn more about the 2022 Tree City USA requirements here.

2022 WDNR/WAA Annual Conference A Great Success

The 2022 Annual Statewide Wisconsin DNR/Wisconsin Arborist Association (WAA) Urban Forestry Conference, “Looking Forward, Not Backwards, to Our Days in Arboriculture!” was held in Green Bay on Feb. 20, 2022.

We proudly announce that the conference hosted 435 community foresters and administrators, professional arborists, green industry professionals, nonprofit staff and students, following all COVID-19 protocols and related attendance restrictions. Those in attendance gathered to network, learn and discuss important concepts in urban forest management and practices in arboriculture.

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Seeking Input to Proposed Changes in Chapter 1 of Private Forestry Handbook

Chapter 1 of the Private Forestry Handbook is available for stakeholder review and comment through April 4, 2022.

This chapter covers program guidelines for DNR forestry staff regarding their work with private woodland owners, including establishing walk-through service standards and a property walk-through policy. We’re updating this chapter to establish a property walk-through policy since there was no set standard for this important interaction with private woodland owners.

To review and provide feedback on this document, please visit the DNR Forestry Stakeholder Input Page.

Document Title: Private Forestry Handbook HB2470.5

Contact Person: Kristin Lambert

Due Date: April 4, 2022

Click here to view a detailed description of document updates.