Celebrating A Successful 2021 Arbor Day

Posted on by patricialindquist

By Patricia Lindquist, DNR Urban Forestry Communications Specialist, Madison, Patricia.Lindquist@wisconsin.gov or 608-843-6248 

Despite significant challenges this year, many communities adapted their annual Arbor Day celebrations or came up with creative new ideas. Thanks to everyone for going above and beyond in 2021!

A big thank you to the 43 communities who participated in the Arbor Day Social media campaign! All together, these communities created 159 posts for Facebook, Twitter and their local government websites during Arbor Week. We’re thrilled that so many of you helped spread the word about the benefits of trees and proper tree planting and care practices.

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Congratulations To 2021 Bird Cities!

Posted on by patricialindquist

Ninety-one communities received Bird City Wisconsin status in 2021. Greenfield and Wauwatosa are first-time recipients.

The following communities have renewed their status: Algoma, Altoona, Amery, Appleton, Ashland, Bailey’s Harbor, Baraboo, Bayfield, Bayside, Beaver Dam, Brookfield, Brown County, Brown Deer, Chenequa, De Soto, DeForest, Door County, Eau Claire, Egg Harbor, Elm Grove, Ephraim, Ferryville, Fond du Lac, Fontana-on-Geneva Lake, Fox Point, Glendale, Grafton, Grantsburg, Green Bay, Green Lake, Hales Corners, Horicon, Howard, Hudson, Janesville, Kaukauna, Kenosha County, Kenosha (City), La Crosse, Lake Geneva, Madison, Manitowish Waters, Manitowoc, Marinette, Marquette County, Mayville, McFarland, Menomonie, Mequon, Milwaukee (City), Milwaukee County, Monona, Muskego, Newburg, New London, Oconomowoc, Oconto, Osceola, Oshkosh, Ozaukee County, Pittsville, Plover, Plymouth, Port Wing, Prairie du Chien, Presque Isle, Racine, Reedsburg, Rice Lake, River Falls, River Hills, Rome, Sauk City/Prairie du Sac, Sheboygan, Shorewood, Shorewood Hills, Stevens Point, Sturgeon Bay, Superior, Taylor County, Trempealeau, Washington Island, Waunakee, Wausau, West Bend, Whitefish Bay, Whitewater, Williams Bay and Wisconsin Rapids.

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First Downs for Trees Celebrates 11 Years

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On April 20, the First Downs for Trees program celebrated its 11th year by distributing 411 trees to 16 Brown County communities for planting. First Downs for Trees is a cooperative effort between the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Green Bay Packers, Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) and corporate sponsors Essity and Green Bay Packaging, Inc.

The program donates trees to participating communities based on the number of first downs in the previous season.

On average, NFL teams produce more than 450 tons of carbon dioxide per year in travel, and the Packers wanted to reduce those effects as a part of their Green Team initiative. The donated trees help the Packers offset their carbon footprint. These trees also increase the urban forest canopy and provide a plethora of environmental, economic, social and health benefits to Brown County residents.

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Feature Story: Dennis Fermenich, Greenfield’s City Forester

Posted on by patricialindquist

Love Wisconsin, a digital storytelling organization, recently wrote a series on municipal workers at the local level. One of the stories featured Dennis Fermenich, the city forester for Greenfield. Here is a link to the full article.

Copied below are a few segments of Dennis’ story:

Getting started as the Greenfield city forester: At first, everyone in the city didn’t welcome me. But there were certainly people in the city who wanted the trees and wanted forestry to move forward. I’ve outlived several of those people that were kind of anchors on my heels, to the point where I’m now working with the city and enjoying this amazing support from the public works department, from City Hall; they recognize the contribution that forestry makes to the city.

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1000 Friends Of Wisconsin’s Leafing Out Webinar Series

Posted on by patricialindquist

Leafing Out, Episode 6: Small Insects Can Cause Big Tree Problems with August Hoppe

Thursday, May 20th, 2021, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

This webinar has been produced in collaboration with the Hoppe Tree Service

Join 1000 Friends and August Hoppe, from Hoppe Tree Service to learn about the insects that might be bugging your trees.

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Funding Opportunity Available For Nonprofits Through The DNR

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Nonprofit conservation organizations (NCOs) are encouraged to apply for grants to help fund land acquisition through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. Applications are due Aug. 1, 2021, for the following NCO grant subprograms:

  • Habitat Area grants
  • Natural Area grants
  • Stream Bank Protection grants
  • State Trail grants

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New K-8 Curriculum Guide Released

Posted on by patricialindquist

Project Learning Tree® (PLT) recently released a new curriculum guide to engage kindergarten through eighth-grade students in exploring the environment. 

Fifty field-tested, hands-on activities integrate investigations of nature with science, math, English language arts and social studies. Copies of the Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide can be purchased at PLT’s online store​.
 
PLT is a long-established, award-winning environmental education program that uses trees and forests as windows on the world to advance environmental literacy, stewardship and pathways to green careers. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative administers the national program.

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Urban Forestry Sustainability Standards to be Developed

Posted on by patricialindquist

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) has launched a partnership to develop a new SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard for application in North America and potentially globally. SFI will collaborate with five urban forestry leaders: American Forests, Arbor Day Foundation, the International Society of Arboriculture, the Society of Municipal Arborists, and Tree Canada.

A task group composed of leading experts will develop the new SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard. The partnership and task group will explore opportunities to seek remedies for the climate crisis and other serious challenges that urban forests are ideally positioned to help address, including access to public spaces, social cohesion and more.

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Input Invited on Forest Tax Law Handbook Updates

Posted on by Kirsten Held

The DNR Division of Forestry prioritizes soliciting stakeholder input on division documents. As a division, we are committed to informing and involving our stakeholders in the development and review of materials that guide our programs. Inviting stakeholders to provide input is not only good customer service, it also creates opportunities to identify potential concerns and unforeseen impacts, understand diverse perspectives and determine the level of stakeholder support for division documents. To review and provide feedback on a document, go to the DNR Forestry Public Comment webpage here. 

DOCUMENT AVAILABLE NOW FOR STAKEHOLDER INPUT:
Document Title: Forest Tax Law Handbook HB2450.5
Contact Person: Skya Rose Murphy, skyar.murphy@wisconsin.gov or 608-843-1551
Due Date: June 4, 2021
For a detailed description of document updates, visit the webpage here.

Annual Property Implementation Plans

Posted on by Kirsten Held

Each spring, state forests develop Annual Property Implementation Plans (APIPs) and Monitoring Reports identifying the major scheduled and completed forest and habitat management treatments, recreation and infrastructure development projects and other property management actions. These plans are shared with the public online and include scheduled treatments over the next three years. All planned treatments and developments are approved and consistent with the property master plans developed with additional public input. Annual Property Implementation Plans do not include routine maintenance or minor actions including mowing, building maintenance, inventory or field surveys. Comments on APIPs can be directed to the property manager.