Data and analysis

New Tree Canopy Resources Released

Posted on by janness

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

Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) assessments using aerial or satellite imagery have been one of the primary ways people estimate the extent of urban forests across an area of interest, whether it be a single park, a streetscape or a whole community.

Two recently released UTC resources are ready for use by Wisconsin communities and urban forestry practitioners. The first, TreeCanopy.us, is a mapping application that shows UTC and other land cover in urban areas across the country for 2017 and 2022. It also shows changes in canopy cover between those five years. Continue reading “New Tree Canopy Resources Released” →

Please Submit Trees Planted This Year!

Posted on by janness

By Dan Buckler, DNR Urban Forest Assessment Specialist; Daniel.Buckler@wisconsin.gov or 608-445-4578

Autumn is a wonderful time for planting trees. And after the trees go in the ground, please take a few minutes to document the effort in the Wisconsin Tree Planting Map. The map was designed to help track trees planted to advance the state’s pledge to the Trillion Trees Initiative.

Continue reading “Please Submit Trees Planted This Year!” →

Tree City USA: Wisconsin Can Take The Lead In Growth Awards Earned With Your Help

Posted on by janness

By Abby Krause, DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator; Abigail.Krause@wisconsin.gov or 608-556-5690

Tree City USA is an annual recognition program presented by the Arbor Day Foundation that allows communities to publicly demonstrate their continued commitment to the care of their local urban forest. Returning Tree City USA communities are also eligible to apply for Growth Awards. These awards recognize community forestry programs that go above and beyond the four core tenets of Tree City USA.

Wisconsin has consistently proven to be a national leader in the stewardship of the forests outside our front doors all across the state. In 2023, we saw participation from Milwaukee, our state’s most populous city, down to Ephraim, a village of only a few hundred residents. We ranked third nationally in both programs with 194 Tree City USA communities and 26 Growth Awards. Only Ohio and Illinois ranked higher. Continue reading “Tree City USA: Wisconsin Can Take The Lead In Growth Awards Earned With Your Help” →

Cooperative Enlists Public To Make Tree Health A Snap

Posted on by akabelowsky

By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Outreach and Communications, Fitchburg;
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167

Screenshot of the main page of the TreeSnap app as seen on a mobile phone.

The main page of the TreeSnap app as seen on a mobile phone. / Photo Credit: TreeSnap.org

It takes more than a village to foster healthy forests. More than a township, a city and a county, too. Sometimes, even more than a state.

That’s why the Great Lakes Basin Forest Health Cooperative (GLB FHC) was formed four years ago by Holden Arboretum in Ohio and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

Geographically, the group’s region encompasses an area from New Jersey to Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is an active member.

Continue reading “Cooperative Enlists Public To Make Tree Health A Snap” →

Sustainable Forestry Initiative Urban Forest Improvement Grant Application Now Open

Posted on by janness

The Urban Forest Improvement Program, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, provides grants to help organizations benchmark their urban or community forests against the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard.

These grants support the assessment of current management practices, offering valuable insights into how sustainably these forests are managed and a roadmap of opportunities for improvement. Continue reading “Sustainable Forestry Initiative Urban Forest Improvement Grant Application Now Open” →

Tree City USA Updates

Posted on by janness

Tree City USA Interactive Map

Do you know how many Tree City USA communities are in Wisconsin or the longest-running Tree City USA in the state? Find this and other eye-opening information by visiting the new Arbor Day Foundation interactive Tree City USA map. Tree City USA statistics and fun facts are now available for the entire nation, as well as individual states, using this online tool.

Submit Your Tree City USA Application 

The Tree City USA program provides communities with a four-step framework to maintain and grow their tree cover. It also provides an avenue to celebrate accomplishments, showing residents, visitors and the entire country their commitment to the mission of environmental change. Continue reading “Tree City USA Updates” →

Sampling Trees On Milwaukee Public School Campuses

Posted on by janness

By Dan Buckler, DNR Urban Forest Assessment Specialist; Daniel.Buckler@wisconsin.gov or 608-445-4578

The trees on school properties mirror those of the surrounding urban forest in composition but not in coverage.

That is one initial takeaway from an i-Tree Eco project on Milwaukee Public School (MPS) properties conducted by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Urban Forestry interns Priscilla Loh and Taylor Colman this summer. Continue reading “Sampling Trees On Milwaukee Public School Campuses” →

A Busy Summer For Urban Forestry Interns

Posted on by janness

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

Every year, the summer ends faster than one could pronounce Liquidambar styraciflua, and this year was no exception. Hopefully, while you are trying to recall proper Latin pronunciations, your summer is still filled with enjoyable, productive or illuminating activities. That was certainly the case for the DNR Urban Forestry summer internship program. This summer, staff worked with Southern University students Taylor Colman and Priscilla Loh on a variety of different data collection projects, filling the internship’s eight weeks with species identification, tree mensuration and tree health assessments. Continue reading “A Busy Summer For Urban Forestry Interns” →

Retracted: Study Shows Drought Harms Wetter Forests Most

Posted on by akabelowsky

Note:

The original version of this Forest Health News article has been removed because the journal article in Science magazine that was referenced has been retracted by its authors due to a mathematical error. The journal authors reran their analysis and although many results remained unchanged, the statistical significance of some conclusions, and the results of some robustness tests, did change. It is unclear to what degree these errors affected observations in the Forest Health News article, so that article was removed. More information is available here.

Urgent Climate Survey Responses Needed

Posted on by janness

The Wisconsin Climate and Health Collaborative, a group of climate and health professionals from across the state working to create a healthier climate, people and communities through local action, wants to learn from you and your community! Take this short climate and health survey for a chance to win a Wisconsin state park pass. Responses are due April 15.

Continue reading “Urgent Climate Survey Responses Needed” →