By Olivia Witthun, DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator; Olivia.Witthun@wisconsin.gov or 414-750-8744
With recent storms passing through Wisconsin, communities may still be working on clean-up. Depending on the intensity of the storms and the condition of the trees, damage from high winds, heavy rainfall, hail and lightning can be quite severe. Cracked or broken branches, trunk damage and root failure are some of the main concerns, but also the risk and liability of damage to people and property. Continue reading “Resources For Storm-Damaged Trees”
The Great Lake Thriving Communities Grantmaking Partnership will distribute $40 million to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region. All grants will be given to environmental and public health efforts in underserved communities across Region 5 as defined by EPA. 
Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced the Urban Forestry (UF) Grant Program recipients for the 2025 grant year. In addition to helping fund projects consistent with state and national goals for increasing the urban forest canopy, reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere, and improving the quality of life and public health of communities, the UF Grant Program will help advance goals outlined in Gov. Evers’ Trillion Trees Pledge commitment, which includes planting 1 million trees in urban areas by the end of 2030. 
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.
Urban Wildlife Damage Abatement and Control grants help urban areas develop wildlife plans, implement specific damage abatement and/or control measures for white-tailed deer and/or Canada geese. They are available to any town, city, village, county or tribal government in an urban area. This grant provides a 50% cost share up to $5,000 for eligible costs. The application deadline is Dec. 1, 2024. 
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the recipients of the Urban Forestry Catastrophic Storm Grants to assist with damage sustained during statewide extreme storm events that took place June 21-25, 2024.