Forest benefits

2024 Forest Health Annual Report Published

Posted on by akabelowsky
The cover of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' 2024 Forest Health Annual Report.

The cover of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ 2024 Forest Health Annual Report. / Graphic Credit: Wisconsin DNR

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

Hot off the digital presses, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has made its 2024 Forest Health Annual Report ready for review and download.

This year’s edition contains 58 pages of reporting on forest health issues throughout Wisconsin, detailing methods employed by the DNR and other agencies to control pests and diseases.

Continue reading “2024 Forest Health Annual Report Published” →

Gov. Evers, DNR Announce 2025 Urban Forestry Program Grant Recipients

Posted on by janness

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. Continue reading “Gov. Evers, DNR Announce 2025 Urban Forestry Program Grant Recipients” →

Take In Wisconsin’s Beautiful Bounty Of Fall Colors

Posted on by akabelowsky
Photo of a trail at Sheboygan's Kohler-Andrae State Park with fallen leaves all around.

Fall colors set a trail at Sheboygan’s Kohler-Andrae State Park ablaze in 2021. / Photo Credit: Bill McNee, Wisconsin DNR

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

Once again, it’s time for nature’s majestic paintbrush to spread its magic across Wisconsin.

Many of the state’s trees have begun to show off their amazing fall colors, brightening the view for state residents and visitors everywhere – from the restful resplendence of our urban areas and state properties to the drive-by dazzlement of our tree-lined country roads.

“It’s a brilliant and colorful display,” said Scott Lyon, leader of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forest Products team. “The Badger State is home to many deciduous hardwood species which change colors and lose their leaves as the seasons change, including maple, oaks, hickories and aspen.”

Continue reading “Take In Wisconsin’s Beautiful Bounty Of Fall Colors” →

DNR Supports School-Based Urban Forest Canopy In Green Bay

Posted on by janness

By Jonathan Ismail, Outreach Specialist, LEAF K-12 Forestry Education, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; Jismail@uwsp.edu or 715-346-3229

Photo credit: Scott Stromberger

How can learning be enhanced outdoors? What does a tree canopy at a “green” school look like? Can an outdoor classroom be an effective learning environment?

Edison Middle School in Green Bay is exploring outdoor STEM learning opportunities thanks to partnerships with DNR Urban Forestry, American Transmission Company (ATC) and LEAF K-12 Forestry Education. The plan to create an outdoor classroom grew from a discussion Urban Forestry Coordinator Tracy Salisbury had with ATC staff looking for opportunities to give back to communities. ATC’s interest in funding STEM education in their communities was a natural fit for the DNR’s goal to increase tree canopies at schools. Continue reading “DNR Supports School-Based Urban Forest Canopy In Green Bay” →

Best Disposal Methods For Garlic Mustard

Posted on by akabelowsky

By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh Service Center
Erika.SegersonMueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391

Summer can be prime time for invasive plant control, with garlic mustard pulls and many other plant- or location-specific events taking place to confront invasive plants head-on.

Wanting to do your best to help, you might pull garlic mustard along your local hiking trail. But what should you do after you pull it?

Read on for invasive plant disposal tips to ensure you don’t inadvertently do more harm than good with your control efforts.

Continue reading “Best Disposal Methods For Garlic Mustard” →

Wisconsin Expands Trillion Trees Pledge

Posted on by akabelowsky

By Carmen Hardin, DNR Applied Forestry Bureau Director;
Carmen.Hardin@wisconsin.gov

Photo of seed cleaning equipment at Hayward State Nursery

Existing seed cleaning equipment at Hayward State Nursery is scheduled for an update.

Landowners across the state have stepped up in a big way when it comes to planting trees.

At the end of 2023, more than 32 million trees had been planted and tallied as part of Wisconsin’s Trillion Trees Pledge. The program started in 2021 when Governor Tony Evers committed the state to planting 75 million trees and conserving 125,000 acres of forestland by 2030. Continue reading “Wisconsin Expands Trillion Trees Pledge” →

USDA Seeks Donated Ash Trees To Battle Emerald Ash Borer

Posted on by akabelowsky

By Caleb Burden, Acting Field Lead Technician, USDA APHIS PPQ;
Caleb.Burden@usda.gov or 734-732-0025

Photo of a green ash tree with a small piece of bark cut back shows emerald ash borer larvae feeding on the tree.

A green ash tree with a small piece of bark cut back shows emerald ash borer larvae feeding on the tree. / Photo Credit: USDA APHIS PPS

In the fight against emerald ash borer (EAB), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) again asks Wisconsin landowners to donate live, EAB-infested ash trees for use in a biological control program.

The emerald ash borer is an invasive insect from Asia first detected in the United States in 2002. Following its discovery, EAB has caused the death and decline of tens of millions of ash trees.

Continue reading “USDA Seeks Donated Ash Trees To Battle Emerald Ash Borer” →

Michigan State University Launches Course On Urban Forests And Climate Change

Posted on by janness

 

hand holding earth and tree

The Michigan State University Forest Carbon and Climate Program has launched a new intensive course, Urban Forests and Climate Change. This online professional training will be offered multiple times throughout the year. Course content was co-developed with MSU faculty and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, a collaborative, multi-institutional partnership led by the USDA Forest Service.  Continue reading “Michigan State University Launches Course On Urban Forests And Climate Change” →

Urban Forestry Inflation Reduction Act Grants Update

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By Laura Buntrock, DNR UF Partnership & Policy Specialist, Rhinelander; Laura.Buntrock@wisconsin.gov or 608-294-0253

We are excited to share the following updates on Urban Forestry Inflation Reduction Act Grants through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The DNR was allocated $4.875 million of Inflation Reduction Act funds from the USDA Forest Service earlier this year. Of that, $4 million will be sub-awarded to local entities through our competitive grant program. Given the requirements and intentions of these funds, the Urban Forestry Inflation Reduction Act Grants will People Talking at an Urban Parklook different from the grants we have offered in the past. We have meticulously worked through the emergency rule change process to temporarily modify the structure of our grant program to facilitate the disbursement of this new funding. Our regular and start-up grant offerings will continue unchanged in 2024.

Continue reading “Urban Forestry Inflation Reduction Act Grants Update” →

DNR Leads Milwaukee Heat Mapping Project

Posted on by kirsten.biefeld

Mitchell Park Domes. Credit: WDNR

Wisconsin DNR urban forest assessment specialist Dan Buckler had been monitoring weather forecasts for a month, waiting for just the right blisteringly hot day to launch a much-anticipated Milwaukee heat island mapping project. He’d been laser-focused on getting the one-day blitz in the books, and July 21 turned out to be go time.

The urban heat island effect explains the phenomenon that densely developed urban spaces are warmer than outlying places due to man-made surfaces (such as asphalt) absorbing and reradiating heat through the day and night. Trees are one method of reducing urban temperatures by providing shade and by putting more water vapor into the air via evapotranspiration.

Continue reading “DNR Leads Milwaukee Heat Mapping Project” →