Foresters

Tree City USA – Online Portal Open, No More Paper Applications!

Posted on by janness

By Laura Buntrock, DNR Urban Forestry Partnership & Policy Specialist, Laura.Buntrock@wisconsin.gov or 608-294-0253

kids holding a Tree City USA bannerThe online portal for Tree City USA (TCUSA) is now open, with applications due Dec. 31. If you’re new to TCUSA, you can learn more about the program on the Arbor Day Foundation’s (ADF) website or from your DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator. Please note that beginning this year, Arbor ADF is no longer accepting paper applications. You can create an account by clicking “sign up now” on the application portal login page. Within the online portal, you will have access to your historical data. More information is available on ADF’s FAQ page. Continue reading “Tree City USA – Online Portal Open, No More Paper Applications!” →

Reminder: Urban Forestry Council Award Nominations Due Oct. 31

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Governor Tony Evers poses with award winnersDo you know of a person or organization that is making a difference in community forestry? Maybe it is a volunteer who spends their free time planting trees in the community or an organization that is committed to increasing tree diversity or a municipal employee who has dedicated their career to transforming a city’s urban forestry program. If so, please complete this short online nomination form to recognize them for their efforts! Continue reading “Reminder: Urban Forestry Council Award Nominations Due Oct. 31” →

Program Spotlight: DNR’s Inflation Reduction Act Funded Projects Taking Root

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By Jay Dampier, DNR IRA Grant Coordinator, Jason.Dampier@wisconsin.gov or 920-765-1935

a newly planted tree in front of a municipal building

A tree planted with IRA funds is poised to provide shade over the parking lot at Mᶏᶏnᶏᶏpe Hocira – Ho-Chunk Veterans Housing Complex.

On a crisp spring morning in 2025, shovels break ground along a city street in Wisconsin. In another community, trees are being inventoried and assessed for risk. Elsewhere, a dangerous dead ash tree is being removed with a crane to make a neighborhood safer. It’s all part of a bold, three-year initiative made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and administered by the DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry Program. One year in, the thirteen grant-funded projects totaling $4 million are already taking root. Grantees include municipalities, tribes, nonprofits and one county. Grant awards range from under $100,000 to nearly $500,000 and are helping communities grow healthier, greener and more resilient. Together, these efforts are transforming neighborhoods and creating a legacy of shade, clean air and beautification across Wisconsin. Continue reading “Program Spotlight: DNR’s Inflation Reduction Act Funded Projects Taking Root” →

DNR Tree And Shrub Seedling Sales To Begin Oct. 6

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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is accepting seedling orders from Wisconsin landowners for trees and shrubs to be planted in spring 2026, starting Oct. 6, 2025.

Wisconsin forest nurseries have provided high-quality, native tree seedlings, appropriate for planting throughout Wisconsin, for over 100 years. Seedlings grown at the state nurseries are used for reforestation and conservation plantings on private, industrial, tribal and public lands. Continue reading “DNR Tree And Shrub Seedling Sales To Begin Oct. 6” →

Urban Forestry Award Nominations Due Oct. 31

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The Urban Forestry Council presents annual awards to outstanding individuals, organizations, communities and tribes that further urban forestry in Wisconsin. Awards are presented in the categories of Next Gen, Project Partnerships, Lifetime Achievement, Innovations in Urban Forestry, Leadership and Species Diversity. The awards are announced each year at the annual WAA/Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Annual Conference and presented to winners in their community.

Continue reading “Urban Forestry Award Nominations Due Oct. 31” →

Community Spotlight: West Allis’ Tree Inventory System

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

It was 2021 and the West Allis Forestry Division faced a crisis. For all intents and purposes, its tree inventory was no longer functional. The division had always been a program that kept and used a lot of data, but inefficiencies in the inventory process abounded, and now the software where the data was stored was essentially crashing. The status quo was clearly not working.

But as Winston Churchill apocryphally said, “Don’t let a crisis go to waste.”

Continue reading “Community Spotlight: West Allis’ Tree Inventory System” →

Kids Climb Event: Volunteers Needed

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Volunteers are needed to be on the ground and up in the tree. Tasks on the ground include helping parents fill out waiver forms, outfitting kids in helmets and saddles and belaying kids up into the tree using pulley systems. Volunteers are needed in the tree to teach kids limb walking, hanging upside down, etc.

Please sign up online to help.

When: Oct. 5, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: Riverbend Nature Center
3600 North Green Bay Road
Racine, WI, 53404

Continue reading “Kids Climb Event: Volunteers Needed” →

Upcoming Trainings

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*These training opportunities are provided as an information service only and do not constitute an endorsement from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

See below for information on training topics and events, including utilizing urban wood, leadership in urban forestry, retaining mature trees, the Women’s Rec & Safety Climb, the WAA Fall Seminar, electrical hazards, climate change, tree pathology and diseases and urban forestry public awareness materials.

Continue reading “Upcoming Trainings” →