By Dwayne Sperber, owner, Wudeward Urban Forest Products and appointed member, Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council
When a company has publicly committed to corporate social responsibility, environmental conservation, or working with and through the local community, a new construction project is the time to put these philosophies into action. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done.
Designs may get drawn up with the best sustainably-minded intentions — locally-sourced, low emissions, recycled, reused, energy efficient, the list goes on. But as familiar as the design and construction industries are with using environmentally-friendly materials, most of these products do not come in standard sizes, colors or volumes. And they don’t always fit seamlessly into a standard construction management process. Continue reading “Making room for sustainable sourcing”
The Urban Forestry Council held their most recent quarterly meeting on October 13 at The Oxbow Hotel in Eau Claire. This was the second time the Wisconsin Council met with their colleagues in Minnesota, board members from the Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee and MN DNR urban forestry staff. In addition, they were joined by Urban Forestry Council members from several additional states: Indiana, Iowa, and Michigan. The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council and Wisconsin DNR were pleased to welcome these urban forestry representatives from the region for the meeting.
The Urban Forestry team hosted Valerie McClannahan from the Minnesota DNR on September 25th and 26th. Valerie was particularly interested in our Urban Forest Assessment program, the urban wood industry in Wisconsin, and general programmatic items. During her visit, we highlighted the Wisconsin Community Tree Map and the Capital Park inventory, our UFIA program, our canopy assessment project, and the urban homeowner survey. She is interested in how Minnesota can leverage some of their existing work and incorporate some of the additional pieces we are developing for statewide assessments. 
Join the WAA (Wisconsin Arborist Association) for their Summer Conference and Picnic at the Lussier Family Heritage Center in Madison on Tuesday, August 15th. The Program Committee has put together another excellent lineup for this event. They are offering Two Tracks of Education, one indoors and one outdoors, including information for climbers, plant selection, and insect and disease information. There will be something for everyone.
The Urban Wood Network, a multi-state collaborative project that is promoting full-circle urban forest management, recently announced its