By Jeff Roe, Urban Forestry Team Leader
As I reflect on the last year, what stands out most for me is the great people that I work with – both staff and partners!
This has been a year of change, with new structures and leadership within the agency. Nonetheless, the staff dedication and leadership support for our program, and the work we do, remain strong. We have also had some staff changes this year: we added a new coordinator to the team, Brad Johnson, to serve the West Central area of the state; Bobbi and Dan joined the team to help with grants and the urban assessment program, respectively; and later in the year, Bobbi moved on to a full-time position within another DNR program. Continue reading “Another productive year for WI Urban Forestry!”
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.