Partners

First Downs For Trees; Go Trees, Go!

Go trees, go! That could have been the chant coming from Lambeau Field last month as First Downs for Trees celebrated its 12th season by distributing more than 400 trees to Brown County communities.

First Downs for Trees is a cooperative effort between the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Green Bay Packers, Wisconsin Public Service and corporate sponsors Essity and Green Bay Packaging, Inc. The program donates trees to participating communities based on the number of first downs in the previous season.

On Tuesday, April 19, 406 trees were trucked out of the Meacham Nursery bound for places like De Pere, Pulaski, Howard, Ashwaubenon, Green Bay, Wrightstown, Allouez, Hobart, Bellevue and the Oneida Nation. In total, 16 communities received trees from Meacham’s and Leaves Inspired nurseries.

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Sheboygan: Wisconsin’s First Tree City Of The World

By Tim Bull, City of Sheboygan Forester, Timothy.Bull@sheboyganwi.gov and
Olivia Witthun, DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator, olivia.witthun@wisconsin.gov or 414-750-8744

The City of Sheboygan has done it again. Not only do they hold the honor of being Wisconsin’s first Tree City USA back in 1976, but they are now also Wisconsin’s first community earning Tree Cities of the WORLD status! They are one of only 120 cities currently recognized, sharing the stage with San Francisco, Washington D.C., Minneapolis, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Brussels and Milan, to name a few.

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Register Now for the Annual WAA/DNR Urban Forestry Conference!

Join the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Wisconsin Arborist Association for the 2022 Wisconsin Annual Urban Forestry Conference. The conference will be held on Feb. 20 – 22 at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay with select sessions available for attendance virtually.

The in-person conference is limited to 462 attendees this year. This is approximately half of our usual attendance.

The early bird discount is available until Jan. 28. Prices will go up on Jan. 29.

To register for the in-person conference, go here.

The virtual conference will be available for viewing all of March. Register for the virtual conference here.

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Save The Date: February WAA / DNR Annual Conference

Join the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Wisconsin Arborist Association for the 2022 Wisconsin Annual Urban Forestry Conference. The conference will be held on Feb. 20 – 22 at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay with select sessions available for attendance virtually.

The DNR and the Wisconsin Arborist Association developed three days of enriching educational programming on the latest in research, innovations and industry developments and issues in the arboriculture and urban forestry industry.

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Deadlines Approaching For Tree City, Bird City And Bee City Applications

Act fast to keep your Tree City, Bird City and Bee City status! Due dates are as follows:

  • Tree City USA (TCUSA) applications are due Dec. 31
  • Bird City Wisconsin renewal applications are due Jan. 31 (new applications can be submitted anytime)
  • Bee City USA renewal applications are due Feb. 28 (new applications can be submitted anytime)

These three programs are each managed by a different nonprofit, but they have a lot in common. In fact, a single project could be used to help meet all three programs’ requirements!

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Watch Us Grow! 16 Big Trees Planted in New Urban Forest Demonstration Area at the Forest Exploration Center

In collaboration with Wudeward Urban Forest Products, the Forest Exploration Center officially broke ground to launch the first of many educational plans for the open spaces of the property.

The new Urban Forest interpretive area will include exhibits and guided demonstrations. Visitors will explore the beauty, form and structure of this diverse selection of trees fit for the urban environment and discover that urban forests, like their rural forest counterpart, are also dynamic ecosystems that provide critical benefits to people and wildlife.

Our fine partners at the Wisconsin DNR’s division of Urban Forestry selected the tree species and designed the planting space. Species were chosen as those best to thrive in urban environments and represent the wide range of possibilities available to visitors interested in learning more about identifying, planting, and caring for trees in their own neighborhood.

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WAA Fall Seminar

The Wisconsin Arborist Association (WAA) will host this year’s Fall Seminar in-person and virtually.

The in-person seminar will be held on Sept. 15 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Army Lake Camp & Retreat Center in East Troy, Wisconsin. Up to 6 CEUs are available. The registration deadline is Friday, Sept. 10. The fee is $100 for WAA members or $110 for nonmembers plus a $25 late registration fee. Full-time students may attend for free. Register online here.

For those who prefer to participate online, the content of the in-person seminar will be repeated on a virtual platform that can be viewed Oct. 1-15. The online seminar will include five hours of virtual learning and engagement with 5 CEUs available through an online quiz. The registration deadline is Sept. 30, and the fee is $90 for WAA members or $100 for nonmembers. Full-time students may attend for free. Register online here.

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ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program

Created and administered by the Morton Arboretum in Chicago, the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program is the only international accreditation program specific to arboreta. It fosters professionalism and collaboration and recognizes arboreta at various levels of development.

The program is free of charge, and accreditation is valid for five years with a simple renewal every five years.

Examples of institutions that may be accredited include arboreta and botanic gardens, historic properties, college campuses, cemeteries, zoos, city tree collections, corporate campuses, school properties, golf courses, nature reserves and municipal parks.

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Partners In Community Forestry Conference

Sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, the Partners in Community Forestry conference will be held in-person in Louisville, Kentucky on Nov. 17 and 18. This conference is the largest international gathering of urban forestry practitioners, advocates, researchers and government leaders. Bring your skills, your hunger for knowledge and your passion for community forestry as you mingle with like-minded professionals; the thinkers, doers, and thought leaders in community forestry. CEUs will be available.

Partnering events held the same week include the Society of Municipal Arborists’ 57th Annual International Conference and Trade Show (Nov. 15-16), the Alliance for Community Trees Day (Nov. 16), and Urban Wood Network Academy (Nov. 19).

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Celebrating A Successful 2021 Arbor Day

By Patricia Lindquist, DNR Urban Forestry Communications Specialist, Madison, Patricia.Lindquist@wisconsin.gov or 608-843-6248 

Despite significant challenges this year, many communities adapted their annual Arbor Day celebrations or came up with creative new ideas. Thanks to everyone for going above and beyond in 2021!

A big thank you to the 43 communities who participated in the Arbor Day Social media campaign! All together, these communities created 159 posts for Facebook, Twitter and their local government websites during Arbor Week. We’re thrilled that so many of you helped spread the word about the benefits of trees and proper tree planting and care practices.

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