The University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension Horticulture Program’s webpage for “Ask A Gardening Question,” the best place for homeowners to ask questions about the health of their yard trees. / Graphic Credit: UW-Madison Division of Extension
By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Forest Health Outreach and Communications, Fitchburg; Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has a team of Forest Health specialists that focus on problems affecting state, county and municipal forests and private forests larger than 10 acres.
But, to twist a cliché, if you can’t see the forest for the trees when it comes to your yard trees, expert help is a few clicks away.
Join the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Wisconsin Arborist Association (WAA) for the 2026 Wisconsin Annual Urban Forestry Conference. The conference will be held from Feb. 15 to 17 at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay. 
*These training opportunities are provided as an information service only and do not constitute an endorsement from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
*These training opportunities are provided as an information service only and do not constitute an endorsement from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Do 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 
The grants range from $1,000 to $25,000, and grant recipients must match each grant dollar for dollar. A startup grant of up to $5,000 is available for communities that want to start or restart a community forestry program. Grants are awarded to projects that align with state and national goals for increasing the urban forest canopy and the benefits it provides. These grants do not subsidize routine forestry activities. In total, $559,680 is currently available in regular and startup grant funding for 2026.
Trees grow, change and like all living things, eventually decline or die. Sometimes trees are removed from urban areas due to safety concerns, tree health or insufficient space. But when these urban and community trees are viewed not as waste, but as a valuable material resource, their story doesn’t end – it continues.
*These training opportunities are provided as an information service only and do not constitute an endorsement from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).