Urban wood

Establishing Long-Term Plots to Understand Urban Forest Trends

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By Dan Buckler, DNR Urban Forest Assessment Specialist, Madison, daniel.buckler@wisconsin.gov or 608-445-4578

How many sugar maple trees grow in our urban areas? Which species are exhibiting health declines? How many logs can be produced from removed ash trees? What is the carbon storage of urban forests? Where are invasive species most prevalent?

Please let us know if you know the answers, as that would save some time.

But in the absence of answers to those and many other questions, an incredible project is underway between the U.S. Forest Service, the Wisconsin DNR and contracted private foresters: the Urban Forest Inventory and Analysis (UFIA) program.

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Mapping Community Trees

Posted on by patricialindquist

By Dan Buckler, DNR Urban Forest Assessment Specialist, Madison, daniel.buckler@wisconsin.gov or 608-445-4578

The United States features a diverse yet complex group of people and locations. The U.S. Census Bureau regularly undertakes an attempt to catalog those people and places.

Likewise, many communities and organizations survey the trees they manage to better understand and maintain their urban forest.

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Rochester Creates Arboretum To Encourage Species Diversity

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By Sara Minkoff, retired DNR Urban Forestry Council Liaison

Many smaller Wisconsin communities would like to expand their tree planting efforts but have limited budgets. One village in southern Wisconsin came up with a solution.

Rochester Commons Park has been working to create an arboretum using several grants from the American Transmission Company, an electric transmission utility that aids in promoting natural resources in areas separate from electrical utility service lines.

The western Racine County village of about 4,000 people is lined predominantly with maple trees in the public right-of-way along streets and sidewalks. The goals of the ATC-funded project are to exhibit a variety of species beyond the maples to encourage residents to plant and grow more types of trees and diversify and beautify Rochester.

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Career Opportunities At The DNR: Become Our Next Urban Forestry Council Liaison And Outreach Specialist

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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hiring a Limited-Term Employment position – Urban Forestry Council Liaison and Outreach Specialist located at our central office in Madison, Wisconsin.

This dual LTE appointment is made of two 20-hour positions for an expected work schedule of 40 hours per week. The intention is to hire one candidate for both positions.

Applications are due April 27, 2022. Keep reading for more information on the positions and how to apply.

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By Any Other Name, It Is A Pest

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By Josh Lancette, Entomological Society of America and Andrea Diss-Torrance, Wisconsin DNR Forest Health

The Entomological Society of America (ESA) has approved “spongy moth” as the new common name for the moth species Lymantria dispar, formerly known as “gypsy moth.”

The ESA gathered a working group of entomologists and forestry professionals to help propose the new name. The name spongy moth—derived from the common name used in France and French-speaking Canada, “spongieuse”—refers to the sponge-like appearance of the egg masses.

The name replaces “gypsy moth” in ESA’s Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms List. The society removed the name in July 2021 for its use as a derogatory term for Romani people.

Learn more about the change from the ESA.

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Wisconsin Tree Champions Lauded For Outstanding Community Service

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By Sara Minkoff, DNR Urban Forestry Council Liaison, Sara.Minkoff@wisconsin.gov or 608-669-5447

The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council recently announced their annual awards honoring those dedicated to protecting, preserving and increasing the number of trees that line city streets, fill community parks and enhance neighborhoods throughout the state.

The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council advises the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on the best ways to preserve, protect, expand and improve Wisconsin’s urban and community forest resources.

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Five Applicants Receive DNR Urban Forestry Grants In Second Round Of Funding

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During its second round of 2022 funding, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Urban Forestry Grant program awarded a total of $90,000 to five Wisconsin communities for urban forestry projects. These funds were made available through a United States Forest Service grant. 

The Village of Grafton received $25,000, the City of Greenfield received $17,238.62, the City of Monroe received $7,917.67, the Ozaukee County Planning & Parks Department received $14,843.71 and the City of West Bend received $25,000. The communities that received these must match them dollar-for-dollar.

The DNR Urban Forestry Grant program funds projects consistent with state and national goals to increase the urban forest canopy and its benefits. The urban forest encompasses trees on both public and private property.

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Sheboygan: Wisconsin’s First Tree City Of The World

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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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Please Help Guide The Future Of i-Tree

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By Dan Buckler, DNR Urban Forest Assessment Specialist, Madison, daniel.buckler@wisconsin.gov or 608-445-4578

Whenever you hear about the benefits that trees provide to a home, community or region, there is a good chance that that information came from i-Tree, a suite of software from the USDA Forest Service and the Davey Tree Expert Company that quantifies forest structure and estimates trees’ benefits to the ecosystem. Within i-Tree, for example, a user can convert easy to-collect tree data, such as species and diameter, into estimates of the tree’s carbon storage, air pollution reduction or ability to prevent rainwater from entering the sewer system.

While i-Tree has been a foundational tool for telling the urban forest story from the local to global levels, the i-Tree program needs your help to adapt to tomorrow’s management challenges. They are urging current and future i-Tree users to attend one of three Town Hall sessions where you can share your thoughts on what i-Tree has meant to your work and how you think it should change for the future. The sessions are organized by experience level, but if you cannot make your preferred time, select any that might work for you. Additionally, if you cannot attend but are interested in providing feedback, please register as comments can be captured during the registration process.

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Arbor Day 2022 Celebrations

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Did you know that 2022 is both the 150th anniversary of the Arbor Day holiday and the 50th anniversary of the Arbor Day Foundation? To mark these events, the Arbor Day Foundation is compiling all of the Arbor Day celebrations across the United States, putting them on a map, and sharing it far and wide.

To add your celebration or find one in your state, visit the Arbor Day Dates Across America webpage.

Also, a reminder that the Arbor Day Foundation requires communities to hold an Arbor Day celebration and declare a proclamation to earn or maintain Tree City USA designation in 2022. Learn more about the 2022 Tree City USA requirements here.