Urban wood

New Oak Wilt Vectors Emergence User Interface Available Online

Posted on by patricialindquist

By Kyoko Scanlon, DNR Forest Pathologist, Kyoko.Scanlon@wisconsin.govor 608-235-7532 and Elly Voigt, DNR Forest Health Communications Specialist and Lab Technician, Eleanor.Voigt@wisconsin.gov or 608-273-6276

Oak wilt is a serious disease that occurs when insects carrying oak wilt fungal spores land on a healthy oak tree’s fresh wound. To prevent oak wilt infections, it is important to avoid pruning, wounding and harvesting oaks when these insects are abundant, generally April through July.

Predicting exactly when these insects start to emerge in the spring can be difficult as their emergence is highly weather-dependent, and spring weather varies significantly from year to year.

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Tips For Holding Tree Planting And Distribution Events During COVID-19

Posted on by patricialindquist

The Arbor Day Foundation has created a short guide for holding safer tree planting and distribution events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The guide includes tips for planning the event, communicating with volunteers and suggesting processes for tree distribution and planting. The guide also features additional tips for dealing with water, snacks and tools and more.

As emphasized in the guide, be sure to comply with local guidelines from your community health authorities.

To download the guide, visit the webpage here.

You can also view a short video summarizing information from the guide here.

Funding Opportunities Available Through the DNR

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Local units of government (LUGs) are eligible to apply for four Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program grants and two related federal programs administered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The annual application deadline is May 1, 2021, for the grant programs listed below.

Knowles-Nelson Stewardship local assistance grant programs:

  • Aids for the Acquisition and Development of Local Parks (ADLP)
  • Urban Green Space (UGS) grants
  • Urban Rivers (UR) grants
  • Acquisition of Development Rights (ADR)

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1000 Friends Of Wisconsin’s Leafing Out Webinar Series

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Leafing Out, Episode 4: Selecting Your Tree, Fruit Trees with Paul Schwabe

Thursday, March 25, 2021, 12:00-1:00 PM

This webinar has been produced in collaboration with the Dane County Tree Board

Join 1000 Friends and Paul Schwabe from Johnson’s Nursery in Menomonee Falls to hear the secrets to a bountiful fruit tree. Paul is a sales rep at Johnson’s Nursery and has many years of wisdom to share with us.

Paul will cover the optimal site conditions for fruit trees and then grow your knowledge of apple and peach trees during his presentation. When his talk is finished, Paul will be available for any of your fruit tree questions.

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Fall Workshop Series Now Available on Video

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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Urban Forestry and UW-Madison, Division of Extension Fall 2020 Workshop Series is now available for viewing on YouTube. Use the links below to watch the videos:

Please complete the survey in the comments section on YouTube after viewing each video.

First-Ever Virtual WAA and WDNR Urban Forestry Conference A Success!

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Thank you to the more than 450 people who joined us for the first-ever virtual Wisconsin Arborist Association (WAA) and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Urban Forestry Annual Conference. The conference’s theme was “Sustaining Urban Forests to Ensure a Healthy Future,” held on February 21-23.

In collaboration with the WAA, DNR staff worked hard to transition the annual conference to a virtual format. The conference retained key elements it has become renowned for, including engaging presentations, a welcome by State Forester Heather Berklund, a well-attended exhibition “hall,” an enjoyable session of ArborMaster Trivia and the annual awards ceremony shared by the Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council and the WAA awards program.

The DNR exhibition booth featured a new video by Grant Manager Chase O’Brien and Finance Specialist Nicolle Spafford and live Q&A sessions with O’Brien, Spafford, and Forest Health Specialist Bill McNee.

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Join Virtual Q&A Sessions With DNR Experts

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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Urban Forestry program will have a virtual booth at the 2021 WAA/DNR Urban Forestry Annual Conference, Feb. 21-23, 2021. Our virtual booth will feature a new video on our grant program and live group Q&A sessions with our grant and forest health specialists.

A virtual booth could be described as a hybrid between a Zoom call and a website, with some additional features. If you’re attending the annual conference, you’ll have the opportunity to stop by our virtual booth, just as you would at an in-person meeting. Staff will be available to answer questions at set times, and there will be resources available to view and download.

A new video on our DNR Urban Forestry Grant program will be available to view in the booth throughout the conference. Created by DNR Finance Specialist Nicolle Spafford and DNR Grant Manager Chase O’Brien, the video will show you the program’s basics and inspire you to start projects of your own while seeing some successful programs across the state.

Join One Of These Live Q&A Sessions At Our Virtual Booth

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Campaigning For Trees Pays Off

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In recent years, Cedarburg’s urban forest was declining. From 2017-2019, less than one-third of removed trees were replaced. “Development, storms, insects (especially emerald ash borer), and disease have reduced the City’s tree canopy by as much as 300 trees… trees which, at present, are not being replaced,” said Kevin Westphal, Cedarburg parks and forestry superintendent, in January 2020.

With the help of a 2020 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Urban Forestry grant, the non-profit Cedarburg Green stepped in to help reverse the decline. Over the past year, Cedarburg Green held a remarkable public awareness campaign that included a tree sale, tree plantings, lectures, an art and writing contest, tree tags promoting the benefits of street trees, a guided tree walk, a display at the local library, an appearance on a radio talk show and more. “The goal of this program is to have more tree-educated decision-makers, residents and future homeowners (our children),” said Jeanne Mueller, Cedarburg Green volunteer and grant-writer.

The fruits of their labor proliferated. This past November, a newspaper article headline listed forestry as one of Cedarburg’s 2021 budget priorities, which includes $30,000 for tree planting and $50,000 for stump grinding.

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Gays Mills, Wisconsin Recognized As Smallest Growth Award Community In The U.S.

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Congratulations, Gays Mills! The village with a population of 502 was recognized in a recent Tree City USA (TCUSA) bulletin for being our nation’s smallest current TCUSA Growth Award community.

According to the Arbor Day Foundation, “the Tree City USA Growth Award program is an innovative way to encourage communities of all sizes to — as the name implies — grow their tree care programs beyond basic expectations.” Points are awarded to communities who take part in a variety of activities in five categories: A) building the team, B) measuring trees and forests, C) planning the work, D) performing the work and E) the community framework.

In 2019, 341 communities earned a Growth Award in the U.S., including 17 in Wisconsin: Gays Mills, Grand Chute, Greenfield, Janesville, La Crosse, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Oconomowoc, Racine, River Falls, Shawano, Sheboygan, Shorewood, Slinger, Watertown, Waukesha and West Allis.

For an example of this point system, Gays Mills documented the following projects in categories B and D in its application for a 2020 Growth Award:

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Leafing Out: A Webinar Series To Inspire Care For Trees

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Follow 1000 Friends of Wisconsin’s monthly webinars to learn fun and useful facts about the trees in your yard and community! Urban forestry experts will discuss what to plant, which birds and wildlife your trees are attracting, how to advocate for your community’s trees and more. There will be time for questions at the end of each webinar. Anyone is welcome to register and tune in to the webinars.

 

Webinar 2: Basic Tree Pruning With Lisa Johnson

12-1:00 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021

This webinar has been produced in collaboration with the Dane County Tree Board.

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