Urban wood

Trees for all: Madison nonprofit serves multi-family residences

Posted on by patricialindquist

Over the years, the Urban Tree Alliance (UTA), a Madison-based nonprofit, has launched several innovative programs that promote environmental equity. The first of these programs, the Madison Canopy Project, continues to offer free trees to homeowners in selected low-income, low-canopy neighborhoods. Initially funded with the assistance of DNR Urban Forestry Grants, the program now has other funding sources and is kicking off its seventh year.

UTA’s newest program, the Housing Partnerships Program, provides tree planting and technical tree assessment services for multi-family residential properties. UTA received 2019 and 2020 DNR Urban Forestry grants to implement and expand this program.

Why the focus on multi-family residences, you may ask? “Through our work in Madison neighborhoods, we have regularly encountered unmet opportunities for tree planting at thousands of multi-family properties,” explains Jeremy Kane, Director of UTA.

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From asthma to ADHD: statistics on the health benefits of trees

Posted on by patricialindquist

Looking for some hard numbers on how urban trees affect health conditions such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and ADHD?

Click on the links below to read the original research studies:

•     An increase of 888 street trees per square mile is associated with a 29% lower rate of childhood asthma. Children Living in Areas with More Street Trees Have Lower Prevalence of Asthma, 2008.

•     Loss of trees to the emerald ash borer is associated with an additional 15,080 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 6113 deaths from lower respiratory disease during the study period (1990- 2007). The Relationship Between Trees and Human Health: Evidence from the Spread of the Emerald Ash Borer, 2013.

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Wisconsin DNR Forest Health 2019 Annual Report

Posted on by patricialindquist

The DNR Forest Health team recently completed the 2019 Forest Health Annual Report summarizing impacts from pests, diseases and weather on the health of Wisconsin’s forests. Highlights from 2019 include:

   •   Dramatically increased decline and mortality from EAB in southern WI

   •   New county and township detections of oak wilt

   •   Record-breaking precipitation and major storm damage

   •   Summary of state nursery studies

To read the report, follow this link.

Grant opportunity: USDA National Forest Resiliency Innovation 2020 Challenge

Posted on by patricialindquist

Are you seeking funding for an urban and community forestry project with multi-state or national impact? If so, consider applying for the USDA Forest Service National Forest Resiliency Innovation 2020 Challenge Cost Share Grant Program.

  • Deadline: March 30th, 2020
  • Total funding available: approximately $900,000 (based on the availability of funding, which may be subject to change).

The USDA seeks innovative (new, cutting-edge or builds upon existing studies) grant proposals for program development, study, and collaboration that will address urban and community forest resilience and aligns with one or more applicable goals in the National Ten Year Urban and Community Forestry Action Plan (2016-2026):

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Small grants now available for Bird City Wisconsin communities

Posted on by patricialindquist

Bird City Wisconsin announces a new small grants program available to current Bird City communities. Grants totaling $500 will be awarded in each of three categories: creating and protecting bird habitat, educating residents about interactions between birds and people, and protecting birds by reducing threats.

The application deadline is March 31st, 2020.

For more information and to apply, please visit this webpage.

Guidance recertification documents now posted online

Posted on by patricialindquist

As part of the review process for existing guidance from the WDNR Applied Forestry Bureau, 26 guidance recertification documents have been posted for public comment on the DNR Proposed Program Guidance webpage. Three of these documents pertain to the Urban Forestry program: the Wisconsin DNR Urban Forestry Grants 2020 Application Guide, the Urban Forestry Catastrophic Storm Grant Program, and the Wisconsin DNR Urban Forestry Grants 2020 Recordkeeping & Reimbursement Guide.

Per Act 369, agencies must post new or significantly revised guidance documents for public comment and certify their contents, prior to adoption. The act also requires existing guidance to be republished for public comment. Once finalized, guidance must be posted on the DNR website, contain a certification statement, and the department must permit continued public comment.

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Check your trees for EAB and plan for spring

Posted on by margueriterapp

By Bill McNee, forest health specialist, Oshkosh, bill.mcnee@wisconsin.gov, 920-360-0942

The cold winter months are a great time to think about emerald ash borer and whether ash trees in your yard are suitable for treatment. The pest is currently the most damaging threat to trees in Wisconsin, killing more than 99 percent of the ash trees it infests.

Two side-by-side images depicting different stages of flecking on ash trees - on left side is light flecking in the upper canopy of a tree, on the right side is more severe flecking that extends down the trunk of the tree

Woodpecker flecking is an early sign of EAB infestation when it appears in the tops of trees (left). As the infestation progresses, flecking continues down the trunk and into lower parts of the crown (right).

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Arbor Day Foundation launches three new recognition programs

Posted on by patricialindquist

Now more than ever, trees and forests are a vital component of healthy, livable, and sustainable communities, in the U.S. and around the globe. Along with its partners such as the Wisconsin DNR, the Arbor Day Foundation is seeking ways to link together those that plant and tend urban trees and forests for the benefit of humankind.

In 2019, the Foundation launched three new recognition programs to appeal to three different audiences, three different owners and managers of urban greenspace:

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Who can I call for help with a large public woodland?

Posted on by patricialindquist

Does your community need assistance with a substantial parcel of natural woodland (more than 10 acres) under municipal jurisdiction? If so, contact your local DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator. He or she can help you find the expertise you need by connecting you with the appropriate DNR professionals.

Don Kissinger, North Central Regional Urban Forestry Coordinator, recently provided this type of assistance on two separate occasions (described in detail below). Through his contacts at the Wisconsin Rapids DNR Field Forestry Team, Don was able to help a municipality plan for the impact of the emerald ash borer (EAB) in a large community park. Shortly afterwards, he again called upon DNR Field Forestry, this time to assist a technical college with storm damage in its school forest.

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From ashes to oaks

Posted on by patricialindquist

Dealing with the loss of ash trees to the emerald ash borer (EAB) can be disheartening, and the idea of replanting can seem overwhelming. But Tom Zagar, Muskego City Forester, saw a chance to try something new.

Tom manages a younger-growth woodland that had lost significant canopy due to EAB. After mowing down the invasive shrubs that blanketed parts of the woodland, “I recognized these areas as a prime opportunity to try to reestablish oak trees,” said Tom. “I especially wanted to plant white oak of local genotype.”

Early last spring, Tom and his team sprang into action. They collected loads of white oak acorns, most of which had pushed a root into the ground, with a gentle tug and a small shovel. They planted them in the cleared areas and protected them with tree tubes. Later on, when it was necessary to spray the invasive buckthorn shrubs that had re-sprouted, the tree tubes shielded the seedling oaks from herbicide.

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