Communities across the state are reaching out to their citizens and encouraging them to plant trees in their own yards, greening the community with both yard and street trees. The Village of Bayside and the Village of Greenfield are accomplishing this through “Adopt-A-Tree” programs and species lists.
Continue reading “Communities encourage planting through tree lists”
by Jodie Ellis, Forest Health Team, communications specialist, Jodie.Ellis@wisconsin.gov, 608-266-2172
An emerald ash borer adult.
Photo: Leah Bauer, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, Bugwood.org
A statewide quarantine of the invasive insect emerald ash borer (EAB) will go into effect on March 30, 2018. Previously, individual counties were quarantined when EAB was confirmed within each’s borders. Since EAB has been found in 48 of 72 Wisconsin counties, officials have determined that statewide regulation of the devastating ash tree pest is warranted.
Movement of ash wood, untreated ash products and hardwood firewood of any type to areas outside of Wisconsin will continue to be regulated by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine. (APHIS PPQ).
Within the state, Wisconsin businesses and members of the public will be able to freely move ash wood, ash products, and hardwood firewood to or from any Wisconsin county. Firewood restrictions will remain in effect on state and federal lands.
Items affected by the statewide EAB quarantine include ash wood with bark attached, larger ash wood chips, and hardwood firewood of any kind. County-by-county quarantines for gypsy moth, another invasive forest pest, remain in effect.
The move to a statewide quarantine does not mean that the state has given up on managing EAB; it is simply a shift in strategy as EAB continues its slow spread through the state. The Wisconsin DNR will continue releasing tiny, stingless wasps -natural enemies of EAB – at appropriate sites, which it has done since 2011. The DNR also continues participation in silvicultural trials in which different ash management strategies are being tested.
Most importantly, campers, tourists, and other members of the public are strongly encouraged to continue taking care when moving firewood within the state. “The actions taken by the Wisconsin public during the last few years have significantly slowed the spread of emerald ash borer and other invasive forest pests in the state,” said Wisconsin DNR EAB program manager Andrea Diss-Torrance. “We can continue to protect the numerous areas within our state that are not yet infested – including those in our own backyards – from tree-killing pests and diseases by following precautions.” Public members should continue to obtain firewood near campgrounds or cabins where they intend to burn it, or buy firewood that bears the DATCP-certified mark, meaning it has been properly seasoned or heat-treated to kill pests.
Emerald ash borer is native to China and probably entered the United States on packing material, showing up first in Michigan in 2002. It was first found in eastern Wisconsin in 2008.
For further information on EAB in Wisconsin, visit https://dnr.wi.gov/, using key words “emerald ash borer”.
“When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” Aldo Leopold spoke these words many years ago, but they still ring true today. We all belong to a community, built around the people and the places we love and feel connected to, including trees and the land. Trees help shape communities and create sentimental landmarks that connect people and places. Consider the large elm that may hold a family tire swing, or the oak that made the perfect place for a secret club house, perhaps it’s under a crabapple tree that a couple shared their first kiss, trees becomes fixtures in our lives, bookmarks for the moments we relish.
By Dan Buckler, Urban Forest Assessment Specialist, DNR
Whether you see urban trees as art, infrastructure or the lungs of your community, they are important assets in our state. And recently released tree canopy data from the DNR’s Urban Forestry program shows exactly where those trees and other woody vegetation exist in the state’s municipalities and urban areas. Continue reading “Canopy cover assessed for all Wisconsin municipalities and urban areas”
The Madison Community Foundation announced in February a $75,000 grant intended to help local community organizations utilize wood from ash trees that were felled due to emerald ash borer for education and artistic projects. Continue reading “Community grant to utilize their ash”
By Dan Buckler, Urban Forestry Assessment Specialist, DNR
The Urban Forestry program’s recently released Urban Tree Canopy data shows the extent of tree and shrub cover across every Wisconsin municipality and urban area. The City of New Berlin in southeast Wisconsin offers a glimpse into the kind of information you could derive from the canopy data. Continue reading “A Glimpse into New Berlin’s Tree Canopy”
By Olivia Witthun, Urban Forestry Coordinator
The second of three sessions for Wisconsin’s Community Tree Management Institute (CTMI) was held February 6-7, 2018 in Green Lake. Through hands-on training and exercises, twenty-six students from across the state learned how to identify community forestry management needs and get the work done. Topics included: inventories, management plans, urban and community forestry operations (planting, pruning and removal), natural areas, tree biology, hardscape conflicts, soils, risk tree management and tree emergencies. Instructors for session II included: municipal forestry staff, university staff, consultants and DNR staff. The variety of instructors, their perspectives and interactive components are meant to appeal to all learning styles. Continue reading “Community Tree Management Institute: Building on a solid foundation”
The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council recently announced award recipients honoring those dedicated to protecting, preserving and increasing the number of trees that line city streets, fill community parks and beautify neighborhoods throughout the state. Continue reading “City tree champions lauded for outstanding community service”
The 2018 WAA/DNR Annual Conference was held February 18-20 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. This year there was a record attendance of 857 people. Those in attendance were from the private industry, business owners, municipal staff, and state employees. Again, this year there were several different tracks attendants could attend: general sessions, climbers corner, introductory, business and utility. Across these tracks many topics were covered, from insects and pests to climbing and building an arboriculture business. This three-day conference also hosted many different exhibitors from the industry to provide attendees with up-to-date technology, equipment and practices to improve their work. Continue reading “2018 WAA/DNR Conference was an immense success”
Contents of this article are shared for informational purposes only. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources does not endorse and makes no representations, expressed, inferred or implied, concerning these organizations, programs or services.
By Paul Fliss, City Forester, City of New Berlin, WI
The City of New Berlin applied for a National Fish and Wildlife Federation (NFWF) Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant in 2017. The proposed project will cover 9.59 acres and encompass the length of Deer Creek and the wetlands to the south and east of the City Center Business District. Common to this area are several species of resident birds, migratory songbirds, owls and waterfowl. Recent history has revealed an abundance of whitetail deer and smaller animals such as muskrats, raccoon, opossum, skunks, various mice/voles and even evidence of a beaver. The habitat for these species is that of an urban to rural interface and wetland transition ecology. The current state of the defined proposal areas vary between ‘poor’ with construction debris, litter and heavily infested invasive species to ‘fair’ with few invasive species and nearly undisturbed lowland habitat, native trees and wetlands plants. Continue reading “Building a Community Ecology Project”
