Five individuals and organizations earned recognition from the Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council for their efforts to protect, preserve and increase the number of trees that line city streets, fill community parks and beautify neighborhoods throughout the state. Continue reading “Tree champions lauded for community service”
Urban wood
Collecting your local Arbor Day stories
Arbor Day has a long tradition in Wisconsin. This historic holiday has been celebrated in Wisconsin since 1883, and continues to be celebrated here and around the world. Many communities combine their Arbor Day celebrations with Tree City USA anniversaries and related achievements. Tree City USA, a program through the Arbor Day Foundation, acknowledges the commitment of a community to its urban trees. In addition to Tree City USA materials to help create a local celebration, Wisconsin DNR Division of Forestry offers materials, games, activities, facts and more to support your community in planning the perfect Arbor Day celebration. Arbor Day is an important part of Wisconsin’s history and has always been celebrated with zeal and enthusiasm. Continue reading “Collecting your local Arbor Day stories”
Spread the love: how to help your urban forests
Trees are vitally important to cities, villages and towns. Like electricity and water, an urban tree canopy is part of a community’s infrastructure, providing valuable environmental, economic and social benefits. Well-managed urban forests pay back nearly three times the cost to plant and maintain them. Continue reading “Spread the love: how to help your urban forests”
CTMI graduate workshop, young tree pruning
This fall Wisconsin DNR Urban Forestry program hosted the inaugural Wisconsin Community Tree Management Institute (WCTMI) graduate workshop. It was held over two days in mid-October at the Green Lake Conference Center. The workshop included presentations and mini-workshops on many topics. One of the topics was young tree pruning. Continue reading “CTMI graduate workshop, young tree pruning”
Accepting applicants for urban positions
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry has two Limited Term Employment (LTE) positions open for applications. One position is an Urban Forest Assessment Outreach Specialist with the Urban Forestry team and the other is an Urban Forest Inventory Specialist with the Forest Products Services team. Each of these positions is a half-time appointment, and both are stationed out of Central Office in downtown Madison. Continue reading “Accepting applicants for urban positions”
EAB mitigation grants support communities
The Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission (RPC), in partnership with WI DNR and two other Wisconsin RPCs, awarded $82,450 to nine Wisconsin communities for projects to mitigate the impacts of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Grant funds will support planting nearly 700 diverse trees to help local governments prepare and recover from EAB. The grant awards ranged from $2,400 to $20,000, with recipients providing at least a 25% match of the total project. This funding was made available through a U.S. Forest Service Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GRLI) grant received by Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission earlier this year.
For more information contact Ellen Clark (EllenA.Clark@Wisconsin.gov), Urban Forestry Communication Specialist, at 608-267-2774.
EAB detection continues to grow in urban areas
EAB is an invasive pest that continues to expand and affect more communities in Wisconsin. EAB affects ash trees, which are prevalent in Wisconsin’s urban forests. Communities have been, and continue to create plans to mitigate EAB infestation. Currently, there are 268 communities with known EAB detections. Unfortunately, Wisconsin has far surpassed the former record for most municipal detections in a single year, 86 this year versus 52 in 2015. Continue reading “EAB detection continues to grow in urban areas”
Annual Urban Forestry conference announced
The Wisconsin Arborist Association (WAA) teams up with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to present the WAA/DNR Annual Urban Forestry Conference, Healthy Benefits to Enriching Your Arboriculture and Urban Forestry Knowledge. This three-day conference is intended for professional arborists, community foresters, nursery professionals, park and recreation directors and staff, tree care workers, landscape architects, green industry professionals, community administrators, volunteers, and students to come together with top researchers and educators to learn the latest in research, innovations and industry developments and issues. ISA Continuing Education Unit (CEU’s) credits and Certified Treecare Safety Professional (CTSP) credits are available for qualifying presentations. Continue reading “Annual Urban Forestry conference announced”
Financial Specialist retires after 35 years
Where one chapter ends another begins. Su DaWalt, Urban Forestry Financial Specialist, is retiring from her work at Wisconsin DNR. In this role her primary responsibility was to coordinate the policy and implementation of our Urban Forestry grant and financing programs. She has implemented many process improvements to streamline and document the grant process for staff and potential applicants. She helped document and share other potential funding sources. Additionally, she worked with numerous partners, grant applicants and staff to improve, implement and train them in the various processes and materials. Su will be missed, but we know she will do amazing things in her retirement. Continue reading “Financial Specialist retires after 35 years”
Conifers provide urban forests many benefits
Trees dressed in tinsel, ornaments and lights are common in households around the world over the holiday season. While conifers are known for decorating homes over holidays there are many other benefits they provide as urban trees in yards and along streets. ISA released an article regarding these benefits. Continue reading “Conifers provide urban forests many benefits”