Urban wood

Participation Requested: Inflation Reduction Act Funding Partner Needs Survey

Posted on by kirsten.biefeld

New funding will be available to states for urban and community forestry activities via the Federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Urban Forestry program is conducting a survey to better understand the funding needs of our partners. 

Your participation in this survey is very important. It will help us guide Wisconsin’s request for Inflation Reduction Act funding to supplement our program.

Please allow for less than ten minutes of your time and go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QSJTRJY to complete the survey. 

The survey will close at the end of the day on Friday, Jan. 20. We value your input; this is incredibly important information for us. Thank you for setting aside a few minutes of your busy schedule.

DNR Urban Forestry Program Announces 2023 Grant Recipients

Posted on by kirsten.biefeld

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the Urban Forestry Grant Program recipients for the 2023 grant year. The program helps fund projects consistent with state and national goals for increasing the urban forest canopy.

The Urban Forestry Grant Program had almost $700,000 in grant funds, with $419,860 in state funding and an additional $273,512 in federal funding. A dollar-for-dollar match puts the estimated total cost of these projects at $1.5 million. In all, 58 applications were selected to receive funding, with awards ranging from $2,106 to $25,000. Continue reading “DNR Urban Forestry Program Announces 2023 Grant Recipients” →

Staff Highlights of 2022

Posted on by kirsten.biefeld

As the year wraps up, we at the DNR Urban Forestry Program have found it full of innovative projects and new and wonderful partnerships, and we have grown closer as a team. We thank everyone for your interest and look forward to another great year in 2023!

For now, we wanted to share some of our favorite highlights from this year!

Back row: Dan Buckler, Olivia Wittun, Jeff Roe, Laura Buntrock, Brian Wahl, Nicolle Spafford
Front row: Kirsten Biefeld, Kim Sebastian, Odell Kimble, Kolin Bilbrew, Patricia Lindquist, Tracy Salisbury, Abby Krause

Continue reading “Staff Highlights of 2022” →

What Do You Do With Your Old Christmas Trees?

Posted on by kirsten.biefeld

By Dan Buckler, DNR Urban Forest Assessment Specialist, Daniel.Buckler@wisconsin.gov, 608-445-4578

Father and daughter bringing a tree home to decorate for Christmas. Source: WI DNR

At probably the same stage of life when I thought bread was just a medium to consume peanut butter, I thought the purpose of Christmas trees was to be a home for presents. However, like many people over the years, my appreciation for these incredible evergreen plants has grown. I love bringing green things into the home when the world can otherwise look bleak.

Unlike urban trees, which were planted and maintained for all sorts of benefits to humans and the wider environment, Christmas trees and other holiday plants are predominantly planted to be harvested at a young age. But like urban trees, their fate following their life’s work is unknown.

We wonder what you do with your Christmas trees or other holiday plants. We encourage you to fill out the short survey linked below. We are particularly interested in any novel ways you may utilize the plants. Next month, we will share results and, hopefully, a few stories.

SURVEY LINK Continue reading “What Do You Do With Your Old Christmas Trees?” →

Local Filmmakers Make Stars Out of Local Trees

Posted on by kirsten.biefeld

Micah Davis (left) and Steve Betchkal (right) hold their Midwest Emmy, awarded for their short film “Champion Trees”. Photo Credit: Story Time with Steve & Micah Facebook page

To see a heartwarming story about the power of trees, check out “BRANCHING OUT: Local Filmmakers Score Big by Making Stars Out of Local Trees” by Eric Rasmussen. Micah Davis and Steve Betchkal (Story time with Steve and Micah) spotlight the city of Eau Claire and explore its connection with its trees in a video called Champion Trees.   Continue reading “Local Filmmakers Make Stars Out of Local Trees” →

Urban Wildlife Management Grants Available

Posted on by kirsten.biefeld

Applications for the Urban Wildlife Damage Abatement and Control Grant are open. The deadline to apply is Dec. 1.

Municipalities in an eligible urban area can apply. The grant provides a 50% cost share with a maximum award of $5,000.

Urban Wildlife Damage Abatement and Control (UWDAC) Grants help urban areas develop wildlife plans and implement specific damage abatement and/or control measures for white-tailed deer and/or Canada geese. Continue reading “Urban Wildlife Management Grants Available” →

 ISA 2022 International Conference Registration Open

Posted on by kirsten.biefeld

The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) is hosting its 3rd Annual International Virtual Conference on Dec. 13-14. Join ISA for this engaging and compelling virtual event and take advantage of the opportunity to network with colleagues, businesses and arboricultural professionals worldwide.

This year’s virtual event provides a lineup of on-demand educational breakout sessions led by industry leaders from around the globe, sharing their thoughts and views about research, practice and technology. Continue reading ” ISA 2022 International Conference Registration Open” →

DNR Urban Forestry Employees Receive NASF Award

Posted on by kirsten.biefeld

The Wisconsin DNR Urban Forestry’s own Laura Buntrock, Urban Forestry Program Specialist, and Olivia Witthun, Urban Forestry Coordinator, were awarded the National Association of State Foresters’ (NASF) Steve Sinclair Current Achievement Award for Urban and Community Forestry for their work in the recently published study on the economic benefits of urban and community forestry (UCF). The award ceremony took place at NASF’s 2022 annual meeting, and their awards represent extraordinary contributions to state and private forestry.

Olivia Witthun (left) accepts the Sinclair Current Achievement Award at the NASF 2022 annual meeting.

The economic study, covering the entirety of the Northeast-Midwest region (20 states and the District of Columbia), is the first comprehensive analysis of economic UCF benefits at a regional scale. Its findings justify the enhancement of current UCF programs and the creation of new initiatives to support urban forest management. They have already helped launch similar research in the South and the state of California.

Continue reading “DNR Urban Forestry Employees Receive NASF Award” →

Updated Eco-Benefits In The Wisconsin Community Tree Map

Posted on by kirsten.biefeld

By: Dan Buckler, Urban Forest Assessment Specialist

The scientific community continues to grow its understanding and appreciation of the ecosystem services that urban trees offer. That is, we now know more about the good trees do, but we also better understand what we don’t know. This nuanced perspective has manifested itself in updated estimates of ecosystem benefits within the Wisconsin Community Tree Map (WCTM).

The WCTM is a compilation of tree inventories from around the state, comprising 910,000 trees across 180 organizations. One of the application’s many interesting and useful functions is the estimation of trees’ eco-benefits. This information can be found for an individual tree simply by clicking it and then the “Eco-Benefits” box. The eco-benefits can also be estimated for a collection of trees by navigating to the “Hub” tab, then clicking “Stats” and “Ecosystem Benefits.”

Estimated benefits showcased in the tree map include annual stormwater reduction, air pollutant reduction and carbon sequestration, as well as lifetime carbon storage. All these benefits are expressed by quantity, volume or weight and by the monetary impact of the trees.

Example of the TreePlotter Inventory Map

Continue reading “Updated Eco-Benefits In The Wisconsin Community Tree Map” →