The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Insider
An electronic newsletter of breaking news and valuable information for the Urban Forest community in Wisconsin and beyond.
One of the three oak wilt billboards sponsored by Golden Sands RC&D Council, Inc. The billboards are located on Hwy 49, Hwy 13, and Hwy 54.
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May 4, 2007
This issue's contents:
In the News
- ACT Submits Testimony- FY 2008 Forest Service Budget
- Leafy, Green and Good
- Trees to Offset the Carbon Footprint?
- When Being Green Raises the Heat
Specifically Wisconsin
- Oak Wilt Message Getting Out
- Arbor Day - Kids Making a Difference
- Lawn Runoff Isn't The Culprit For Algae In Lakes
Emerald Ash Borer
Tools For Your Job
- Arbor Day Celebrations
- Nonprofit Guide
- Support for Small, Community-Based Organizations
- 2007 Building With Trees Award Winners Announced
- Target Supports Local Community Programs
- Research Grants
Conferences & Seminars
ACT Submits Testimony- FY 2008 Forest Service Budget
The Alliance for Community Trees provided written testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies regarding the FY 2008 federal budget. ACT urged Congress to 1.) Provide a total of $50 million to the Forest Service to deliver a successful and expanded Urban and Community Forestry Program to the nation's public. 2.) Double the Forest Service's research investments for urban forest research across its Research and Development units.
Leafy, Green and Good
Recent news stories suggest that there is one true answer to of global warming - transforming the way we produce energy, reducing carbon dioxide emissions at the source. Planting trees to combat climate change is a distraction from this solution, an "indulgence," "the morning-after pill for fossil fuel gluttons," a "dangerous illusion."
Leafy, Green and Good [exit DNR]
Trees to Offset the Carbon Footprint?
How effective are new trees in offsetting the carbon footprint? A new study suggests that the location of new trees is an important factor when considering such carbon offset projects. Planting and preserving forests in the tropics is more likely to slow down global warming. But the study concludes that planting new trees in certain parts of the planet may actually warm the earth.
Trees Offsetting Carbon Footprint [exit DNR]
When Being Green Raises the Heat
Carbon dioxide is heating up the earth. Ice caps are melting, ocean levels are rising, hurricanes are intensifying, tropical diseases are spreading and the threat of droughts, floods and famines looms large. Can planting a tree help stop all this from happening?
When Being Green Raises the Heat [exit DNR]
Oak Wilt Message Getting Out
Golden Sand Resource Conservation & Development Council, Inc. hopes that three billboards, located on major highways in Waupaca, Portage, and Wood counties, will serve as a reminder to landowners, builders, and developers to be cautious around oaks. A fresh wound, either from pruning, attaching a bird feeder, or incidental contact with machinery, opens the tree to infection by oak wilt.
Avoid pruning or injuring oaks from April through July, according to the latest recommendations from Department of Natural Resources' Forestry Division staff. This is when the threat of oak wilt is highest.
Arbor Day - Kids Making a Difference
This year marks the 135th anniversary of Arbor Day, and kids around the state are still getting into the act. Schools throughout Wisconsin mark this day by reading poetry, designing posters, listening to speeches, and more importantly, planting trees. This year, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry will provide 75,000 tree seedlings to fourth graders around the state in observation of Arbor Day.
Lawn Runoff Isn't The Culprit For Algae In Lakes
John Stier says the 2004 bans on phosphorus-based fertilizers in Madison and Dane County were "well-intentioned," but questions whether they'll actually do much to reduce slimy algae blooms in Madison lakes.
Stier, an associate professor in UW-Madison's horticulture department, was among the skeptics when the bans were first proposed in 2003, having maintained that lawn runoff was a minor source of phosphorus in the lakes. And he remains a skeptic today.
Joint Hearing Regarding EAB in Wisconsin
The emerald ash borer already has infested trees in more than 1,200 cities and townships in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio, said Philip Bell, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service regional manager for the beetle. If no action is taken to stop it, the beetle could infest more than 12,000 municipalities from Minnesota to North Carolina by 2027, he told the state Senate environmental and Assembly forestry committees during a joint hearing.
EAB & Beyond - Wood Recycling Conference
Many efforts have taken place in Michigan to find more value in ash and other dead urban trees following the outbreak of the emerald ash borer. The Southeast Michigan RC&D Council is now hosting "EAB & Beyond:Finding Value in Urban Trees," a conference to showcase wood recycling opportunities for communities and industries. This event will give participants the chance to learn more about wood utilization options for municipalities and businesses by providing in-depth discussion on successful uses, developing markets, technology, regulatory issues, and planning. Presentations will feature both national experts in urban wood reclamation and local success stories. Conference dates: May 23-24, 2007.
Arbor Day Celebrations
The National Arbor Day Foundation would like to highlight Arbor Day celebrations and plantings from across the U.S. in our upcoming publications. They are looking for good pictures and stories to share. If you are aware of any communities that do an exemplary job in their celebration of Arbor Day they would like to know about them.
They would also like to know if you are aware of any outstanding individuals that have inspired a community to become a Tree City or individuals that have been instrumental in securing or keeping the Tree City USA program alive in their community.
You can email submissions to jchaput@arborday.org.
Nonprofit Guide
The Mellon Financial Corporation is offering "Discover Total Resources: A Guide for Nonprofits," a guide to help board members, staff, and volunteers discover resources that have been used effectively by a variety of nonprofits. A checklist of resources and techniques is included to help nonprofits reduce their vulnerability and increase their opportunities.
Support for Small, Community-Based Organizations
BridgeBuilders Foundation is accepting applications from small, community-based nonprofits that are working to build bridges among groups of people that differ with respect to age, gender, economic resources, and physical or mental ability. Priority is given to projects that actively promote social, economic, and environmental justice, especially those initiated by young people and those that address the needs of minority and low-income youth. Application deadline is June 1, 2007
BridgeBuilders Foundation [exit DNR]
2007 Building With Trees Award Winners Announced
Several conservation-minded builders and developers around the country recently were named as recipients of 2007 Awards of Excellence from the Building With Trees recognition program. The program, which recognizes builders and developers who save trees during construction and land development, is sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of Home Builders.
Building with Trees [exit DNR]
Target Supports Local Community Programs
The Target Corporation Store Grants support nonprofit organizations in the communities where the company's stores are located. Store Grants are provided in three distinct categories, including making individual homes and entire communities safer. Deadline is May 31, 2007.
Research Grants
The goal of the Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE) Grant Programs is to provide support for research and technology transfer projects that are in keeping with the TREE Fund's mission and priorities as well as addressing topics that have the potential of benefiting the everyday work of arborists.
Hyland R. Johns Grants support multiyear research projects (two to five years in duration). Grants range from $7,500 to $25,000. Proposals must be received (not postmarked) by May 31, 2007.
For more information about this grant and other announcements click on the link below to visit the AREA Web site:Research Grants
Urban Wildlife Management National Conference
The National Arbor Day Foundation is presenting its fourth national conference on Urban Wildlife Management in Portland, Oregon, at The World Forestry Center June 18-20, 2007. As our use of land for non-native and non-agricultural purposes increases, traditional wildlife habitats are lost. As a result, we must find ways to create and maintain ecologically significant habitats in and around urban areas.
Urban Wildlife Conference [exit DNR]
More Conferences and Seminars
For more conferences and seminars check out WDNR's Urban Forest Website.
About the Insider
The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Insider is intended as a quick networking tool for all people actively working in the area of urban and community forestry, especially in the state of Wisconsin.
Items that cannot wait for our quarterly print newsletter, Wisconsin Urban & Community Forests, will appear here.
The Insider is produced biweekly by the Urban and Community Forestry program of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, Wisconsin. Past issues will be archived on the UF pages on the WDNR web site.
We are happy to accept your suggestions and contributions. Send them to the editor, at Laura.Wyatt@Wisconsin.gov. Or call her: 608/267-0568.
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