The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Insider
An electronic newsletter of breaking news and valuable information for the Urban Forest community in Wisconsin and beyond.
The City of Madison's forestry crew performs a winter tree removal (non-EAB related).
WDNR photo by Jeff Roe
Not yet on our mailing list?
Learn how to receive your free subscription!
September 5, 2008
This issue's contents:
Special Feature
In the News
- Wisconsin Tree Legacy Fund
- Planting Trees That Work - DNR Workshop
- Asian Longhorned Beetle in Massachusetts - Telegram & Gazette
Emerald Ash Borer
- Hundreds Attend EAB Forum -The Country Today
- An EAB Primer for Town Officials
- Illinois Communities Respond to EAB - Daily Herald
- Central IL Reacts to EAB -Pantagraph.com
- Michigan Students Increase Awareness of EAB - MLive.com
- Washington Post EAB Article - The Washington Post
Specifically Wisconsin
Tools For Your Job
Conferences & Seminars
EAB Stories Shared. . .Lessons Learned - Staffing
This is the fifth entry in a ten part series compiled by DNR urban forestry staff who visited Michigan and Ohio communities dealing firsthand with EAB infestations. These entries bring to you stories shared by these communities, and offer supplemental information such as specific examples, documents, web sites and ideas you can implement to play a proactive role in facing the threat of EAB.
“We had to use staff from other departments because we didn’t have the money up front to contract out tree removals or to hire extra staff.”
Wisconsin Tree Legacy Fund
R. Bruce Allison, past chairman of the Wisconsin State Urban Forestry Council and past president of Wisconsin Arborists Association has worked with the UW Foundation to establish a research and education endowment fund. The Wisconsin Tree Legacy fund will provide private funding for critically needed tree research and education at the University of Wisconsin. The Fund will provide the opportunity for concerned donors to help advance our knowledge of the health, environmental benefits and intelligent stewardship of landscape trees by providing grant money to the best UW scientists and educators.
Tree Legacy Fund [PDF, 11KB] Brochure [PDF, 1.3MB]
Planting Trees That Work - DNR Workshop
Limited space is still available and registration has been extended for the DNR fall workshop series, Planting Trees that Work. The one-day workshop will show parks and tree professionals how to plant trees to achieve specific and maximum benefits over time. Participants will also learn about the latest selection, handling, planting and maintenance techniques to assure that new trees thrive long into the future. The workshop will include classroom instruction and outdoor demonstrations to provide hands-on reinforcement. The series of workshops begin on September 8 and run through September 24. Registration for the Appleton location is filled. Limited space is available at other locations.
Asian Longhorned Beetle in Massachusetts - Telegram & Gazette
Asian Longhorned beetle, a tree-destroying beetle that was discovered in Worcester, MA early this month may have been in the city at least five years earlier than federal officials estimated.
Asian Longhorned Beetle [exit DNR]
Hundreds Attend EAB Forum -The Country Today
Hundreds of people attended the emerald ash borer public forum Aug. 19 at the Washington County Fairground. Since discovery of the invasive insects earlier this month in Washington and Ozaukee counties, education has become a key to preventing its spread.
An EAB Primer for Town Officials
The confirmation of EAB in the Town of Saukville in Ozaukee County and in the nearby Village of Newburg in rural Washington County mean local officials must now answer an important question: What should they do to help protect ash trees in their communities? Equally important for local officials is a companion question: Who will be helping them if EAB makes its way to their doorsteps?
EAB Primer for Town Officials [PDF, 320KB]
Illinois Communities Respond to EAB - Daily Herald
With more than 10,000 ash trees in St. Charles, IL and emerald ash borers already infiltrating the city, the first steps of what could be a dramatic change to the landscape will get underway soon. City staff will mark with purple dots more than 100 trees infested with the bugs. The marking is to help educate St. Charles residents about what infested trees look like. Once a tree is marked with a purple dot, a pink dot is inevitable. A pink dot on a tree means it will be removed by the city within two to four weeks. Removal isn't slated to begin until November.
Communities Respond to EAB [exit DNR]
Central IL Reacts to EAB -Pantagraph.com
Small towns in central Illinois are preparing for the impact of emerald ash borer. Chenoa, a town of about 1,800 on the Livingston-McLean county line, has more than 200 ash trees that likely will have to come down. The community is looking at costs starting at $250,000. With an annual general fund budget of about $1.2 million, that will put an unexpected strain on the city’s resources.
IL Communities Prepare for EAB [exit DNR]
Michigan Students Increase Awareness of EAB - MLive.com
Trevor Hill-Rowley might not know you, but he'd like to save your ash, or help you save your own. Hill-Rowley, 19, is one of six Grand Rapids-area students of the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts' ArtWorks program who are wrapping up a five-week project aimed at getting the word out about the emerald ash borer and what the pest is doing to Michigan's ash trees.
Students Increase Awareness [exit DNR]
Washington Post EAB Article - The Washington Post
The threat of emerald ash borer is covered in a comprehensive article published by the Washington Post and accompanied by photos of white ash on the grounds of Mount Vernon which date back to 1819.
Washington Post & EAB [exit DNR]
DNR Forestry Shortfall - The Country Today
An estimated $5 million shortfall in the fiscal year 2008 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forestry Division account has officials looking for ways to stretch pennies into the second half of the state budget biennium.
Scout for Gypsy Moth Egg Masses
Now is the time for property owners to look for gypsy moth egg masses to predict the population size next year. The egg masses are tan-colored, about the size of a nickel or quarter, and feel firm. Older, soft, egg masses that appear faded are not a concern. Most will be found on tree trunks and the undersides of branches, but they can also be found on buildings, firewood, vehicles, and other outdoor objects.
Job Opportunity - City of Green Bay, WI
The City of Green Bay Park, Recreation & Forestry Department is seeking:
- Assistant Forester to assist in planning and supervising a municipal forestry program
- Forestry Worker II to perform work of moderate difficulty in pruning, planting, removing and maintaining trees
The deadline to apply for both positions is Friday, October 3, 2008 at 4:30 p.m. (CST). Residency within the Green Bay corporate City limits will be required within one year of hire for both positions.
Job Opportunity - Urban Forester, Terre Haute, IN
The City of Terre Haute, IN is accepting applications for the position of urban forester.
Urban Forestry Partnerships in Education Webcast
The Alliance for Community Trees (ACT) is hosting a national webcast, Urban Forestry Partnerships in Education, September 18 from 12 noon to 1:00 pm CST. This informal training provides an opportunity for community forestry practitioners to learn about successful programs and how they can be adapted to their communities.
There are many reasons to partner urban and community forestry with traditional education, but probably they all come back to laying the foundations of future citizens who are learned, capable, and responsible. Such experiences are valuable to our students. But there's also something in it for you. Community partners can benefit from collaborative arrangements with schools by gaining visibility and recognition for contributions, pre-screening summer workers, influencing curriculum, and improving the community's quality of life and economic development in general.
UF Partnerships in Education [exit DNR]
NeighborWoods Symposium 2008 in Des Moines, IA
Alliance for Community Trees and Iowa's Trees Forever are staging a full-day Symposium: "Leading the Way to Greener Communities- Where Culture, Economy and the Environment Grow Together." Nationally recognized urban forestry experts from Washington DC, Indianapolis, and Sacramento will share best practices and successful program models. The event will be paired with a press event and tree planting at a youth facility.
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.
RSS