The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Insider
An electronic newsletter of breaking news and valuable information for the Urban Forest community in Wisconsin and beyond.
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March 20, 2009
Special Report:
Emerald Ash Borer Common in Newburg Area
Seven months after the discovery of emerald ash borer (EAB) in southeastern Wisconsin, state officials have determined that the infestation that straddles the Ozaukee and Washington county line near the Village of Newburg is too large to completely remove from the area.
Wisconsin Emerald Ash Borer Status and Management Recommendations
(for the area within 12 miles of the infestation in Ozaukee and Washington Counties)
Wisconsin Emerald Ash Borer Response Activities and Program Strategies 2009
Emerald ash borer adult.
A) Side view and B) Top view.
WDNR Photo by Renee Pinski
This issue's contents:
In the News
Specifically Wisconsin
- 2009 WDNR Urban Forestry Grant Funds Released
- Assessing the Sustainability of Wisconsin’s Forests
- Project Learning Tree Grants
- Spring 2009 LEAFlet Available
Emerald Ash Borer
- Congress Approves $34.6 Million To Prevent EAB
- Wasps May Help Locate EAB - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Ash Borer Outbreaks Surround Kenosha County - The Kenosha News
Tools For Your Job
- Northeast Region Forest Pest Update
- Green Infrastructure Municipal Handbook Grows
- Job Opportunity - Forester for Cottage Grove, MN
Conferences & Seminars
Philadelphia's Tree Count
William Penn's "greene countrie town" has undergone a significant transformation since he laid out Philadelphia's walkable street grid in 1682. Dense high-rise office and condominium towers blend with Penn's original five squares and low-rise residential row houses. One result is that central Philadelphia now has 90,000 residents, the third largest downtown population in the U.S.
Recognizing the importance of a sustainable city in attracting residents and visitors, and of maintaining Penn's vision, Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter established the city's first cabinet-level sustainability position in 2008. Through renewed open space planning efforts, the city is creating baseline inventories of its sustainable amenities.
National Service Expansion
President Obama has proposed significant expansion of AmeriCorps and other service programs. His 2010 proposed budget includes a $261 million increase for AmeriCorps, with a goal of putting AmeriCorps on a path to expand from its current 75,000 members to 250,000 members in future years. How could the expansion of AmeriCorps impact your organization?
National Service Expansion [Exit DNR]
2009 WDNR Urban Forestry Grant Funds Released
The 2009 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Urban Forestry grant awards are scheduled to be released the week of March 23, 2009. Typically grant awards are released in December, however the grants had been on hold until additional information was learned about the state budget.
This year forty-one communities and nonprofit organizations are receiving grants totaling $458,479 for community urban forestry projects. Communities that are due to receive awards were contacted by DNR urban forestry staff to let them know.
Assessing the Sustainability of Wisconsin’s Forests
Wisconsin’s Statewide Forest Assessment, to be completed this year, will serve as a practical and comprehensive reference for information on forests—both public and private, rural and urban —statewide. The report will present data on the current condition of our forests, compare past conditions to the present to understand trends, and identify issues and threats to forests across the state.
To get an idea of what data is contained within the Assessment, the DNR and UW-Extension have released an Introduction to Wisconsin’s Forest Sustainability Framework. The Introduction provides an overview of the purpose and major goals of Wisconsin’s Forest Sustainability Framework. The Framework provides a guide for the kinds of information that will be gathered as part of the Assessment process.
Introduction to Wisconsin's Forest Sustainability Framework
Project Learning Tree Grants
Two Wisconsin organizations have been awarded Project Learning Tree service-learning grants. The Aldo Leopold Nature Center in Monona and the Suring Future Farmers of America Chapter in Suring and the Suring School District have been awarded GreenWorks! grants by Project Learning Tree, the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation.
Spring 2009 LEAFlet Available
The Spring issue of LEAFlet, the quarterly publication of LEAF, the Wisconsin K-12 Forestry Education Program is available. LEAF is your source for the latest in forestry education and resource information and comes to you from the Center for Environmental Education, College of Natural Resources University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point.
Spring 2009 LEAFlet [Exit DNR]
Congress Approves $34.6 Million To Prevent EAB
Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced that Congress has approved $34,625,000 for nationwide efforts to combat and prevent the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) which has been responsible for the loss of millions of ash trees in the eastern U.S., the Midwest and parts of Canada.
Additional coverage [Exit DNR]
Wasps May Help Locate EAB - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Wisconsin officials will experiment this summer with a native wasp that could locate populations of the destructive emerald ash borer. It would be Wisconsin's first use of bio surveillance to search for the elusive pest, which has killed tens of millions of trees in Michigan, where it was first found.
Ash Borer Outbreaks Surround Kenosha County - The Kenosha News
Significant infestations of emerald ash borer (EAB) both north and south of Kenosha County will result in large purple box traps being distributed throughout Kenosha County to test for the presence of the EAB.
EAB & Kenosha County [Exit DNR]
Northeast Region Forest Pest Update
The latest pest update by Linda Williams.
Topics include:
Insects:
- Asian longhorned beetle
- EAB delimitation in WI
- EAB funding
- EAB infestation in WI aged
- EAB new find in PA
- EAB response recommendations for WI infestation
- EAB Wisconsin website
- EAB Who to report it to
- Gypsy moth
- Redheaded ash borer
- Winter cutworm
Diseases:
- Beech bark disease in Michigan
Other:
- Don’t Move Firewood website
- FSC prohibited pesticides and pesticide tables
Green Infrastructure Municipal Handbook Grows
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is developing The Municipal Handbook to help local officials implement green infrastructure in their communities. The handbook is presented as a series of documents (as separate chapters) that cover issues such as financing, operation and maintenance, incentives, designs, codes and ordinances, and a variety of other subjects. The handbook chapters are intended to serve as "how to" manuals on these topics, written primarily from the standpoint of municipal implementation.
EPA is producing the handbook in sections, with each new element being released as it is completed. To date, EPA has released chapters on funding options, retrofit policies, green streets, and rainwater harvesting policies. EPA expects to release two additional chapters in 2009, the first focusing on green infrastructure incentives and the second on codes and ordinances.
The Municipal Handbook [Exit DNR]
Job Opportunity - Forester for Cottage Grove, MN
The City of Cottage Grove, MN is currently recruiting for a full-time Forester. This is a position of non-exempt classification responsible for forestry and landscaping initiatives. This position would also perform maintenance work as a Public Service Worker in the Parks division. Deadline is 4:00 PM, Friday, April 3,2009.
Cottage Grove Forestry [Exit DNR]
Third Annual Nelson Institute Earth Day Conference - April 22, 2009
The Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison will host their third annual Earth Day Conference in Madison on April 22, 2009. Wisconsin's Energy Future will be a one-day conference to explore emerging federal and state energy policies; opportunities to develop more home-grown energy resources such as biomass, wind and solar; strategies to create jobs in a sustainable economy; and many other topics.
Wisconsin's Energy Future will gather participants and audience members from businesses and utilities, state and federal government agencies, the legislature, non-profit organizations, academia and the interested public to discuss this critical issue and exchange perspectives and ideas. In the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea and the first Earth Day founded by U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, the Nelson Institute’s mission is to promote greater understanding of our energy challenge and to facilitate collaboration in finding solutions.
Wisconsin's Energy Future [Exit DNR]
More Conferences & 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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