the forest where we live - wisconsin department of natural resources

The forest where we liveGrowing a legacy.

2 The forest where we live

“The best friend on earth of man is the tree. When we use the tree respectfully and economically,

we have one of the greatest resources on earth.” — Frank Lloyd Wright

Tim Berndt (right), a member of theStoughton Tree Commission, plants a legacy. The tree commission determines the city’s tree planting, protection and maintenance needs.

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Growing a legacy 3

Maple Bluff. Elm Grove. Cedar-burg. Hickory Corners. Elmwood.Oakfield. Ashland. Wisconsin

derives personality from trees. Commu-nity trees often define the look, thename and the character of streets,neighborhoods, cities, subdivisions andshopping areas.

When supplemented by good mu-nicipal services and schools, the urbanforest forms the positive impressionthat residents and visitors alike have ofa community.

“It is often trees and other maturevegetation that give residents and visi-

tors the impression that an area is safeor inviting,” says State Urban ForesterDick Rideout. “Trees add to the socialand economic well-being of the com-munity, and provide environmental services such as stormwater manage-ment and air cleansing.”

Many communities, large and small,urban and rural, have municipal treeprograms. Their investment in treesmeans a safer and healthier future fortheir community. By planting and nurturing trees, local governments andcitizens can leave a mark on the com-munity that they can point to with pride— a legacy.

This legacy is a vibrant, thriving com-munity — a desirable place to visit,work, do business and live.

The City of Superior (pop. 27,368) isone of Wisconsin’s best examples of acommunity with a strong urban forestlegacy. Besides having an urban forestryprogram with about 11,000 public trees,the city houses the third largest municipalforest in the United States. This largestremaining boreal forest in Wisconsinand a wetland that is home to rare andendangered plant and animal specieshave been permanently protected asWisconsin’s 300th State Natural Area.

Superior officials worked with localcitizens to develop a protection strate-gy for this property, says Mary Morgan,Superior parks and recreation directorand city forester.

“I could never imagine a Superiorwithout its urban trees or municipal forest,” Morgan says. “Trees are ex-tremely beloved here.”

Payback An investment in trees also can buildbusiness as the City of Neenah has discovered. Today, you can enjoy a cup of coffee or shop along shadedsidewalks in downtown Neenah.

Plant trees to grow a legacy.

“I could never imagine a Superior without its urban trees or municipal forest. Trees are extremely beloved here.” — Mary Morgan, Superior parks and recreation director and city forester

“A community’s trees make an impression on its visitors and are an extension of the community’s pride andspirit,” says Karen Harkness, executivedirector of Future Neenah, a nonprofitdedicated to improving Neenah’s economic and cultural vitality.

Neenah is one of several communi-ties across Wisconsin revitalizing itsbusiness district with healthy and well-maintained trees. The community hascome to know what other businessowners across the country are realizing— trees are good for business.

A study by University of Washingtonsocial scientist Kathleen Wolf on therole of trees in revitalizing business districts across the country shows thattrees attract business and tourists. People linger and shop longer alongtree-lined streets. She also found thatpeople believed that merchants in aheavily treed district would be moreknowledgeable and helpful than thosein an area without trees. They felt product quality was higher in areas surrounded by trees and were willing topay more for those products.

According to Wolf, people claim thatthey are willing to spend nine percentmore on products in small towns and 12percent more in large cities for identicalproducts in places that have trees versus those that don’t.

American Forests, a nonprofit con-servation organization, suggests thatbusiness districts maintain 15 percenttree canopy cover. Most retail environ-

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ments in the United States, however,have five percent cover or less.

Future Neenah received a DNRUrban Forestry Grant to replace treesthat had been damaged by reflectedheat from nearby buildings. The cityplanted 42 trees selected to tolerate

harsh conditions. Flower beds alsowere planted.

“People were concerned when theoriginal trees were cut down,” Harknessrecalls. “I got lots of phone calls. Butnow people love the results.”

The trees and flowers have beautifiedthe downtown, shaded the sidewalks,attracted people to sit outside in thesummer, built a sense of communityand softened the storefronts.

“I could not imagine the downtownanymore without the trees and flowers,”Harkness says.

Property values Healthy, attractive trees improve the“curb appeal” of real estate. Researchby L.M. Anderson and H.K. Cordell ofUSDA Forest Service on some 800

single-family houses sold over a two-year period in Athens, Georgia foundthat people are willing to pay three toseven percent more for property withwell-maintained trees versus propertieswith few or no trees. A comprehensivestudy conducted by Dan Neely, Univer-

sity of Illinois, utilizing actual salesprices found each large front-yard treewas associated with one percent in-crease in sales price. A large specimentree could result in a 10 percent increase in property value.

The value of this benefit, dependingon the average home sales price, cancontribute significantly to a communi-ty’s property tax revenues.

The USDA Forest Service has foundthat the amount of taxes contributed tocommunities throughout the UnitedStates due to the added value of privately owned trees on residentialproperty is conservatively estimated atover $1.5 billion per year.

Steve Ziegler, a licensed landscapearchitect who has been practicing inWisconsin since 1983, says he has many

$Communities all over Wisconsinhave come to realize that trees pro-vide far-reaching and ever growingreturns. We’re not talking about intangible, aesthetic returns —we’re talking about the quantifiable,cold hard cash variety. According toU.S. Forest Service researchers,properly cared for trees in the upperMidwest can be worth three timestheir investment. Studies have shown:

• The presence of trees increases a property’s value three percent toseven percent.

• Strategically placed trees can cutsummer air conditioning costs by as much as 50 percent.

• Trees can intercept between sevenpercent to 22 percent of stormwater runoff from impermeable surfaces.

• Shoppers are willing to pay up to 12 percent more for productspurchased in shops along tree-linedstreets than they would pay for thesame items in a barren setting.

• Employers report greater employeeproductivity, satisfaction and reten-tion at properties enriched withtrees and other vegetation.

“I could not imagine the downtown anymorewithout the trees and flowers.” — Karen Harkness, executive director of Future Neenah

Trees create a more inviting downtownNeenah, which store owners hope will cause people to shop longer.

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clients who are interested in installingrain gardens and planting a diversity ofnative trees and shrubs.

“More and more people are gettingthe idea that trees are a good invest-ment,” Ziegler says. “Trees add value— they give us short-term enjoyment in their beauty and environmental benefits, and long-term satisfaction in what they add to a property’s real estate value.”

A green workforceTrees also support the state’s economyby creating jobs. A recent Wisconsingreen industry survey showed that treesattract business and people to an area,in turn, increasing the tax base.

The “green industry” describes busi-nesses that produce, install and maintain flowers, shrubs and trees as well as items related to their maintenance. The Wisconsin Green Industry Economic Impact Survey, com-pleted in 2004, indicates that the greenindustry has a $2.7 billion impact on thestate’s economy annually. Total retailsales of lawn and garden supplies increased 49 percent from 1997 to 2003.

The Wisconsin green industry includesover 4,700 businesses employing over43,000 workers. The Wisconsin GreenIndustry Federation contracted with theWisconsin Agricultural Statistics Serviceto develop and perform the survey.

“What we found is that gardening isgrowing as a hobby and people aremore and more valuing green space,”says Brian Swingle, executive directorof the Wisconsin Green Industry Federation. “People are landscaping,adding water features and they like the tranquility that plants and trees add to their homes.”

Swingle says there is a consistenteight percent growth in the green industry. “It’s evidence that people arepaying more attention to the environ-ment,” he says.

Healthy trees for healthy citiesTrees are important working compo-nents of community infrastructure, justlike streets, sewers, public buildingsand recreational facilities. A healthytree canopy functions as “green infra-

structure” reducing the need and expense to manage air quality andwaste. The major difference is that treesincrease in value over time. Trees needcare to survive, but the longer they live,the more benefits they provide. Treesare utilities that pay us back for this care by:

• conserving energy by shading build-ings and paved surfaces;

• extending the useful life of asphaltpavement;

• reducing and filtering airborne pollutants;

• removing atmospheric carbon diox-ide, the major “greenhouse” gas;

• reducing stormwater runoff and noisepollution;

• filtering and reducing surface andgroundwater pollution;

• providing wildlife habitat .

A study of Chicago’s urban forestfound that increasing tree cover by 10percent (three additional trees perbuilding) would reduce total heatingand cooling energy use by up to 10 percent. At a national level, researchersestimate that planting three additionaltrees per building could cut more than

$2 billion in energy costs. A reduction in energy demand

reduces fossil fuel consumption bypower plants to generate energy, resulting in additional energy savingsand improved air quality. Trees furtherimprove air quality as leaves filter andremove dust and other particulates.Leaves also absorb carbon dioxide, themajor greenhouse gas, and give offoxygen. A single tree stores on average13 pounds of carbon annually. One acreof trees generates enough oxygen eachday for 18 people.

According to research by RachelKaplan, University of Michigan,workers who had a view of naturefrom their desks were less frustrated,more enthusiastic and reportedhigher life satisfaction when com-pared to workers who couldn’t see aview of nature from their desks.

Other studies have shown thattrees help workers focus and stay focused. A view of trees can boostworker wellness. Kaplan found thatworkers without a view of naturefrom their desks reported 23 percentmore instances of illness.

Employees at the Teton Wood office building in Madison can connect with nature with a lushview of trees from their windows.

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Trees soften the glare and hard linesof built-up city streets and they screenbuildings, making houses both more attractive and private. The shade fromstreet trees can also help offset pave-ment costs by protecting asphalt fromUV radiation. Streets with little or noshade need to be repaved twice asoften as those with tree cover.

Trees also reduce noise pollution.Concrete and asphalt echo noise, whiletrees absorb and reduce it. Trees canact as sound barriers and create gentleand natural noise amidst the oftenharsh city sounds.

Healthy community trees intercept,slow and store water, helping to controlerosion and flooding, and limitingwater runoff that can lead to seweroverflows. Leaf and branch surfaces intercept and store rainfall, reducingrunoff volume. Roots increase the rateat which rainfall infiltrates soil and treecanopies reduce soil erosion by soften-ing the impact of raindrops on the soilsurface.

A U.S. Forest Service study of Mid-western trees found that a typical 20-year-old hackberry intercepts 1,394 gallons of rainfall per year. After 40years, this figure increases to 5,387 gallons per year, nearly enough to fill a

milk tanker.Rain gardens and vegetated swales

bring native plants into the landscape.Rather than using curb and gutter tochannel runoff into storm sewers, wherethere is no chance to mitigate its qualityor quantity, runoff is filtered throughswales planted with native vegetation.Vegetated swales remove sediment,nutrients and other contaminants, increase infiltration and add beauty.

Leaves in fall are often viewed as an environmental problem, but canprovide an opportunity to mulch treesand shrub beds for free, eliminating leafpickup costs and the nutrient flush frompiled leaves on the street. The easiestway to dispose of leaves is to simplymow them into the turf.

“Trees don’t take a break,” saysState Urban Forester Dick Rideout.“They are on the job every day and allday improving the environment andquality of life.”

Strategic tree planting can be incor-porated into state implementationplans to help meet air quality standardsset by the Environmental ProtectionAgency. Due to new ozone standards,many urban sites are designated asnon-attainment areas for ozone cleanair standards and are required to reach

Edible urban forests Troy Gardens on Madison’s NorthSide, is not only feeding a communi-ty’s need for trees, but is puttingsomething on the table.

Steve Ziegler, a Madison landscapearchitect, was the lead designer for the 31-acre urban agricultural center and natural area, which was once anovergrown state-owned vacant lot.Ziegler believes interaction with thelandscape is an important way forpeople to connect to their environ-ment. That’s why Troy Gardens todayprovides family garden plots, a mapleforest, tallgrass prairie, an interpretivetrail, and fruit and nut trees.

“There are the obvious environmen-tal benefits, but trees also bring stabilityto an environment and growth as theyare living and thriving,” Ziegler says.

In this case, Troy Gardens and the surrounding woodland are providingpeople with apples, pears, plums —18 kinds of fruit trees. Add to thatberry patches, nuts and currant bush-es. There are also edible foods forwildlife — an urban buffet with lots ofenvironmental benefit.

Parking lots Parking lots occupy about 20 to 30 percent of the land surface in mostdowntowns. But they don’t have to be eyesores or steaming masses of asphalt under the summer sun. Incor-porating trees and other vegetationinto parking lot design providesshade, cools the air, lessens runoff,muffles noise, controls speed and directs traffic, provides referencepoints for entrances and exits andhelps people locate their cars. According to the Journal of Arboricul-ture, trees reduce asphalt tempera-tures by as much as 36 degrees andcar interior cabin temperatures byover 47 degrees. By shading parkedcars, trees reduce emissions caused bythe evaporation of fuel from gas tanksand smog-producing compoundsfrom hosing and vinyl car parts.

“We make an immense mistake when we think of trees as

solely aesthetic members of a community. They cut pollution,

they cool the air, they prevent erosion, they muffle sound,

and they produce oxygen. Then, after all that, they look

good.” — Dr. Richard Leakey

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Trees pay us backLook at what 100 large publictrees give over 40 years.

Benefits = $379,000Energy savingsAir quality Runoff managementReal estate values

Cost = $148,000Planting and pruningRemoval and disposalIrrigationSidewalk repairLitter Legal and administrative costs

Net benefits = $231,000

US Forest Service 2005

Growing a legacy 7

attainment typically by 2007-2010. Trees attract wildlife to the area.

Certain trees provide food, shelter andresting areas to migrating and winter-ing birds. Urban forests are especiallyimportant stopovers for migratory birdssuch as Tennessee warblers and red-eyed vireos, says Owen Boyle, DNRecologist in the Bureau of EndangeredResources. Tree height is likely the firstcharacteristic that migrants use tochoose stopover sites. Insects in theurban forest canopy are a primary food

source for most long-distance migrants. American Forests, a nonprofit con-

servation organization, advocates thatevery community set a tree canopy goalto ensure that their valuable green infrastructure is maintained at workingthresholds, even as the community continues to develop. American Forests offers some general goal guidelinesbased on climate conditions and zonecategories.

After identifying what their treecanopy cover is, a community can thenset its goals to include an annual work

plan to help meet environmental andquality-of-life goals, including federaland local clean air and water standards.

Once a specific goal is determined,the local government can pursue thatgoal using policies, procedures andbudget.

Social benefitsSo, when was the last time you werebird watching? Climbed a tree? Spentthe night in a tree house? Jumped intoa giant crunchy colorful pile of leaves?

Children discover early on that they areat home with trees.

And as adults, some still admit totaking detours to stroll in a shadedpark. Others feel a sense of despair

when a neighbor cuts down a wonderfultree. Some search longer than neces-sary just to find a parking spot in theshade. Others savor the lazy Sunday afternoons in the hammock under a tree.

“The simple act of planting treesprovides opportunities to connect residents with nature and each other,” says Dr. Greg McPherson, director ofthe USDA Center for Urban Forest Research. “Neighborhood tree plant-ings and stewardship projects stimulateinvestment by local citizens, businessand government in the betterment oftheir communities.”

DNR Southeast Region UrbanForestry Coordinator Kim Sebastiansays, “People don’t always make theconnection about why they were drawnto live close to the park or why they feel comfortable in their neighborhood, butmaybe it is because of the trees.”

An Illinois study documented thecalming effect of trees and their value

“A people without children would face a hopeless future; a

country without trees is almost as hopeless; forests which are so

used that they cannot renew themselves will soon vanish, and

with them, all their benefits.” — Theodore Roosevelt

“Trees don’t take a break. They are on the job everyday and all day improving the environment and qualityof life.” — State Urban Forester Dick Rideout

Friends enjoy playtime on the shaded swings of Joannes Park in Green Bay.

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NO PRICE TAG ON PRESERVATION

It’s tough to put a price tag on trees trea-sured for what they mean to the heart. How do you put a price on a tree planted by

a parent for a child? Or a tree that stood at a crossroads where Civil War soldiersmarched? Preserving some trees may be as important to communities as preserving historic buildings. Here are two stories: theForest Home Cemetery and the Dunbar Oak.

In the late 1800s the Forest Home Ceme-tery was considered Milwaukee’s first park.Today, the South Side cemetery has over 148 types of trees with new trees planted each year to shade Milwaukee mayors and Wisconsin governors laid to rest there.

Some people visit the cemetery to see thefamous “Beer Baron” corner where the Blatz,Schlitz and Pabst families have plots overlook-ing each other, but Paul Haubrich, president ofthe Forest Home Preservation Association,says many people also seek serenity under thetowering trees. Of the more than 2,500 trees inthe cemetery, some are more than 100 yearsold. The cemetery offers a self-guided tour tosee trees in their early stages of development.

“I’m often telling people to save themselvessome money and instead of driving north tosee the trees in the fall, to come to ForestHome and see our trees,” Haubrich says.

David Liska, Waukesha’s city forester, saysno other tree in the city is more loved than thelegendary Dunbar Oak.

Suffering from diabetes, Civil War veteranCol. Richard Dunbar stopped to rest against alarge white oak while traveling in WaukeshaCounty in 1868. During that visit he drankwater from a nearby spring and he came to believe the spring water had healing propertiesand declared himself cured. As news of Dunbar’s “miracle” spread, Waukesha’s touristand resort industries flourished. Dunbar calledthe spring “Bethesda” which signifies mercy.

In 1991, the mighty Dunbar Oak fell duringa windstorm. Several shoots were carefully cut and nurtured at a Menomonee Falls tree nursery. In May 2004, in celebration ofWaukesha’s 25th anniversary as a Tree City USAand Wisconsin’s forestry centennial year, a clone was planted at the site where the Dunbar Oak had grown.

for stability and neighborhood crime reduction in the inner city. The study byUniversity of Illinois researchers FrancesE. Kuo and William C. Sullivan exploredhow well residents of the ChicagoRobert Taylor Housing Project weredoing in their daily lives based upon theamount of contact they had with trees.

Kuo and Sullivan found that trees area canopy against crime. Trees have thepotential to reduce social service bud-gets, decrease police calls for domesticviolence, strengthen urban communi-

ties and decrease the incidence of childabuse. Buildings with high levels ofgreenery had 52 percent fewer totalcrimes than apartment buildings withlittle or no greenery. Residents of build-ings with more vegetation knew theirneighbors better because they weremore apt to come outside. Based on

study findings, the city of Chicago spent$10 million to plant 20,000 trees as ameans of social change.

In another study, University of Illinoisresearchers Andrea Faber Taylor,

“People don’t always make the connection about whythey were drawn to live close to the park or why theyfeel comfortable in their neighborhood but maybe it is because of the trees.” — DNR Southeast Region Urban Forestry Coordinator Kim Sebastian

Trees on the State Capitol lawn invite people to take time out of their busy lives to talk, walkand picnic.

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Growing a legacy 9

Frances Kuo and William Sullivan found that when children with attentiondeficit disorder played outside in agreen environment they were betterable to concentrate and complete sim-ple tasks. Another study showed thatgirls with a view of nature at homescored higher on tests of self-disciplinecompared to girls with views of man-made settings.

Scientists at the USDA Forest Servicein Chicago believe that people make apsychological tie to trees because treeshelp us reflect on life changes as we observe the changing seasons, treegrowth and death.

Research also has provided evidencethat the overall hospital environmenthas an important impact on recoverytime. Roger Ulrich, Texas A&M University,

found that patients with vibrant surroundings such as flowers and anoutside view, recovered three-quartersof a day faster, and needed fewerpainkillers than those with dull sur-roundings. Patients also responded byhaving slower heartbeats, lower bloodpressure and more relaxed brain wavepatterns than people who view urbanscenes without vegetation.

An article in the February/March2005 issue of National Wildlife (“Taketwo hikes and call me in the morning”)cites a study that found a group ofbreast cancer patients who spent 30minutes watching birds or strolling in apark three times a week had increasedattention span and significant gains inquality of life ratings, compared tothose who did not take these actions.

“It’s about the right tree for the right place at the right time for

the right person. Picking a tree is like picking a pet. You need

to know its personality and how it will mesh with yours.”

— Joe Wilson, executive director of Keep Greater Milwaukee

Beautiful/Greening Milwaukee

Wisconsin Champion TreesEverybody likes a huge, old tree. Thelargest specimen of a particular treespecies is called a “champion.” Thereis a national registry, a state registryand even some communities whokeep local registries of championtrees. The Wisconsin Champion TreeProgram identifies and recognizesthese large trees and is a great way to encourage appreciation of your community’s urban forest. A localchampion tree contest puts people intouch with the community’s oldest“residents” and is always good formedia coverage. You might even finda new state or national champion!

The official registry of Wisconsin’slargest trees is maintained by the Department of Natural Resources. Information on the location, dimen-sions and rank of these champions,representing over 270 tree speciesand cultivars, totals over 2,200 records.The registry is available on the DNRwebsite at dnr.wi.gov/org/land/forestry/uf/champion/. How to mea-sure and nominate new championsand links to other useful informationare there as well.

Richard Rideout, DNR urban forestry program coordinator, measures a walnut tree in Wyalusing State Park.

Montesian Gardens and Park, Village of Monticello.

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WEBSITE RESOURCES

The following websites provide research behind the benefits of urban forestry and ideas for using this information.

USDA Forest Service Center for Urban Forest Research, wcufre.ucdavis.edu/

USDA Forest Service Northeastern Research Station, www.fs.fed.us/ne/syracuse/

USDA Forest Service North Central Research Station, www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/4902/

Center for Urban Horticulture, College of Forest Resources at the University of Washington, www.cfr.washington.edu/research.envmind/

Human–Environment Research Laboratory of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, www.herl.uiuc.edu

Center for Watershed Protection Urban Watershed Forestry Manual, www.cwp.org/forestry/index.htm

USDA Forest Service Trees Pay Us Back research results,www.na.fs.fed.us/urban/treespayusback/

USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area Urban & Community Forestry Program www.na.fs.fed.us/urban/

The Local Government Environmental Assis-tance Network (LGEAN) with American Forests hosted a webcast in 2004 called “Seeing Green with Trees: The Economic and Environmental Benefits of Urban Forests.” The webcast demonstrated how trees have been used by local government to meet environmental regulations, save money and improve the quality of life. A multimedia CD-ROM recording of the webcast is availablefor free. To order a copy, call (877) TO-LGEAN or e-mail to [email protected].

ing gypsy moth, emerald ash borer,home construction and trees, properpruning, the city’s tree ordinance, generalservices of the forestry department and apicture of the forestry crew for residentsto recognize when they see them work-ing with community trees.

The newest addition to the website isthe “Right Tree, Right Place,” which givesexamples of small trees appropriate forplanting under overhead utility lines andexplains where these plants can beviewed. This project was carried out incooperation with UW-Stevens Point andWisconsin Public Service.

“Having UW-Stevens Point, an under-graduate natural resource college, in ourcommunity helps in the overall apprecia-tion of the environment,” Wescott says.“I don’t think it takes as much convincing[here] as maybe in some communities ofthe benefits of trees.”

Quality of life Less crime. More shopping. Healthierand happier workplaces. A clean andmore comfortable environment. A placeto play hide-and-seek. Trees are key.

A drive through Stevens Point (pop.25,000) has earned the city comparisonsfrom other convention and visitors bureaus to driving through a giganticpark.

“Every mayor talks about quality oflife for his or her community,” saysStevens Point Mayor Gary Wescott. “InStevens Point, urban forestry is very important to our quality of life.”

In fact, after the onslaught of Dutchelm disease, the community launched anurban forestry program and has built on itever since. Stevens Point has a full-timeforester, Todd Ernster, and embraces theforestry department’s use of the city’swebsite (www.StevensPoint.com/forestry)to provide information to citizens regard-

“Every mayor talks about quality of life for his or her community. In Stevens Point,urban forestry is very important to our quality of life.” — Stevens Point Mayor Gary Wescott

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Issues and challenges.

U.S. Forest Service researchers conclude that properly cared formunicipal trees can be worth three

times their investment. Neglected, thesetrees can become liabilities.

Yet, urban forestry is not a priority formany communities, and their green infrastructure is typically in disrepair as a result. Without programs or policies to protect and replenish trees, canopydeclines and tree benefits are sacrificed.Life is tough on trees in people-dominatedsettings. The American Forests reportsthat the average life expectancy for anurban tree is only 32 years compared tothe 150 years or more that same treecould expect to live in its native habitat.

Tree management budgets are rarelysufficient and many municipal tree workers do not have adequate training.This training is important because ithelps staff properly plant, protect andmaintain trees, leading to longer tree lifeand greater benefits to the community.

A study of urban forestry by JamesKielbaso and Vincent Cotrone of Michigan State University concluded thatonly 23 percent of the cities surveyed

had a city forester and cities typically de-voted less than half of one percent oftheir budgets to tree care.

“Urban forestry is often seen as a luxury, rather than infrastructure develop-ment and maintenance,” says CindyCasey, DNR’s West Central Region urbanforestry coordinator. “The issue shouldnot be about choosing between policeand trees. It should be about how toachieve both.”

The onslaught of Dutch elm disease inthe 1930s was a wake up call to somecommunities to the need for a municipaltree care program. Nearly all Midwestcommunities were ravaged by the disease and lost many elms that arched

over the streets and yards. Milwaukeelost 128,000 elms from 1956 to 1988 dueto the disease. There was little shade andfewer places to play hide-and-seek.

Even today, our urban forests continueto be threatened by the introduction ofexotic insects and diseases. Asian longhorned beetle, sudden oak death andthe emerald ash borer are examples ofnewly introduced pests which lack thenatural controls found in their native

habitat, which would assist in keepingthese pests in check in their new environment.

Competition for space causes thedemise of many urban trees. Accordingto the National Arbor Day Foundation,the utility industry spends $1.5 billion ayear trying to keep tree limbs and powerlines apart. Road widening, constructionand redevelopment projects, and similarpublic improvements take more trees.Many street trees are doomed to earlydestruction because they were poorlychosen for the amount of space avail-able, eventually leading to sidewalkdamage, obstructed views, clearanceproblems, poor tree health, excessivemaintenance and similar concerns.

Development takes a large toll ontrees, according to American Forests. Anestimated 630 million trees are currentlymissing from metropolitan areas acrossthe United States as the result of urbanand suburban development.

Hazardous trees can kill and injurepeople, and damage property. Whendamage, injury or death occurs becauseof a defective tree, the law usually holdsthe tree’s owner responsible. In a publicplace, responsibility shifts to tree man-agers. The best defense against litigationis a sound and comprehensive communityforestry program.

“The issue should not be about choosing between police and trees. It should be about how to achieve both.”— Cindy Casey, DNR’s West Central Region urban forestry coordinator

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Who does what?

So, maybe you’ve been sold on thebenefits of an urban forest. Buthow do you turn that conviction

into a program of ongoing tree plant-ing, pruning, protection, removal and replacement? What does it take to pullit off? Where do you start? Who doeswhat? Where does the funding comefrom? Large and small, Wisconsin com-munities are finding ways to plant andnurture urban forest programs from theground up.

Some tree programs start at thegrassroots level with a small group ofcitizens concerned about one or moretree issues. Dutch elm disease was justsuch an issue and citizen reactionspawned local tree programs across the country.

Menomonie’s modest tree programunderwent major expansion in the early1990s over citizen concerns about pre-serving the city’s tree canopy amidgrowth and development pressure.Sanctioned as an advisory board, thegroup was instrumental in shaping anordinance that protects existing treesduring development and requires treeand shrub planting with new commer-cial construction.

Menomonie (pop. 16,000) has beenrecognized by the National Arbor Day

Foundation as a Tree City USA since1990, and has an ongoing tree-plantingand care program to ensure that itswooded areas continue to thrive.Menomonie Mayor Dennis Kropp is astrong supporter of the city’s urbanforestry program. Before he retired asan elementary schoolteacher, Kropp involved his students in planting trees on the school ground and at thefairgrounds.

“Now some of those pines we plantedare 25 to 30 feet tall,” Kropp says. “It al-ways brings back memories of my teach-ing days when I drive by those trees.”

Like Menomonie, advisory treeboards in many communities raise public awareness and advocate forcommunity trees. Tree boards can alsodevelop and facilitate long-range,strategic program plans and spearheadvarious other forestry projects.

A decision to make early on, is whowill have authority and responsibility forthe tree program. Municipal govern-ments generally have responsibility formanaging the forest in their parks,along streets and on other public prop-erties, so the job of forester is typicallydelegated to someone on staff, such aspublic works director, parks and recre-ation director, or administrator.

City foresterA city forester is the person responsiblefor administering tree-related programsand activities and the human and mate-rial resources to carry these out. Whilespecific duties vary with each community,a city forester can be responsible forplanning and overseeing tree planting,pruning, other tree maintenance andremovals; maintaining a tree inventory;developing a tree management plan;assessing and responding to tree healthconditions; providing input in communitydevelopment projects; working withvolunteers and urban forest educationand advocacy.

The City of De Pere south of GreenBay (pop. 22,000) has a city forester,Don Melichar, who oversees mainte-nance and a pruning cycle for the largeold trees as well as planting new trees. Melichar also monitors for and educates about invasive species as wellas reviews landscaping plans with developers and architects. The cityforester program came out of a step toadvance the city’s urban forest programin 2000.

“Before we had the city forester position, the director of parks andrecreation was responsible for all cityforestry issues, but the community came

An overview of the Village of Mount Horeb, a Tree City USA community, shows its commitment to trees.

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Growing a legacy 13

to realize that more time was neededfor urban forestry than that positioncould give,” Melichar says.

Sharing staffNot every community has staff devotedto urban forestry issues. Tracy Salisbury,DNR urban forestry coordinator in theNortheast Region, says that sometimesit isn’t until a huge storm hits a commu-nity that urban forestry gets attentionand cities start to work together.

Networking groups of municipal treemanagers now exist in each region ofWisconsin to get communities talkingabout urban forest issues and even sharing funding, staffing and equipment.

“The urban forestry program tookhold here because of a greater aware-ness of the importance of trees,” saysTim Bauknecht, Ashwaubenon cityforester.

That awareness came in the 1980s, astrees in the village created potentiallyhazardous situations with low-hanginglimbs and weak, dead trees. In the early1990s Ashwaubenon set out to correctthose hazards and the village was revi-talized under the guidance of a new director of parks, recreation and forestry.A tree board was created and the villages of Ashwaubenon and Howardjointly contracted for an urban foresterto better manage their respective pro-grams.

As a result of the project’s success,both communities budgeted for andhired full-time urban foresters begin-ning in 1998. Today, Ashwaubenon notonly has a full-time forester but six sea-sonal part-time staff to help with treemaintenance. Not bad for a communitywith a population of about 18,000.

Bauknecht’s advice to other com-munities that think they can’t afford an urban forest program or forester is to find innovative ways to initiate a program.

“Start small,” Bauknecht says. “Sharestaff and equipment with other commu-nities if you need to, like we did at first.”

Other options. Contracting for forestry services can beanother option, particularly for commu-nities whose forestry needs may notwarrant a full-time position. Some communities have been fortunateenough to find a volunteer forester intheir midst. Regardless of who wears

the hat, the person should have thetime, training and skills necessary toprotect the community’s investment inits green infrastructure. Proper planting,protection and maintenance of trees require considerable science-basedknowledge.

For many years, the city of Menomoniecontracted with a nearby tree service forurban forestry management services.The company’s professional foresterstrained city staff, conducted public education campaigns and managed thecity’s tree inventory — tasks that at thetime exceeded the capacity of city personnel. This investment in contract-

ed management not only enhanced theforestry program’s credibility, but ex-panded tree awareness and programsupport, heightened effectiveness ofthe tree board and increased the skilllevel of the city’s parks and streets workforce.

Community partnershipsPartnerships are a key way to managecommunity forests, particularly in communities with minimal resources. Insome communities, garden groups,Master Gardeners, and neighbor-hood groups lead tree planting and protection efforts. Banks have become involved in forestry efforts through donations and low or no-interest projectloans. The Wisconsin Environmental Education Board (WEEB) program hasmany grants to further the educationand understanding of the environment for adults and children alike. Many businesses from local to multinationalnow have “green” programs or providegrants or products to local organiza-tions to build their tree programs. Mostutility companies have programs fortree replacement under power lines andtree planting for energy conservation.

“Start small,” Bauknecht says. “Share staff and equipment with other communities if you need to, like we did at first.” — Tim Bauknecht, Ashwaubenon city forester

A tree board meeting brings concerned citizens together to advocate for community trees and develop strategic urban forestry plans.

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Many service organizations do treeplanting including Kiwanis, Rotary and4-H. Nonprofits also provide grants andsupport. Two national examples are theNational Arbor Day Foundation and theMain Street Program. Two Wisconsin examples are Greening Milwaukee andthe Urban Open Space Foundation.

Schools can be another source ofhelp. Mid-State Technical College hasreceived grants to develop an educa-tion center on the college’s WisconsinRapids campus. Two demonstrationareas specific to the utility industry include low-growing trees under ornear power lines and installation of anon-energized power line. A $25,000DNR Urban Forestry Grant, and $5,000grants each from Alliant Energy andMadison Gas and Electric fund the pro-ject. Over 150 trees and 50 shrubs havebeen planted on the Wisconsin Rapidscampus with help from area high schoolstudents. The education center is usedfor training students, the general publicand forestry professionals.

In Rosendale, the grade school is actively planting trees. A local artisanmade a plaque and etched into it thenames of the students involved.

“The students will take ownership ofthose trees until they graduate,” saysOlivia Witthun, DNR urban forestry assistant for the Northeast Region.

Board approvalSome communities rely on tree boardsto develop and facilitate a plan forurban forest care. Residents with an interest in trees and related resourcesmay work in cooperation with a cityforester and advise the mayor, citycouncil and other departments on matters concerning trees.

The town of Greenville (pop. 7,200),located west of Appleton, has accom-plished most of its projects through theGreenville Urban Forestry Board. Thistalented group of people has accom-plished a lot in a short time.

Steve Nagy, a founding member ofthe Urban Forestry Board, describesGreenville as a fast-growing communitywhere many farm fields have been converted to lawns. Nagy says thetown’s urban forest program has been

successful because it has direction anda long-term plan.

Since its formation in 1999, theGreenville Urban Forestry Board published operating guidelines thatoutlined the board’s role and estab-lished responsibilities. With help fromvolunteers and town staff, they have

planted over 1,000 trees. Seed-to-shadenurseries at Greenville’s elementaryschools educate and involve children in nurturing trees that can eventually be transplanted to the Greenville landscape.

Essential to its success is an urbanforestry preservation ordinance. Greenville

Boy Scouts lend a hand at the Greenville Crabapple Tree Demonstration Project.

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The street tree replacement program in downtown Black River Falls won the Wisconsin UrbanForestry Council’s 2004 Project Partnership Award.

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Growing a legacy 15

adopted its ordinance in 2001 and thetown board began collecting a $300 feeon each new lot to cover street treeplanting. The Urban Forestry Boardworked with town staff to develop appropriate tree planting plans for newsubdivisions.

Tree plantings also are being incorporated into the community’srecreational trail. The Yellowstone Trailwas the first coast-to-coast cross-country roadway in the United States,

extending from Plymouth Rock toPuget Sound. The original roadbed traversed the Town of Greenville. Today,the community is rallying around thehistorical significance of the trail andhas been planting trees along it to helprestore the trail to its former glory.

Tony Nowak, director of parks andforestry for the Town of Greenville, washired in 2003. “Before I came here therewas one department that did everythingfrom water to sewers to roads. The town

of Greenville is growing rapidly and thereis an increasing workload,” he says.

They hired out the pruning work withassistance from a DNR urban forestrygrant. Nowak says the key to securingfunding is to keep projects unique andvaried.

“The key to success is to have agroup of citizens such as our tree board,that is passionate about what it does,”Nowak says. “Their drive and determi-nation are important.”

Growing Amherst’s legacyThe Village of Amherst (pop. 1,039) hashad a concerted urban forestry pro-gram since 1996. Prior to that, it had avillage forester who worked for a smallannual salary to survey for Dutch elmdisease and work with homeowners toremove diseased and hazardous trees.

The village tree board was formedout of a tree crisis. Many in the commu-nity were upset when some mapleswere removed to make room for stormsewer installation. LaVerne Peterson,one of those concerned, approachedthe village board.

“I thought it was a good time to propose that we have a tree board tooversee these situations,” Peterson recalls. The village board agreed andthe first tree board was formed.

In the last 10 years, the tree boardhas developed a tree ordinance, completed a management plan whichthey continuously update and use,worked with the Portage County Mas-ter Gardeners and other volunteers onspecial projects, submitted an annual

budget, applied for grants and solicitedbids for tree purchases and removal.Tree board members are paid a smallsum for attending monthly meetings.The stipend makes members feel val-ued and stresses the importance of thetree board’s work.

In addition to backing the programwith funding, Peterson suggests involv-ing your DNR regional urban foresterearly on as you form an urban forestprogram. Training is also key. VillageForester Mike Hinrichs attends work-shops and the annual state urbanforestry conference.

Much of the tree board’s time isspent maintaining the village’s treenursery. After the village was awardedits first Tree City USA recognition, tree board member Mark Boll learnedabout the National Tree Trust’s Commu-nity Tree Planting Program. The treeboard asked the village board for prop-erty for a tree nursery and was given aone-acre parcel.

The initial phase of planning, sitepreparation, tree installation and irriga-tion hookup involved seven youth,seven adults and over 140 hours ofwork. The nursery continues to growand houses about 900 trees today.

The tree board also received the2001 Landscape Beautification Awardfrom the International Society of Arbori-culture (ISA). The ISA recognizes individuals, organizations and commu-nities for outstanding Arbor Day programsor community landscape beautificationprojects that have significant impactupon a community or region.

Another success story has been arestoration effort on the Tomorrow

River, which winds through the village.Trees had fallen into the river, the banks were eroding and the view was cluttered with brush. The river, oncea popular place to go tubing and hunt for crayfish, was nearly impassable.The DNR and the Department of Transportation granted the village permission to stabilize the bank withabout 15 truckloads of rock. Communityservice workers helped move the rockinto place. Boxelders and willows wereextricated from the riverway and nuisance trees were removed from theriverbank. The two-year project involvedmany volunteers and was completed inFebruary 2006.

“Having so many people in the com-munity involved takes some of the pres-sure off the village employees to do allthe work with limited staff resources,”Hinrichs says.

Linda Sook, tree board president,says one of the greatest challenges facing the community today is growth.As contractors develop subdivisionsand the business park, she says the tree board is hoping to work with themto preserve the trees and even addplantings. The board is gathering construction information to include inits ordinance.

While all of these projects point to astrong urban forestry program, Peter-son considers the tree board budget asone of the most telling signs of the vil-lage’s tree program success. Their firstbudget was $2,000 in 1997 but has sincegrown to $9,250. The village has also re-ceived six growth awards along withabout $15,000 in urban forestry grants.

Students from Amherst help DNR UrbanForestry Coordinator Don Kissinger plant a serviceberry tree on Arbor Day 2006.

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Growing Phillips’ legacyThe City of Phillips’ (pop. 1,700) forestryprogram can be traced back to 1977when a windstorm caused about $12million in damage. After the storm, thecounty forest administrator was joinedby citizen groups, 4-H and Scout groupsand others to replant about 1,000 trees.

About 30 years later, Phillips’ commu-nity forestry program thrives thanks tocontinued citizen input and the hardwork of a city tree committee. For asmall community, the city is lucky tohave several citizen tree committeemembers who are degreed foresters orbotanists. Among them, is tree commit-tee chair Linda Windmoeller who has adegree in forestry administration fromUniversity of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

In 2001, the committee led an effortto complete an inventory and manage-ment plan and then used the plan toleverage DNR grant funding. The granthelped their small staff rent an aerial lift

truck to perform the work that themanagement plans called for includ-ing tree removal. The community hiredan arborist from a neighboring com-munity to evaluate its trees for risk.The arborist used a rating system developed by the U.S. Forest Serviceand found that about a dozen treeswere at high risk to community safetyand needed to be removed.

“It is important for communities to get good information and data to base their decisions,” Windmoellersays.

Most recently the committee tookon the task of creating a stand-alonetree ordinance for the city. The com-mittee went through several draftsand reviews with DNR Urban ForestryCoordinator Don Kissinger to com-plete the ordinance, which was themissing piece to become a Tree City USA community. Phillips achievedthis goal in 2005.

The tree committee now stressespublic education. High school stu-dents write a “Tree Tips” column forthe local newspaper. Tips includeavoiding insect infestation, mulching,and Arbor Day. The committee hosteda pruning class that was well attended.

“The key to getting people inter-ested in a tree program is to findthose who are civic minded and tocatch them at the right time in theirlives to get involved,” Windmoellersays. “It’s just fun to do something forwhich you can see the results.”

This year, Greenville’s Arbor Day celebration garnered widespreadmedia attention for wide community involvement in planting 23 varieties ofcrabapple trees.

“The little town of Greenville was onthe local news for Arbor Day and that’spretty big,” Nowak says.

People power Individuals can play an important role intheir community’s urban forest, says JeffRoe, DNR’s urban forestry coordinatorin South Central Region. Individuals can

yards by forming a property plan toplant trees.

If you don’t know where to begin,Roe suggests contacting your cityforester or parks and recreation staff.They can direct you to the right source.Or, try your county extension office orthe DNR’s urban forestry coordinator foryour area if you don’t have a forester.

“Talk to your elected officials and let them know that urban forestry is important to you,” Roe says.

Though public interest in communitytrees is generally strong, this supportdoesn’t automatically translate into support for an ongoing program of tree care. Forestry programs are well supported when residents more fullyunderstand how they reap the benefitsof the trees they help pay for.

For many years, La Crosse has required homeowners receiving terracetrees to attend a brief training sessionwhere they learn about caring for newtrees. The sessions have built awarenessand support for the forestry program,improved tree care in general, reducedplanting mortality and cut back on stafftime for maintenance.

Kristina Skowronski, a former DNRSoutheast Region urban forestry assis-tant, cites Mequon as a good exampleof a community that supports its urbanforestry program by engaging the public.The city hosts an Arbor Day fair withfree trees for residents.

“Recognizing the importance of educating residents, the Mequon treeboard is proactive and provides thecommunity with information on how tocare for their trees,” Skowronski says.

When the city crew planted 15 North-wood maple Tribute Trees, the SuperiorUrban Forest Tree Board had cause tocelebrate. In the four years since theprogram started, 33 new trees have become a part of the city landscape. Superior’s Tribute Tree Program was established in 2001 as a way for citizensas well as civic and business organiza-tions to honor individuals and recognizespecial occasions.

After reviewing several municipaltree donation and memorial programs,the tree board went back to its strategicplan and decided to structure the Tribute

help establish long-term goals for the community forest, fund programsfor maintenance and care, support vol-unteer organizations and championcommunity trees.

Roe suggests that individuals canvolunteer to serve on a community treeboard, help with work days and plantings,write articles about urban forestry issues for their local newspapers and newsletters, volunteer with schools andneighborhood groups to increase public awareness, adopt-a-park or treeand effectively manage their own back-

Phillips Tree Committee Chair Linda Windmoeller (right).

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Tree Program to increase tree popula-tions on the city’s boulevards.

Corporations, individuals and fami-lies are donating trees for memoriesthat they have of being in a park. TheSuperior program is an excellent exampleof how people can get involved in cityimprovement. The Tribute Tree Pro-gram encourages good stewardshipand provides lasting benefits for donorsand the city.

Have a planImagine building a house without aplan. Few would try! Building and man-aging a community forest are equallydifficult and wasteful without a plan.With 134 trees per mile lining thestreets of an average American city, astreet tree inventory is the way manycommunities begin developing a planfor their trees.

In fact, the best management deci-sions are based on facts. An inventorycan provide the facts. What species andsizes are present? Where and how manyempty planting sites exist? Are therehazardous trees? What maintenance is

Growing Appleton’s legacyAppleton’s forestry program earns an “A.” In fact, since the mid-1950s Appleton (pop. 72,000) has had one ofthe top urban forestry programs in the

state combining citizen and staff in-volvement and backing its urbanforestry program with the resources itneeds.

“Citizens are very involved and wehave a proactive tree pruning program,street design and construction pro-

gram,” says Mike Michlig, city forester.“The original design for Drew Streetwas to clear-cut it and the publicprocess saved all of the trees.”

Bill Lecker, city parks and recreationdirector, attributes much of the program’ssuccess to community involvementand a budget that supports the staffand the equipment necessary to dothe job.

“When we remove and plant trees, we communicate with property ownersand send them a letter,” he says.“People ask to participate in theprocess because we are visible in thecommunity and people understandthe benefits of planting street trees.”

On June 11, 2001, a strong windstorm toppled many trees. One parklost 55 large trees. The city of GreenBay pitched in to help Appleton removethe fallen trees and replant the park.The storm brought the communities together and the park has reboundedwith a diversity of trees.

Healthy and colorful street trees help define the character of Shorewood Hills.

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Oak trees next to a Black River Falls parkinglot shade pavement and cars, and controlstormwater.

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Growing Algoma’s legacyThe City of Algoma (pop. 3,357), located east of Green Bay, is a great example of how a community can gofrom little interest in urban forestry toone of the most successful programs inthe region. This is due to a dedicatedgroup of people including public workssuperintendent Gary Paape.

Paape joined Algoma’s staff in 1998and noticed that there was a lot oftree topping and many trees thatneeded maintenance were not get-ting attention. Paape went to the publicworks department and asked thecommunity to tackle the problem.

The city organized the Algoma TreeCommittee, applied for a DNR urbanforestry grant in 2001 and hired a consultant to conduct a tree inventoryand develop a management plan.They have built on that plan and goneon to accomplish much over the past five years including implementing amemorial tree program, offering edu-cational programs for residents andcity employees, producing a tree

maintenance video that was shown oncable television, planting trees and setting up a pruning and removal cyclewith their municipal utility company.

Algoma’s Tree Line program is an initiative to replace large trees underpower lines with smaller, more suitablespecies. Tree maintenance underpower lines can be time consuming andcostly. Paape used dollar figures toshow that maintaining large trees overtime was more expensive than remov-ing them and replacing them withsmaller species. He estimates that thecost savings in labor and equipmentthrough the Tree Line program couldbe as much as $400 per tree. He saysthe best way to sell a community on atree program is to show its value.

“When you have a tree program youare not just paying a tax bill, you aregetting something of value in returnthat you can actually see makes a difference,” Paape says. “Each commu-nity is different, but I can now gothrough a community and tell you fromlooking around which one has a treeprogram and which one doesn’t.”

Growing Dresser’s legacyThe welcome sign to the village ofDresser tells a story. Small communitiescan have tree programs. In fact, this vil-lage of 750 people has been a Tree CityUSA since 1998 and, as a very smallcommunity, is one of the greatly under-represented in the mix of Wisconsincommunities with tree programs.

Urban forestry’s impact and appealextends to small communities like thiswhere the village clerk and publicworks department partnered with alocal utility (Northern States Power,now Xcel Energy), volunteers, and a DNR urban forestry coordinator to form a tree board, conduct a treeinventory, develop and adopt a treeordinance and management plan, replace trees, develop a tree carebrochure and annually celebrateArbor Day. Urban forestry is now adistinguishing characteristic of thissmall rural village.

Dan Nord, of the village’s publicworks department, says that becauseit is so small, the village relies on residents to help. Residents are trainedin proper tree maintenance and thevillage hosts spring and fall clean ups.Brush is regularly chipped on site andmade available for free as mulch atthe public works building.

“We received a grant from theDNR and from Xcel Energy to removehigh trees out of the power lines andthen replant low-growth trees,” Nordsays. Residents helped choose treesto replant on their property.

needed? Are there heritage trees thatshould be given special care? What’sbest for the community?

Based on a detailed tree inventory, a management plan identifies and prioritizes site-specific tree planting,maintenance and removal activitieswithin a multi-year timeframe.

A good tree management plan canmake the difference between cost-effective, proactive management andcostly crisis management. Plans establishfocus and direction. They provide theframework for program implementationand a basis for consistent decision making. They are tools for determiningbudgets and other support needs.

Merrill made tough choices After a tree inventory and managementplan were completed and later presentedto the Merrill (pop. 10,146) City Councilin 1999, the council members were flabbergasted and dismayed to learn

that a significant number of their boulevard trees presented high risks.

Some council members went as faras touring the designated boulevardsonly to agree that there were some serious problems that needed to be addressed.

“This case is similar to other historiccommunities,” says current City Parksand Recreation Director and City ForesterDan Wendorf. “The trees were olderand becoming hazards. People askedwho should do something becauseMerrill didn’t have an urban forest pro-gram and only had a parks and recre-ation program.”

The city council, public works, andparks and recreation department gottogether and sought funding to startwith a tree inventory and managementplan. The parks and recreation depart-ment applied for a DNR Urban ForestryGrant to pay for a street tree inventory. Wendorf says they first needed to

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identify how many trees the city has,tree health, pruning and removal needs,and diversity.

Wendorf worked with a consultant to catalogue the tree species and over

several months they mapped out whatthe city had. When they found that Merrill had 40 percent maple on itsboulevards they realized the need to diversify. They also found out that of6,000 trees, about 580 needed to be removed, including 300 that were im-mediately removed because they posedhigh risk to public safety. They alsofound that there were about 800 sitesthat could potentially be planted. Byworking with local media and distribut-ing neon-green door hangers to homesthey were able to keep the communityinformed.

Along with the management planand street tree inventory, Merrill now hasa set of urban forestry ordinances thatempowers the city forester.

“The goal of the street tree inventory

is to get to the point where we canplant more trees than we remove,”Wendorf says. “The key is to use the resources that we have: volunteers,DNR grant funding and work with otherorganizations.”

“You are never too small to have amanagement plan,” he says.

Tree ordinance Why have tree ordinances? Tree ordi-nances are tools to help communitiesachieve goals. Matters pertaining totree damage, health and safety, andgeneral welfare are often best codified

in an ordinance. Tree ordinances arenot new. The first is believed to havebeen enacted in 1807 when a Detroitordinance specified tree planting alongthe city’s streets.

Tree ordinances provide authoriza-tion and standards for management activities.

The effectiveness of a tree ordinanceis influenced by many factors. The keyis to write an ordinance simply, clearlyand tailored to the community’s needs.An ordinance that works well in one community may be unworkable in another. Do the residents support oroppose various ordinance provisions,or are they even aware of them? Isthere sufficient capacity to enforce theordinance? Does the ordinance accountfor environmental limitations that affecttree health, growth and survival? Doesthe local government have the financialresources to fulfill ordinance require-ments? Since the answers to these

“You are never too small to have a management plan.”— Merrill City Parks and Recreation Director and City Forester Dan Wendorf

Defective trees can cause personal injury and property damage. Identifying high-risk trees and taking proper corrective actions can protect property and save lives.

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questions will vary from place to place,even very similar ordinances can havequite different outcomes in differentcommunities. Visit www.isa-arbor.com/publications/ordinance.aspx

If money grows on trees mine are in recessionTree care costs money but it’s an investment that pays back over time.Community trees are a local responsi-

bility, but federal and state assistance isavailable to help plant trees and establish community forestry programs.

American Forests suggests that 20percent of an urban forestry budgetshould be directed at planting andearly care. A program of pruning youngtrees is a wise long-term investment. Itis estimated that municipalities withforestry programs spend between $8and $11 per tree each year. However,

DNR’S URBANFORESTRY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Many Wisconsin communities cite the

DNR’s urban forestry program for

assisting their community officials,

green industry professionals, businesses,

schools, nonprofits and the public in working

together to expand, improve and manage the

urban forest.

This assistance takes four forms:

Technical — help communities develop

management plans, inventories, ordinances,

plant health care and training plans.

Education and training — develop and coordi-

nate programs and materials for forestry

professionals, elected officials, planners, devel-

opers, school children and volunteers.

Funding — administer state and federal

cost-sharing grants and suggest alternate

sources of funding, staff and support for

community programs.

Public awareness — develop awareness and

support for the value of urban forests and

their need for management through the media,

recognition programs, celebrations and events.

The program is advised by the Wisconsin

Urban Forestry Council, a 23-member commit-

tee of citizens and professionals that repre-

sents everyone from community officials to

businesses and neighborhood activists. The

Council also presents awards to communities,

groups and individuals for exceptional urban

forestry efforts and advocates for the urban

forest and urban forestry.

For more information on the program visit

dnr.wi.gov/org/land/forestry/UF/

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the total value of the nation’s streettrees is estimated at $30 billion. Com-munities must find ways to balance income with the cost of tree care.

From local donations to state and federal grants, money is available to fundcommunity forestry. Federal EmergencyManagement Agency (FEMA) helps vic-tims of natural disasters. The key to col-lecting from FEMA to replace lost trees,is to prove that your community regularlymaintained its trees and replaced themunder normal circumstances.

State government can help. The obvious candidate here is the DNR with its urban forestry grants but the departments of Transportation andCorrections (inmates or those sen-tenced to community service), and localfire and police departments are sourcesof labor or grants. Check with yourcounty extension office for additionalgrants and volunteer sources. The DNR Urban Forestry Grant Program helps communities plant trees that will pay back over time.

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“Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” — John Muir

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Tree City USASince 1976, Tree City USA has been acatalyst for community tree care and apowerful force for promoting urbanforestry. This program, sponsored bythe National Arbor Day Foundation and administered in Wisconsin by theDNR, provides communities with a tangible goal and national recogni-tion for their community forestry efforts. Today, over 3,000 communi-ties fly Tree City USA flags over areasthat house over 93 million Americans.Wisconsin has over 160 Tree CityUSAs, ranking it third in the nation!

At the heart of the Tree City USAprogram are four basic requirements.The community must have: a treeboard or department, an annual com-munity forestry program backed by an expenditure of at least $2 per capitafor trees and tree care, an annual

Arbor Day proclamation and obser-vance, and a tree care ordinance. In addition, communities that haveachieved Tree City USA certificationcan strive for a growth award that rec-ognizes effort over and above thefour standards. Typically around 25Wisconsin communities achieve thiscommendation each year.

On May 10, 1990, Waukesha expe-rienced a late-season snow storm thatdamaged 60 percent of the city streettrees. The city’s finance committeeused emergency funds to restore andrepair the trees. City Forester DavidLiska says that the fact that Waukeshais a Tree City USA was a tremendous influence in securing the support for the necessary repairs and the continuation of Waukesha’s urbanforestry programs.

WHO TO CALL?

Q: My community doesn’t have a tree program. How can I help start one?

A: Contact your DNR regional urban forestrycoordinator. Visit dnr.wi.gov/org/land/forestry/uf/.

Q: I’m responsible for the trees in my community. Where can I go to get technicaltraining?

A: There are a variety of training, education and networking opportunities available in Wisconsin, as well as private consultants thatprovide customized instruction. Contact yourDNR regional urban forestry coordinator to findout more. Visit dnr.wi.gov/org/land/forestry/uf/.

Q: There is something wrong with my tree.Who should I call?

A: Contact your county extension office.These are listed on the web at www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/. Some counties have horticulturists onstaff and others will refer you to the Universityof Wisconsin Insect Diagnostic lab, www.entomology.wisc.edu/entodiag.html orthe University of Wisconsin Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic, www.plantpath.wisc.edu/pddc/. A list of certified arborists in Wisconsinalso is found at www.waa-isa.org/arborists/search.asp. Local nurseries, garden centersand botanical gardens may be able to help.

Q: What do I do about trees in power lines?

A: Contact your local utility company. You canfind their name and address on your monthlyutility bill. You may also contact your communityforestry, parks or public works department.

Q: What other resources are there?

A: There are numerous websites that provideinformation or links to other sites. Check out:

TreeLink, www.treelink.org; International Soci-ety of Arboriculture, www.treesaregood.com; National Arbor Day Foundation, www.arborday.org. Others can be found at the DNR urban forestry resources web page at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/forestry/UF/resources/

Local funding might come fromtaxes, local tree trusts, municipal utilitybill donations, memorials and cost-sharing. Consider including tree plantingas part of infrastructure improvementprojects such as street and road im-provement. In some areas, money fromrecycling programs is used to purchasetrees.

Appleton has become creative when it comes to funding. For Arbor Day, it hosted a tree planting at the localsports complex. A $5 surcharge perplayer was put on the Babe Ruth teamsand they were able to raise enough

money to plant 20 trees. Greening Milwaukee is a nonprofit

that shows people how easy it can be toplant trees and shares information onthe positive effect of trees in the urbanenvironment. Greening Milwaukee hasreceived innovative funding that includes an Adopt-A-Tree Initiative,Mayor’s Landscape Awards, Tree Gift Program, Greening MilwaukeeSchools program and volunteer opportunities. Greening Milwaukeealso hosts an informative website atwww.greeningmilwaukee.org.

Students from New Glarus High School helped the city become a Tree City USA.

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On August 29, 2005, HurricaneKatrina ripped through the GulfStates. The National Weather

Service reported that Slidell, Louisiana,located on the north shore of LakePontchartrain, sustained winds of morethan 176 mph and gusts of over 190mph, and was hit by a 23- to 26-footstorm surge. The deadly storm damagedover 90 percent of the community andleft 40 percent of its citizens homeless.

Though it was dubbed “The Forgot-ten City” because it had been hit by the eye of the storm but received lesspress coverage than the flashier NewOrleans, Slidell has not been forgottenin Wisconsin and has received supportfrom the city of Beloit to bring back partof what Hurricane Katrina swept away.

In fact, this year, citizens of Beloit(pop. 35,000, which is similar to the sizeof Slidell) raised about $2,500 and

donated it on Arbor Day 2006 for treeplantings in John Slidell Park in Slidell.Like Beloit, Slidell valued its urban forest in the pre-hurricane days, for thesense of beauty it gave the community.As people in Beloit discussed the

project, some came to learn that theyhad relatives in Slidell.

Bruce Slagoski, terrace operationssupervisor for the City of Beloit is proudof how the community has come together to support plantings for treesmost of them will never see. One couple, he recalls, donated $200 towardthe project to mark their wedding anniversary. On Arbor Day, Congress-

woman Tammy Baldwin visited Beloit asit celebrated its 18th year as a Tree CityUSA by planting a star magnolia dedi-cated to Slidell.

“Beloit reached out to help Slidelland people here have said that if they

needed help someday – if a storm dev-astated their community – they hopedsome other community would do thesame for them and help them replanttheir trees,” Slagoski says. “None of uscan really imagine going through whatthe people of Slidell did. We can’t imagine a Beloit without its trees.”

A star magnolia is a symbol.

“None of us can really imagine going through what thepeople of Slidell did. We can’t imagine a Beloit withoutits trees.” — Bruce Slagoski

Bruce Slagoski, terrace operations supervisor for the City of Beloit, celebrates Arbor Day 2006 with the plantingof a star magnolia dedicated to Slidell, Louisiana.

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ViolaOn August 18, 2005, a strong stormroared through Viola. The stormeventually spawned a tornado thatdevastated the small village, destroy-ing nine homes, one business, anddamaging more than 100 otherbuildings. Additionally, about 1,000of the community’s trees were dam-aged or destroyed. Total damagewas estimated at $2.4 million.

Immediately, volunteers began toarrive to assist with the cleanup effort and the replanting of Violabegan. The group that formed to putViola’s urban forest back togetherwas named “Trees for Viola.”

Because FEMA funding was overex-tended due to multiple disasters, theWisconsin Department of Commercecontributed a $600,000 reconstruc-tion grant and another $821,000came from a block grant. Trees forViola raised over $29,000 for replant-ing and other restoration projectsand an additional nonprofit organiza-tion, the Vernon-Richland RecoveryProject, raised over $85,000 in privatedonations.

On the weekend of April 29, 2006,about 390 volunteers from over 30volunteer organizations chipped in tohelp restore Viola’s tree-lined streetsand yards. About 300 trees wereplanted that weekend and a celebra-tion dance was held at Viola’s community building.

"The elderly of Viola feel the lossof their tree canopy more deeplythan the newer residents,” says HarleyMcMillen, director of the Vernon-Richland Recovery Project Inc. andtreasurer of Trees for Viola. They livedunder the canopy of trees that wasdestroyed so quickly, and althoughthey are happy that we are now plant-ing new trees, they are saddenedthat they will not live long enough tosee these new trees grow into thebeautiful canopy that they treasuredso much as residents of Viola."

Trees for Viola plans to build onthe replanting efforts over the nexttwo years with the goal of planting its1,000th tree in April 2008.

— This story excerpted from articlesby Dan Simmons that appeared inthe La Crosse Tribune.

Produced by: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Copyright 2006, Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

PUB-FR-317-2006

August 2006

Cover photo by: Eric Petersen/The Livingston Enterprise

Written by: Natasha Kassulke, associate editor, Wisconsin Natural Resourcesmagazine

DNR Urban Forestry Editing Team: Cindy Casey, Michael LaBissoniere, Jeff Roe, Dick Rideout, Laura Wyatt

Design by: Waldbillig & Besteman

Subscribe to Wisconsin Natural Resourcesmagazine at www.wnrmag.com.

This publication was funded in part by a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. The USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs andactivities on the basis of race, color, nationalorigin, gender, religion, age, disability, politicalbeliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familystatus. To file a complaint call (202) 720-5964.

Trees in the Village of Viola were severelydamaged by a tornado in 2005.

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the forest where we live - wisconsin department of natural resources

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