Program Information

Title	Length
Full Division Webcast and Video Catalog

• The Urban Forest
• DNR Urban Forestry Assistance
• Urban Forestry Program Resources

The Urban Forest

What is an urban forest? It is all of the trees and other vegetation in and around a town, village or city. Traditionally it has referred to tree-lined streets, but an urban forest also includes trees in home landscapes, school yards, parks, riverbanks, cemeteries, vacant lots, utility rights-of-way, adjacent woodlands and anywhere else trees can grow in and around a community of any size. Shrubs, flowers, vines, ground covers, grass, and a variety of wild plants and animals also are part of the urban forest. Streets, sidewalks, buildings, utilities, soil, topography and, most importantly, people are an integral part of the urban forest. The urban forest is, in fact, an ecosystem.

DNR Urban Forestry Assistance

The mission of the DNR Forestry's urban forestry program is "To Encourage and Enable Sound Management of Wisconsin's Urban Forest Ecosystems." DNR urban forestry staff assist community officials, green industry professionals, businesses, schools, non-profit organizations, the general public and others who impact the resource to work together to expand, improve and manage the urban forest. Assistance takes five basic forms:

Resource Assessment - regularly evaluate Wisconsin's urban forests and community urban forestry programs and use the information to identify management goals and assistance needs.

Technical assistance - help communities develop management plans, inventories, ordinances, plant health care and training plans.

Education and Training - develop, facilitate and coordinate programs and materials for forestry professionals, elected officials, planners, developers, school children and volunteers.

Resource Development - administer state and federal cost sharing programs and assist in finding and developing alternate sources of funding, staff and support for community programs.

Public awareness - develop awareness and support of the value of urban forests and their need for management through the media, recognition programs, celebrations and events.

A strategic plan directs the urban forestry assistance effort and to assure that the DNR is addressing the most pressing needs and issues of urban forestry, the program is advised by the Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council. This 24 member committee of citizens and professionals appointed by the Secretary, represents all segments of the field from community officials to businesses to neighborhood activists.

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Urban Forestry Program Resources

Staff: There are eight full time staff devoted to urban forestry in the DNR's Forestry Program. One state coordinator, six regional coordinators and an urban forestry grant manager staff the assistance effort. All seven coordinator positions were created in 1990 or 1991 by reallocating existing forestry positions. The grant manager position was created in 2004 and currently is funded by an annual Urban & Community Forestry grant from the USDA Forest Service. This grant also funds seven half-time and one quarter-time positions including three regional assistant coordinators, a communications specialist, an urban forestry council liaison, an urban forestry assessment specialist, a technical urban forester and an office associate.

Budget: In addition to salary and fringe, the program is funded by $82,500 in operations monies and $165,000 in contract dollars. The cost-share urban forestry grant program for local governments, nonprofits and tribes is funded by $529,900 of state funds. The annual federal urban forestry grant provides additional funds for program support and until 2007 augmented our cost-share grant program. Over the last few years the federal funding has been cut at the national level. As a result, since 2005 Wisconsin's allocation has been cut 25% to its current level of $225,000. This cut forced the elimination of federal funding to augment the grant program. State budget requests since 1990 have striven to eliminate dependence on federal monies for program support and to bring state urban forestry grant funds closer to the demonstrated level of community need.

Looking to the Future

The urban forestry program will continue with its successful approach of stimulating urban forest management through direct assistance, education, seed money and public awareness. The intent is to initiate and increase the capacity of communities to manage their own environment by involving all aspects of the community. In addition, the program is expanding its role in assessing the state's urban forests and setting resource-based goals to improve the ecological, economic and social benefits that these forests provide. Our vision is of a Wisconsin with healthy and sustainable urban forests that are an integral and essential part of healthy and sustainable communities.