Wisconsin tribes, nonprofits and municipalities awarded $4M to preserve urban forests 

Trees lining city streets in Wisconsin provide more than just beauty.

“When we get a big storm, those trees are really helping reduce that stormwater,” said Tim Bull, city forester of Sheboygan.

Bull joined WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” after the city of Sheboygan received more than $175,000 from the state’s Urban Forestry Grant program to improve air quality and urban reforestation efforts over the next few years.

Sheboygan is one of 13 urban communities to receive one of these grants from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Funding through the Inflation Reduction Act allowed the state agency to distribute $4 million among tribes, municipalities and nonprofit organizations facing economic hardships and environmental burdens.

The DNR’s IRA grant coordinator Jay Dampier told “Wisconsin Today” that recipients like the city of Sheboygan plan to use the funds to address air quality problems. 

Bull said half of city residents are breathing unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone pollution. Sheboygan plans to reduce the primary pollutant by planting 660 trees, while maintaining 16,000 street-lining trees over the next several years. 

From 2020-22, the city of Sheboygan received an “F” rating for its air quality from the American Lung Association. 

Grant funds to remove hundreds of dead, dying trees affected by Emerald Ash Borer 

Since 2016, about 3,000 ash trees have died around Sheboygan because of the invasive tree-killing beetle, according to Bull.

He said the city plans to use a portion of its $175,000 grant to continue the insecticide treatment of 2,000 mature ash trees.

“Mature ash trees do a lot more work as far as purifying the air and filtering it, than a young tree,” Bull said. 

Dampier said other grant recipients like Eau Claire and Stevens Point will also use their funds to remove emerald ash borer-infested trees.

City trees provide more shade, reduce energy consumption in urban areas

Some urban communities plan to use grant funds to plant trees for shade that will reduce excess heat around city buildings. 

This addresses an issue called a “heat island,” according to Dampier. 

“Walking in a hot parking lot, it’s 85 degrees outside,” he said. “A few 100 yards (away), you’re in a park, you can feel the difference.”

Bull added that finding the right spot for a tree is important, especially when planting hundreds of trees.

“We’re looking at the utilities. We’re looking at how much space there is,” he said. “We’re planting appropriate trees that will allow them to reach maturity age.”

He said the cities of Schofield, Sheboygan and Stevens Point will plant trees to produce shade and reduce energy costs for homeowners. 

“Shade over parking lots or near homes also shades the heat that comes through windows and walls,” he said. 

Grant recipients provide community engagement through urban forestry

Dampier said some of the urban project proposals received grant funding because their plans include community engagement. 

For example, the city of Racine plans to use its new funds to educate people about urban forestry, including non-English speakers.

“Communities can apply for a tree to plant in their own yard,” he said. “Then they would have the training and the education provided in the language that they could understand.”

In Dane County, the nonprofit Operation Fresh Start plans to use its grant to expand opportunities for people working in urban forestry. 

For the city of Sheboygan, the planting of 660 new trees means more residents can participate in the region’s new tree-watering pledge, Bull said.

He said when the city plants a new tree, community members can sign up online to water that street tree as needed.

“Our own city staff can skip watering that one and focus more on the ones that aren’t being watered by others,” he said. 

Tribal nations, nonprofit organizations address food insecurity

According to Dampier, a few of the grant recipients will also address food insecurity.

In northern Wisconsin, the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry and Master Gardeners plan to establish a community orchard and food forest. The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians plans to plant silver maples to provide shade for powwow attendees as well as sap for tribal gatherings.

The Ho Chunk Nation plans to plant more than 800 culturally appropriate trees and shrubs to be used for medicine and food.

The latest round of grant funding aligns with Gov. Tony Evers‘ goal of planting 100 million new trees by the end of 2030.