Commission approves urban forestry management plan update and agrees to seek DNR grant for full master plan

Rick, an urban forestry staff member, presented the city’s updated urban forestry management plan and an updated street-tree inventory at the Feb. 27 commission meeting. The commission voted to approve the management plan as a working document and staff said they will apply for a 2026 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) urban forestry grant to fund a consultant to prepare a full urban forestry master plan.

Nut graf: The approved management plan and inventory will serve as a working document and foundation for a consultant-led urban forestry master plan; staff said the updated data will reduce consultant costs because much of the inventory work is already completed.

Rick told the commission the city’s street-tree inventory has changed since the 1995 plan: staff reported about 8,400 street trees in 1995 and about 10,200 trees in 2025; potential street-tree planting sites have increased from about 12,800 in 1995 to 19,570 today. Staff noted the percentage of available planting sites that are vacant has grown from roughly one-third in 1995 to about 50% today, reflecting removals during the emerald ash borer (EAB) response and changes in planting practices. Rick said approximately 3,600 trees were removed during the EAB response and the city has replaced roughly 2,000 of them to date; he also noted many previously popular species—such as Norway maples and ash—are now on the city’s unapproved planting list.

The management plan includes a computer-based street-tree inventory, the city’s existing programs (for example, a free street-tree program), an annual forestry work calendar, outreach initiatives and strategies to maintain urban-tree management standards. Staff described the plan as a working document designed to formalize current practices, improve efficiency within existing budgets and prepare for a consultant-led master plan.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the unapproved species list and whether unapproved status means immediate removal; staff clarified unapproved means the species will not be planted going forward but does not imply an immediate removal program for existing trees. Staff and other commissioners described the plan as a preliminary but comprehensive basis for applying for DNR grant funds and for later incorporation into an updated parks-and-open-space plan and the city comprehensive plan.

Ending: The commission approved the management plan by motion and staff will submit a DNR grant application for 2026 to fund a consultant to produce a full urban forestry master plan; staff emphasized the approved inventory and draft plan will reduce consultant costs because they provide much of the baseline data a consultant would otherwise need to collect.