Urban Forestry in Menomonie

Urban Forestry: Enhancing the Quality of Life in Menomonie 

Its a warm sunny summer day, just perfect for a picnic. The grill, the cooler, the lawn chairs, and the kids are loaded into the car. A short pleasant drive across Menomonie on shaded tree lined streets ends at Wakanda Park. After arriving at the park, the chairs are set up under the big old oak and pine trees, the grill is lit, beverages are retrieved from the cooler, and the kids run off to play. Sitting in the shade of big, old trees while grilling brats is one of life’s best experiences. 

Menomonie is fortunate to have a widespread urban forest. Having an extensive urban forest requires serious efforts at monitoring, and management. In the city, trees are cared for by two entities: private landowners and the city Urban Forestry Department which manage trees on public land like parks and right of ways. Derek Kahl is the city Forester. Megen Hines is the Environmental Program Coordinator, and she works to support the efforts of the Forestry program by taking care of many administrative tasks. The Forestry Department is part of the Community Services Department, which includes the Street Department, Parks Department, and Forestry Department. City employees work on forestry, street maintenance, and snow removal.

Unfortunately, the past few years have been hard on Menomonie’s urban forest. The emerald ash borer has finally infected the ash trees, and consequently, the trees are dying in droves. Ninety percent of the ash trees in Menomonie are in the process of dying. The emerald ash borer is a bright green bug that lays its eggs only in true ash trees. The larva bore through the outer bark and then eat the inner bark, cutting off the tree's circulation system and hence killing the tree. Once infected, an ash tree will die within three to five years. So far this winter, over 100 ash trees have been removed by the city. As many as 400 trees will be removed this tree removal season. The tree removal work is primarily being done on the south side of Menomonie. Since 2023, nearly 600 trees, the vast majority of which are ash trees, have been removed by the city crews. 

Planting trees is another duty of the urban forestry crew, which has been given new urgency by the die-off of ash trees. The usual timetable for tree planting is to receive the trees in the spring and then plant them in the fall. This year due to the increase in the number of trees received, which will be arriving on different dates, tree planting will occur as the trees are delivered to the city. The newly planted trees are equipped with a watering system that allows the city water trucks to place the water directly at the roots when watering the tree. 

The city also purchases bare root trees that are placed in the gravel bed nursery, which is an area enclosed with wood and filled with over a foot of pea gravel. After the trees are placed in the pea gravel they are watered with an irrigation system. The gravel bed nursery can hold 64 trees. The city gets many benefits by using a gravel bed nursery. Gravel bed tree nurseries allow the bare root trees to grow extensive root systems, increasing their ability to survive once planted. Bare root trees are typically one-third of the cost of a ball and burlap tree, allowing the City to cost-effectively plant larger numbers of trees. Bare root trees are easier to plant, using less equipment and labor than a ball and burlap tree. More tree species are available in bare root compared to ball and burlap, which allows the City to increase the diversity of our urban forest.

Planting trees is expensive. Last year the urban forestry crew had a budget of $5,000. They were able to plant 54 trees with that money. This year the tree budget is $15,000. Many actions have been taken recently to increase the number of trees that are planted in the city. City forester Derek Kahl did some wise shopping and found a new vendor that can supply quality trees at a substantial savings over the past vendors. The Urban Forestry Board worked with the City Forestry Department to obtain a $46,000 DNR Urban forestry Grant. Of that grant money, $23,000 will be for planting trees. The remainder of the grant money pays for training such as how to safely cut down trees near power lines and how to safely operate chain saws. The grant also provides education and outreach, including creating a tree resources directory for residents to learn more about resources for managing trees on their private property. Additionally, the city allocated $15,417.96 in the City's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds towards trees. This money must spent by the end of 2026. 

The freshly planted trees require care and maintenance. One of the key jobs of the urban forestry department is trimming and pruning trees. The young trees are pruned to encourage straight, strong growth. Trees are also trimmed to maintain a clearance for trucks and maintenance vehicles on city streets and clearance for pedestrians on sidewalks. Another important pruning task is to keep lines of sight open on intersections to keep traffic flows safe. 

Urban Forestry Board

The Forestry Department is advised by a nine member Urban Forestry Board, which is chaired by Liz Usborne. The Urban Forestry Board was established in 1994 to oversee Menomonie’s urban forest and landscape ordinances and to promote urban forests and green spaces throughout the city. Two long time Board members recently resigned so the Board is looking for two individuals who have an interest in trees and would be willing to attend a monthly meeting. Anyone who is interested in serving on the Urban Forestry Board can contact Megen Hines at 715-232-2221 ext 1005.

The Board also works to ensure the urban forests and green spaces are ecologically beneficial, aesthetic, and responsibly maintained. The Urban Forestry board has a number of goals: Creating a capacity that integrates with the surrounding natural and agricultural areas; Designing a cityscape that incorporates the beneficial aspects of nature of the well-being of its inhabitants; Safeguarding urban waterways from excessive runoff and erosion; Conserving energy to reduce the effect of extreme climate events and lessen the impacts of air pollution, dust, noise, heat and glare; Ensuring that trees and shrubs planted in public spaces do not interfere with the safe and orderly passage of vehicular and pedestrian traffic; Reimbursing the city for the loss or damage of trees or shrubs and their positive contributions to public infrastructure; Guaranteeing that the natural environment is preserved to maintain its quality for future generations of urban residents; Protecting and maintaining healthy populations of birds by planting urban and migratory bird friendly trees. 

Resources for city residents 

The City has online resources for the planting, care, watering, and pruning of trees. 

It can be found here: https://www.menomonie-wi.gov/366/Tree-Planting-Care

A guide for recommenced trees for planting in the city can be found here: https://www.menomonie-wi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/617/Menomonie-Recommended-Tree-Planting-List-PDF?bidId=