The city of Whitewater has announced it has received an urban forestry grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The $25,000 grant will be used to increase the number of native tree species found in Starin Park and identify them with information about their value and natural interrelationship, according to information released by the city.
The Urban Forestry Grant program is developed to help municipalities and nonprofit groups conducting projects in Wisconsin, according to the DNR’s website. Grants fall into one of three categories: regular, startup and catastrophic storm grants.
The grant received in Whitewater is a regular grant, defined as a “competitive cost-share grant of up to $25,000. Grants are given to support new, innovative projects that will develop sustainable urban and community forestry programs, and not to subsidize routine forestry activities, the DNR website states.
According to the release, Whitewater is one of 47 Wisconsin communities to receive a grant as part of an effort to replace large amounts of city trees lost due to Emerald Ash Borer and natural attrition.
Trees are essential to maintaining a critical balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen. Tree leaves pull in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis. A goal of the grant is to help educate the community about the trees that would best thrive in Whitewater and to promote planting and growing such trees to increase the tree canopy within the city, the release continued.
The DNR Urban Forestry Grant will reimburse up to $25,000 of costs associated with city efforts to plant and maintain new trees and shrubs within the nearly 35-acre Starin Park, which borders the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus, the release stated.
The effort is part of an initiative to establish an arboretum, or outside museum of trees and shrubs, in the park to provide educational opportunities for park visitors of all ages by identifying and preserving a diverse network of native and imported trees and plants. The concept was initiated by Whitewater Urban Forestry Commission member and retired educator Jim Nies. The commission is a permanent subcommittee of the City of Whitewater Parks and Recreation Board, which makes recommendations concerning the care of all trees and shrubs planted in the city.
According to the release, Nies estimated that the park contains some 650 trees, of which an estimated 50 are in decline and will soon need to be replaced.
Whitewater City Forester Brian Neumeister estimated that the park has lost over 20 trees in the past three years.
The commission hopes to plant 150 native trees in the next year to replace dying trees, the release continued.
Through fundraising efforts, the city has raised some $15,000 to help purchase trees and shrubs, and to produce educational materials.
Coburn Company, First Citizens State Bank, the Historic Starin Park Neighborhood, the Whitewater Community Foundation and “many individuals” were counted among those making donations to the project, the release stated.
Additionally, the city has engaged with volunteer groups, working to establish partnerships with UW-Whitewater, the Whitewater Unified School District, the Starin Park Neighborhood Association and other interested businesses and individuals.
The commission has placed 30 informational tree tags identifying common trees at Starin Park. Expanded tree tagging will continue for existing trees and new plantings. Future plans include providing more trees within the park with in-depth information.
To learn more about the commission and the arboretum or to make a project donation, contact Parks and Recreation Director Eric Boettcher by phone: 262-473-0122 or email: EBoettcher@whitewater-wi.gov.
Starin Park. Photo shared through the City of Whitewater’s website.
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