2026 Urban Forestry Workshops

The 2026 Urban Forestry Workshop topic is Tree Resilience: Planting, Pruning, and Care. This workshop will be held this fall in 4 locations throughout the state. Each location will include morning classroom instruction followed by hands-on field demonstrations in the afternoon. Lunch is included in the registration cost. The cost of the workshop is $70 per person.

The workshop will focus on standards of care for trees and their importance in promoting resilient urban forests. Standards of care are a basic premise for the best growth and maintenance of tree populations. Proper arboriculture is the basis for healthy, resilient urban forests. In particular, this workshop will examine the process for developing and promoting tree growth and longevity, using the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A300 Tree Care Standards as a guide. The morning session will include three talks that relate tree biology to tree pruning, tree planting, and more. An outdoor afternoon session will then build on what we learned through tree-planting and tree-pruning demonstrations and conversations.

Agenda

• Terms, Technology, and Standards of Care from A to Z: Biological Basis of Tree Action

  We will explore how biology underpins the growth of trees. Trees have limits and learn their limits to help them thrive. Terms are a necessity within a field of practice, and understanding terminology enhances your practitioner abilities. This talk will use terminology as a basis for a conversation in tree care. Standards of care guide practitioners' knowledge to do something for the tree rather than to the tree. Qualifications and credentials are an integral part of its development in the arboriculture profession.

• The Science and BMPs of Tree Planting and Establishment to Promote Tree Growth and Longevity

  Ever get in a heated discourse on whether or not to remove burlap from planted trees? Just what does the science of tree planting say about this topic? This talk will explore the planting process and present the findings of the first known study on the full, partial, and no removal of burlap and wire baskets. Techniques and approaches for implementing various planting stock (e.g., bare root, balled & burlapped, container, gravel bed) are presented. We will cover what steps should be taken to promote tree establishment.

• Proper Tree Pruning: Just What Does the A300 Tell Us: What Do Science, Standards, and Best Management Practices Say About Tree Pruning?

  In this talk, you will learn pruning strategies that arborists and urban foresters can implement to promote tree canopies that help grow the urban forest. We will define natural tree pruning, and how it differs from other forms of pruning, discuss when is it best to undertake reduction pruning or remove a branch, and a heading cut, and review how it differs from tree topping. We will also cover restoration pruning, and how this process helps a canopy regrow into a healthy, strong structure. Finally, we will discuss whether you can prune the trees to reduce their height to compensate for decay or not.

• Afternoon Session

  The afternoon session will include a demonstration of what we learned in the morning. A planting demonstration will be followed by steps for structural pruning. Site evaluation and safety will be discussed. A variety of tree samples will be further used to illustrate how trees respond to human and natural influences.

2026 Workshop Locations

Register below for Sept 21, 23, or 24

• September 21 – Dane County | DeForest Village Hall Commons, 120 S Stevenson Street, DeForest, WI 53532, 8:30am-3:00pm

• September 23 – Jackson County | Black River Falls DNR Field Office, 910 Hwy 54 E, Black River Falls, WI 54615, 8:30am-3:00pm

• September 24 – Outagamie County | Mosquito Hill Nature Center, N3880 Rogers Rd, New London, WI 54961, 8:30am-3:00pm

Register for Waukesha County

(September 22 – Waukesha County | Retzer Nature Center, S14 W28167 Madison St, Waukesha, WI 53188, 8:30am-3:00pm)

Speaker: Richard Hauer

Richard Hauer is the Director of Urban Forestry at Eocene Environmental Group. He is a Professor Emeritus of Urban Forestry at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. He received his B.S. from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, M.S. from the University of Illinois, and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Rich has conducted research in tree biology, urban forest management, emerald ash borer management, trees and construction, tree risk management, and ice storms. He was honored as the 2018 and 2024 L.C. Chadwick Award for Arboricultural Research and 2023 Alex L. Shigo Award for Excellence in Education. He has over 200 publications and presented over 600 talks throughout the world. Dr. Hauer is also an Associate Editor of the Journal Urban Forestry & Urban Greenspaces.

Urban Forestry Workshop brought to you by UW–Madison Division of Extension and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming in compliance with state and federal law.

You may request an interpreter, materials in an alternative language or format, or other services to make this event more accessible, by contacting Lisa Johnson at johnson.lisa@danecounty.gov or 608-224-3715 by September 1, 2026. There’s no added cost to you for these services.