“Many Ideas Grow Better When Transplanted Into Another Mind Than The One Where They Sprang Up.”
Partners
There are over 730 million ash trees throughout Wisconsin. At least 23% of the trees on public lands in Sheboygan County are ash, often exceeding 30% in our cities and village urban areas. In some local communities and private lands, the percentage of ash exceeds 70% of the total tree canopy. No one’s property is safe so innovative partnerships are needed to battle this fast moving infestation.
ROOTS was born from such innovation - a joint initiative to build a broad based, multi-community public-private sector collaboration to proactively address the threat to Sheboygan County’s rich forestry resources.
Special thanks to Sheboygan County, the City of Sheboygan, Sheboygan Falls, and Plymouth who have each adopted resolutions strongly endorsing the ROOTS program.
The ROOTS Strategy is composed of three complementary pillars.
Implementation
The Investment Fund is the central pillar of the ROOTS strategy. ROOTS will build a fund that will be awarded to townships/municipalities through matching grants for the implementation of tree planting and other management activities.
Planning
ROOTS will assist townships/municipalities in the process of updating inventories and build capacity to develop EAB recovery plans.
Community Engagement
ROOTS is providing outreach and education to inform citizens of the EAB threat, build awareness around the benefits of the urban forestry canopy, and share project updates. Members of the public including private landowners will be actively engaged through workshops and seminars, printed informational materials, and volunteer opportunities.
