Trees/Urban Forest

Arbor Day Celebration 2023

The City of Superior will be recognizing Arbor Day 2023 with our new Tree Island Tour  which has been created to be a fun and educational experience for everyone. Head on over to Barkers Island to learn about some of the trees that have been established there. Follow the map to find the trees and scan the QR code for more information about each of the trees. In the near future, we will have yard signs by each of the trees for easy reference. Enjoy your walk!

Tree Island Tour Packet

Tree Island Tour Google Map
 
 As part of the annual celebration, The Superior Federation of Labor, as part of the Fallen Workers Memorial, will be planting a tree in memory of Randall Charles Mulvaney, a fallen worker who passed away in December of 2022.
 
 This was the City's 24th year being designated as a "Tree City USA".  The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters. It provides direction, technical assistance, public attention, and national recognition for urban and community forestry programs in thousands of towns and cities that more than 135 million Americans call home. 

What is an Urban Forest?

An urban forest consists of the trees and related organisms in urban settings, whether small towns, villages, communities, or large cities. These include street and park trees and can be in residential, commercial, and industrial settings.
 
Superior's urban forest program was formalized the year before the Common Council approved The Strategic Action Plan for the Urban Forest of the City of Superior (1998). Prior to that, the City committed Parks and Recreation staff to boulevard tree planting, tree maintenance, and hazard tree removal.

Wisconsin Community Tree Map

Check out this link to the Wisconsin DNR Community Tree Map website where you can view all of the trees on city property and in the right of way.  This tool allows users to visualize and query trees in their community, calculate their benefits, and produce maps, charts and other graphics related to trees. 

Strategic Plan

 Recently, the City updated its strategic plan, beginning in 2008, with the plan being finalized in October 2009. The plan can be viewed by clicking on the following (please note that Appendices A-C are viewed as separate items).

Emerald Ash Borer News

The National Estuarine Research Reserve completed an understory planting in the Pokegama Bay to help mitigate the effects of the Emerald Ash Borer infestation in the municipal forest.  Please view a short video about the project.

City Trees

The City plants trees on boulevards by zone. Each year, if funding is available, the most-needed zone for planting is determined by the Urban Forestry Tree Board. 
 
City trees are defined as any tree planted on City-owned land, including the right-of-way, parks and recreational areas, and all City facilities. Regardless of who has planted the tree (in the past), the City is responsible for the tree's health and maintenance if the tree is on City land.
 
Citizens may plant a tree on their boulevard by filling out and sending in the following free permit. A list of recommended street trees and tree planting standards are also listed below.

• Tree Permit 
• Recommended Street Trees for Superior, Wisconsin 
• Tree Planting Standards