LEAF recognizes 25 years!
LEAF - Wisconsin’s K-12 Forestry Education Program, was created to help promote forestry education in Wisconsin in 2001 through a partnership between the Wisconsin DNR and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education.
Since then, LEAF has provided professional development to thousands of Wisconsin teachers and provided curriculum to hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin students. LEAF administers Wisconsin's School Forest Program, which has registered over 27,000 acres of school forest land; and acts as the administrator for Project Learning Tree in Wisconsin.
| | | | Spring is a time for renewal and rebirth, and people around the world mark the season with various traditions and holidays. One such celebration is Arbor Day, a unique holiday dedicated to celebrating and planting trees. | | |
The oldest known “festival of trees” occurred as far back as 1594 in a village in northwestern Spain, with the first official celebration occurring in 1805 in western Spain. Arbor Day in the U.S. dates back to 1872 in Nebraska Territory, when newspaper editor and future Secretary of Agriculture J. Sterling Morton proposed the holiday. Over one million trees were planted in Nebraska on April 10th of that year, the first official U.S. celebration of Arbor Day.
Since then, Arbor Day has grown to become an important part of our country’s culture. It is now a national civic holiday celebrated in all 50 states, though on different dates that correspond best to the tree-planting climate of each state. There is even a television special by some old favorite cartoon characters dedicated to the holiday.
Nebraska continues to be the heart of all things Arbor Day. The nonprofit Arbor Day Foundation, established on the 100th anniversary of the holiday, operates Arbor Day Farm and assists with preserving J. Sterling Morton’s historic home, now Arbor Lodge State Historic Park in Nebraska City.
Wisconsin was an early adopter, with our state’s first Arbor Day celebration occurring in 1893. This annual nod to the importance of trees in our state has blossomed and spread. The late author and Wisconsin historian Jerry Apps reminisced fondly about his grade school Arbor Day celebrations. In 1979, Arbor Day was included in a list of Special Observance Days for schools, and the Department of Public Instruction posts resources for including it into classrooms. Schools continue to be a focus of Arbor Day in Wisconsin. Each year, 4th grade students around the state receive free trees for Arbor Day, with 54,000 tree seedlings distributed this year alone.
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In fact, in our state we don’t just take one day out of the year to celebrate trees, but we give them an entire week. Forest Appreciation Week reminds us how our urban and rural trees are vital to Wisconsin’s ecology, economy, health and way of life. In 2026, Forest Appreciation Week starts April 20th and culminates on Arbor Day, which is April 24th this year.
The LEAF Program encourages you to integrate Arbor Day and Forest Appreciation Week activities into your classroom and school. Check out one of our many forestry-related kits, teach about trees and forests through a LEAF lesson, or maybe even plant a tree on your school grounds that week. The DNR Division of Forestry also has some suggestions for how to celebrate, or check out this list of 150 ways to celebrate trees from the Arbor Day Foundation.
Whatever you choose to do, we hope you and your students enjoy your time celebrating trees for Arbor Day!
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LEAF announces School Forest Award winners! | |
Each year, LEAF recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to Wisconsin school forest programs.
School Forest Awards recognize individuals and organizations that have provided leadership and made significant contributions over a period of years to a local school forest registered through Wisconsin’s School Forest Program.
We are proud to announce this year's winners as Butch Beedle, Evansville; Mike Cheslock, Rhinelander; Leo Olson, Lodi; Ann Perry Northland Pines/Eagle River, and Maya Szymik, Chequamegon.
Winners received an engraved plaque, recognition within their local community, and recognition at the Wisconsin Association of Environmental Education's Celebration of Excellence awards held April 11 in Milwaukee.
We will feature more information about winners and their contributions in our June newsletter.
| | | | Project Learning Tree turns 50! | | |
LEAF isn't the only organization recognizing a milestone this year, Project Learning Tree (PLT) celebrates its 50th birthday this year!
Originally created as a collaboration between a western states’ environmental education non-profit and a forest products industry group in the mid-1970’s, PLT released its first teacher guides in 1976. Those early materials were developed with three goals in mind: create classroom materials that met teachers’ needs; develop partnerships to ensure balanced and accurate curriculum; and get the materials into teachers’ hands through locally relevant, hands-on workshops.
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Nicole Filizetti, Wisconsin PLT State Coordinator, is presented the Gold Star Award by Jacyln Stallard, PLT Curriculum Advisor.
Photo courtesy of PLT
Congratulations Nicole!!!
| | Filizetti receives Gold Star Award! | |
Nicole Filizetti, LEAF staff and Wisconsin PLT State Coordinator, was one of two coordinators to receive PLT's Gold Star Award during its Annual Conference in Nebraska City this March.
"This is a huge honor that I still can't quite believe," said Filizetti. "I'm very grateful to the PLT folks who chose me for this award, and I'm so proud to be in such great company."
Nicole was recognized for her passion for environmental education and 13 years of championing PLT.
Nominators described Filizetti's holistic and integrated approach "seamlessly weaving mental, physical, and environmental wellness activities into her presentations, workshops, and classes."
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LEAF On-Demand, Online Offerings
Project Learning Tree On-Demand, Online Offerings
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ACT FAST! Registration deadline noon 4/16! Math in the Forest | |
This hands-on workshop for high school math teachers focuses on outdoor applications of algebra, geometry and trigonometry. In addition to inspiring ideas, you'll also get mathematics-related lesson materials to take back to your classroom.
Date and time: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Saturday, April 25, 2026
Location: UWSP Treehaven, Tomahawk, WI
Cost: $60, includes Treehaven's renowned home-style lunch
| | Preview NEW LEAF Resources! | |
Perfect for Arbor Day! New Urban Forests and Public Health Lesson | |
LEAF has been working with Wisconsin DNR urban foresters to update the K-12 Urban Forest Lesson Guide. Updates include a new Urban Forests and Public Health lesson that highlights the health benefits of urban forests and introduces students to the 3-30-300 rule for urban forest planning.
The 3-30-300 rule states that communities should strive to have:
• Three trees visible from every home
• Thirty percent tree canopy cover in every neighborhood
• Three hundred meters or less from every residence to the nearest park or
green space
During the lessons students examine the Tree Equity Score of an urban area in Wisconsin and learn how Arbor Day Foundation Recognition Programs like, Tree City USA and Tree Campus K-12 can help communities meet their 3-30-300 goals.
Additional lessons from the K-12 Urban Forest Lesson Guide can be found in the LEAF Urban Forest Guide google folder.
Print versions of the guide and the Urban Forest Kit will be available for the start of the 2026-2027 school year.
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LEAF and the Wisconsin Forestry Center created individual forestry career profiles representing diverse careers related to the forest.
This is the first step in an effort to support workforce development in forestry. The profiles will be added to a webpage on our website, which will serve as a hub for forestry career information for K-12 teachers and students.
The career profiles will include links for students and teachers to explore more about each individual career, career-focused lessons for K-12 students, and information about career pathways for schools and students who are interested in working in forestry-related careers.
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SAVE THE DATE: FHAW Conference 9/25-9/26 - Teacher Scholarships Available | |
This year’s Forest History Association of Wisconsin annual conference will be held September 25th-26th at UW-Stevens Point's Treehaven in Tomahawk. The FHAW offers free attendance for teachers through a limited number of scholarships. If you are a teacher interested in a scholarship, email LEAF with subject line “FHAW Scholarship”. We will email you the application form when registration opens.
| | Have questions or need additional resources? Contact us at leaf@uwsp.edu. We are here to support educators and students with forestry opportunities. | | | | |
