Urban tree planting event will connect architects to the forest

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Members of the design community on Saturday will plant trees in an “urban forest,” a movement focusing on the environmental, economic and social benefits of sourcing lumber locally.

Delafield-based Wudeward Urban Forest Products will host its annual tree planting at King Park, 1531 W. Vliet St., Milwaukee, with the American Institute of Architects Wisconsin, Milwaukee County Parks and the U.S. Forest Service.

The first yearly tree planting kicked off in 2019 and aims to connect architects, designers and other built environment professionals to the forest, said Dwayne Sperber, owner of Wudeward Urban Forest Products. His company supplies urban wood products to different projects, notably the community staircase at the expanded Baird Center. The 40-tread staircase used urban ash from the Milwaukee area, he added.

Urban wood comes from forests in urban areas and communities where people live and work, Sperber said. When a tree dies or becomes damaged, the wood taken from it can be redeveloped as products later instead of being thrown away, he added.

“The more we learn about the essential qualities of our urban and community forests, the better we become at bringing the beneficial, healthful characteristics of living trees into our built environments through the use of urban forest products,” Sperber said.

Activities include presentations and activities for children. Participants can pick up product information about urban forests and pick up Colectivo coffee or baked goods.