Congratulations if you were fortunate to grab a seat for the July 25 webinar, “Urban Tree Removals – Reducing Costs and Promoting Utilization.” The first of a four-part webinar series presented by the Urban Wood Network quickly maxed-out its 90-participant capacity during registration leading up to the free 90-minute program.

The good news is that if you missed out on the live presentation, you will be able to watch the full program at your leisure on-demand. The webinar, produced by the U.S. Forest Service, will be archived on urbanwoodnetwork.org. I also will share a link on the Illinois Wood Utilization Team’s website when it becomes available,

The informative program featured presentations by Matthew Staudenmaier, forestry department supervisor of Eau Claire, WI; Dan Coy, city forester of Grand Rapids, MI; Kevin LaPointe, city forester of Kansas City, KS; and August Hoppe, president of Hoppe Tree Service of West Allis, WI.

Registration is open for part two of the webinar series: Urban Lumber – How to Produce and Market It, scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CST Wednesday, August 29. Learn more about the entire How To Do Urban Wood webinar series in this edition of the Illinois Urban Wood Update.

Also featured in this issue 

Our colleagues of Wisconsin Urban Wood invite urban wood enthusiasts to attend the Urban Forest Fest scheduled for September 15 in Milwaukee. Read about the fest, including how to become an exhibitor of this event that attracted approximately 500 people in 2016.

Horigan Urban Forest Products of Skokie, IL, has been a pioneer of the urban wood movement in Illinois. In addition to managing a tree care company and sawmill business, Bruce and Erika Horigan operate a showroom and warehouse that is open to the public. Read the Q&A with Erika Horigan discussing the couple’s commitment to keeping good urban wood out of the waste stream.

Learn how to connect with urban wood proactivists around the globe by joining the Urban Wood Network LinkedIn group that now numbers more than 1,750 strong.

Finally, if you by chance are heading to Atlanta next month for the International Woodworking Fair, make sure to attend the Urban Wood Network’s free seminar, “The Urban Wood Revolution Is NOW! Come Join the Movement,” set for 1 p.m. Friday, August 24 at the Georgia World Congress Center.

The lights are always on for receiving your urban wood stories, photos and experiences to share with the Illinois Urban Wood Update subscriber base.

I hope you enjoy this edition.

Rich Christianson

Communications Director

Illinois Wood Utilization Team