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Milwaukee's Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum is a leafy respite in the city, a peaceful place for reflection. To help keep it that way, members of the Wisconsin Arborist Association head over to the South Side cemetery on Friday, Sept. 27 to remove roughly 40 trees.
The work was expected to get underway around 8 a.m. at the cemetery, 2405 W. Forest Home Ave., and continue into the late afternoon as part of the association's 2024 Day of Service event.
The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in 2021 ArbNet certified Forest Home’s tree collection as a Level II arboretum.
In addition to taking down trees devastated by invasive emerald ash borer, the more than 30 volunteer arborists are also pruning overgrown trees.
The work will help make space for 500 new trees the cemetery plans to start planting next month in partnership with Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.
“Day of Service is our opportunity to give back by using our expertise to support non-profits and community centers with exceptional tree-related needs,” said WAA member and Dane County Forester/educator Adam Alves.
“We look forward to the challenge of removing trees declining from emerald ash borer to make way for Forest Home’s new planting project. New plantings and healthy mature trees will serve the community for generations to come.”
Forest Home’s trees capture more than 51 tons of carbon and 3,280 kilograms of air pollutant mass each year, contributing to cooler temperatures and cleaner air," said Forest Home Historic Preservation Association Executive Director Sara Tomlin.
"We are committed to replacing our tree canopy to continue to provide environmental benefits into the future,” Tomlin said. “Forest Home will always be a haven for trees, and we’re grateful for partners like the Wisconsin Arborist Association who recognize this part of our mission and help make it achievable.
“Healthy trees contribute to a healthier community and keep our cemetery safe for the tens of thousands who visit us each year. WAA’s donation of time, knowledge and equipment is a gift to everyone who enjoys Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum.”
In addition to its main purpose, Forest Home is a place where you can, respectfully, walk, picnic and spend time. It also offers tours, makes honey and more.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
