Hi, everyone!  My name is Brady Wolken and I am the Volunteer and Partnership Liaison for the Kansas Forest Service. One program that I have the pleasure of coordinating is the Kansas Arbor Day Poster Contest! This contest/program combines forestry education and an art competition for 5th graders! The Kansas Forest Service has hosted this program for Kansas for over 20 years. 

 

The Arbor Day Poster Contest is a program that gives 5th-grade classes a forestry theme to learn about, and encourages each student to draw a poster related to what they have learned! This contest combines environmental education and artistic expression. Each teacher and student is given a curriculum each year that educates on a different topic. While this topic focuses on forestry, it also discusses the ecosystems in which they live. 

 

Environmental education is vital for young people. It can help students better understand the world around them and inspire curiosity about our world. That curiosity can inspire students to spend more time outdoors, which is good for both their mental and physical health. 

 

Forestry education in K-12 is a priority for the Kansas Forest Service. This program is one of our most popular educational activities. While the theme changes from year to year, the goal is to educate students on all topics in forestry. Those topics can be on trees in our communities and our rural forests. Our goal is to educate students about the benefits, forest treatments, and opportunities in forestry.  

 

While last year was my first full year as a coordinator of this program, we had 770 5th-grade students participate! It is amazing that we have continued to grow this program! Last year, our state winner was from McPherson, Kansas, and her poster is shown below.  

 

Today, I get to share with all of you that the theme for the 2026-2027 Kansas Arbor Day Poster Contest is We All Need Kansas Trees for Thriving Forest Habitats! The curriculum has sub-themes of tree identification, understanding forest ecosystems, and understanding the ecosystem benefits that forests provide for wildlife. 

 

 

Regarding the artistic aspect of this program, all the rules can be found on our website, or by clicking the button above! The important date to remember is that all school- or class-winning posters will be due to your community district forester by February 12th, 2027.

 

Please share this email with the teachers in your network and help us make the 2027 contest the best year yet! If you have any questions about this year's poster contest, feel free to reach out to me anytime.

 

Thank you,

Between the Branches Webinars

Our first Between the Branches Webinar was a success! Kody Kraemer talked about chainsaw safety, which isn't a bad idea for a refresher for everyone! Attendees of this webinar had a wide range of chainsaw expertise, which was perfect! This webinar provided good information for homeowners to experienced tree care professionals.

 

Additionally, if you are an ISA certified arborist you can earn one CEU if you attend the next talk live! If you missed the first talk and still want to watch it click the link below to watch the recording.

 

 

 

Our next talk will be on November 10th at 12 pm- 1 pm with Northwest District Forester, Chelsea Hanson. This webinar will cover the “Right Tree, Right Place” philosophy. This philosophy follows the idea that if the right tree is selected for a given site and ecosystem, it will be significantly better than a tree that is not suited for the site.