Forest Health News

Don’t Let Japanese Barberry ‘Tick’ You Off

By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh Service Center;
erika.segersonmueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391

Photo showing Japanese barberry quickly growing into a dense infestations in a forest.

Japanese barberry can quickly grow into dense infestations in forests, outcompeting native plants and providing ideal hiding places for white-footed mice that serve as hosts for blacklegged ticks. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

Most small talk in Wisconsin revolves around three things: the weather, the Green Bay Packers … and in the summer months, how darn bad the ticks are.

If you spend time working or playing outside, you likely know firsthand that ticks in Wisconsin are serious business. Because most of us prefer to minimize our interactions with the tiny arachnids, here’s another tick prevention tactic to add to your arsenal — along with clothing treated with permethrin, long socks and frequent tick checks: Rid your property of Japanese barberry.

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A Look Back To The Blue Blizzard Of 2022

Photo of aspen saplings in Douglas County left permanently bent after an ice storm in 2022

Aspen saplings in Douglas County were left permanently bent over after sustaining the burden of the immense weight of ice and cemented snow loads on stems and branches. / Photo Credit: Paul Cigan, Wisconsin DNR

By Paul Cigan, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Hayward;
Paul.Cigan@wisconsin.gov or 715-416-4920

Wisconsin weather is often dealt out in extremes and excess.

This year, winter has gotten off to a mild start, but in mid-December 2022, tens of thousands of acres of forest land in Douglas, Sawyer and Washburn counties was permanently changed by a generational winter storm that became famously known as the “Blue Blizzard of 2022.”

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Just Say ‘No’ To Knotweeds

Photo showing a worker logging a large roadside infestation of knotweed.

Species in the knotweed complex grow very quickly, causing large infestations on roadsides like this one. / Photo Credit: Randy Westbrooks, Invasive Plant Control, Inc., Bugwood.org

By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh Service Center;
Erika.SegersonMueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391

As you work on your New Year’s resolutions this year, you might want to add “don’t plant invasive species” to your list. Too wide-ranging? Try narrowing the goal to a species-specific suggestion: “Just say ‘no’ to knotweeds.”

Sometimes referred to as “the knotweed complex,” Wisconsin has three regulated species of knotweed: Japanese knotweed, giant knotweed and a hybridization known as Bohemian knotweed. Each has been found in the state.

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Green Light On For Oak Tree Work

Photo of fallen leaves from a red oak that show discoloration, an indication that the tree is infected with oak wilt.

Discolored fallen leaves from a red oak tree indicate that the tree is infected with oak wilt. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Forest Health Outreach and Communications, Fitchburg Service Center;
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167

With the weather taking its time to turn wintry, it’s a good time to remind landowners and work crews that now through the end of March is an ideal time to perform pruning, trimming and brush removal on and near oak trees.

This is a low-risk period for the trees to be infected with oak wilt, a fungal disease spread by beetles. When a red oak is infected with oak wilt, it will die that year. The disease also stresses white oaks, often proving fatal.

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Fight Invasives As Part Of A CISMA

By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh Service Center;
Erika.SegersonMueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391

Photo of a goat grazing during a demonstration held by the Monroe County Invasive Species Working Group

A field day in August 2023, hosted by Monroe County Invasive Species Working Group, featured a live goat grazing demonstration among presentations that included invasive plant identification tips, funding opportunities and management techniques. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

If you’ve been fighting invasive plants in your woodlands, you may have wondered if there were any groups in your area to support weed management. The short answer? Probably!

Wisconsin currently has 14 different Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas, or CISMAs. These regional county groups bring together community members to work on various invasive species-related projects ranging from fieldwork outings to controlling and monitoring invasive plant occurrences to education and outreach events so more local citizens can learn about and get involved with invasive plant management.

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Subscriber Survey Coming To Your Email

Icon of a survey under the DNR Forestry News banner

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources soon will launch an email survey of Forest Health News subscribers. / Graphic Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Forest Health Outreach and Communications, Fitchburg Service Center;
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167

Every five years or so, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)’s Forest Health Team surveys the readership of the Forest Health News to gain insight into the types of articles our readers find most valuable and interesting.

The next survey should arrive in your email folders within the next few weeks.

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Winter Work: Invasive Honeysuckle Treatment

Cross-section photo of the brown and hollow pith of the invasive honeysuckle plant.

The pith of invasive honeysuckle, seen here, is brown and hollow. / Photo Credit: Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org

By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh;
Erika.SegersonMueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391

They may have sweet-sounding names, but Eurasian bush honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.) can bring a bitter taste to your mouth if found in your woodlands.

Originating as horticultural plantings, this group of upright woody shrubs is now widespread in Wisconsin and the upper Midwest.

Invasive honeysuckle shrubs are among the earliest plants to leaf out in the spring and the last to lose their leaves in the fall. This extended growing season allows them to outcompete other plants for nutrients and sunlight, casting dense shade on the forest floor.

Native honeysuckles are also present in Wisconsin. Several identifying characteristics can help you determine if your honeysuckle is a native species or one of the invasive varieties. When in bloom, the flowers of invasive Bell’s, Morrow’s and Tartarian honeysuckles are easily distinguished. Without the blooms, the easiest methods to determine non-native honeysuckle from the native plant include looking for shaggy, peeling gray-brown bark and checking the pith.

The pith (inner tissue of the branches and stems) can be observed by breaking off an older branch. If the pith appears white, the shrub is native honeysuckle. If the pith is brown and hollow, it is likely one of the invasive bush versions.

Winter is a great time to treat invasive honeysuckle shrubs on your property since most other plants have gone dormant for the season. Winter herbicide applications are highly successful on freshly cut stumps, provided snow does not cover the cut surface. Basal bark applications may also be used on snow-free surfaces.

Stump cutting should be followed by herbicide treatments, as vigorous resprouting may occur from shrubs cut in winter but not treated with herbicide. Learn more about invasive honeysuckles and how to manage them on the Bush honeysuckles fact sheet from Renz Weed Science at the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

Please Report Beech Scale Outside Of Door County

Map showing locations of known moderate or high beech scale populations as of November 2023, in red.

Locations of known moderate or high beech scale populations as of November 2023 are shown in red. High populations are known to be widespread in Door County. / Map Credit: Bill McNee, Wisconsin DNR

By Bill McNee, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Oshkosh;
bill.mcnee@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0942

Earlier this year, we reported that high populations of the non-native insect beech scale (Cryptococcus fagisuga) were identified for the first time in Marinette and Sheboygan counties. Since then, several more sites with moderate or high scale populations have been identified (see map).

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Make Your 2024 Spongy Moth Treatment Plans Early

Photo of a finger pointing to a tan-colored spongy moth egg mass on a tree.

A finger points to a tan-colored spongy moth egg mass on a tree. / Photo Credit: Bill McNee, Wisconsin DNR

By Bill McNee, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Oshkosh;
Bill.McNee@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0942

If the 2024 spring and summer weather conditions are favorable for the spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) population, the current outbreak will continue and spread to other parts of Wisconsin. Property owners are encouraged to examine susceptible host trees (including oak, birch, crabapple, aspen and willow) and make plans to manage them.

In summer 2023, Wisconsin saw a record amount of defoliation. State agencies received many calls from property owners urgently seeking a tree care business to control a large caterpillar infestation.

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Keep Invasive Plants Out Of Spring Garden Plans

Photo of the invasive plant Japanese barberry

Originally planted as a garden ornamental, Japanese barberry can quickly escape cultivation and invade Wisconsin’s woodlands. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh;
Erika.SegersonMueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391

While winter is just beginning to creep in on Wisconsin, many gardeners are already thinking ahead to the next spring planting season. While dreaming of spring blooms and designing your next garden or landscape layout, consider invasive plants that may try to weed their way into your plans.

Many invasive plants that are problematic for Wisconsin forests started as garden ornamentals. Although Wisconsin regulates 145 plants under the invasive species rule NR 40 prohibiting their sale, it’s essential to check your selections before purchasing and choose native plants when possible.

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