For the last few years, our urban forestry team has been writing social media posts for Wisconsin communities to post during Arbor Week. We encourage you to use social media to celebrate the many benefits of trees and inform the public about the importance of tree care.
Feel free to use the suggested messages provided below or develop your own create tree campaign.
Continue reading “Celebrate Arbor Day Using Social Media (See Our Suggested Posts Below)”
Started in 1976, Tree City USA is one of the Arbor Day Foundation’s oldest programs. The founders had a vision for a greener, healthier America and hoped this initiative would inspire change on a nationwide level. The first Tree City USA cohort was comprised of 42 communities in 16 states. Today, the program includes more than 3,600 communities from all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.
Publicly demonstrating commitment to the environment is a great way to build pride among residents, as well as position your community as an attractive place to live. The Tree City USA program provides communities with a four-step framework to maintain and grow their tree cover. It also gives them an avenue to celebrate their work, showing residents, visitors and the entire country that they’re committed to the mission of environmental change.
Here are just a few examples of the 193 Tree Cities in Wisconsin.
By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh Service Center;
Erika.SegersonMueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391
A common garden ornamental, Bishop’s goutweed may be better known to home gardeners as “snow-on-the-mountain.” / Photo Credit: Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
Introduced as an ornamental plant commonly planted in gardens, Bishop’s goutweed is a restricted invasive plant in Wisconsin under Invasive Species Rule NR40.
Also known by common names such as snow-on-the-mountain, bishop’s weed and goutwort, the variegated variety with white edges will probably look familiar to many gardening enthusiasts. Continue reading “On The Outs With Goutweed”
By Caleb Burden, Acting Field Lead Technician, USDA APHIS PPQ;
Caleb.Burden@usda.gov or 734-732-0025
A green ash tree with a small piece of bark cut back shows emerald ash borer larvae feeding on the tree. / Photo Credit: USDA APHIS PPS
In the fight against emerald ash borer (EAB), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) again asks Wisconsin landowners to donate live, EAB-infested ash trees for use in a biological control program.
The emerald ash borer is an invasive insect from Asia first detected in the United States in 2002. Following its discovery, EAB has caused the death and decline of tens of millions of ash trees.
Continue reading “USDA Seeks Donated Ash Trees To Battle Emerald Ash Borer”
By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Forest Health Communications and Outreach, Fitchburg;
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167
A screenshot of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension web page inviting viewers to ask a gardening question of its staff. / Graphic Credit: University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension
Now that spring has sprung, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staffers can expect questions from the public about their yard trees.
However, the mission of DNR Foresters and Forest Health staff is geared toward focusing on larger, forested areas, not yard trees. Those questions fall under the purview of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension Horticulture Program.
Continue reading “UW–Extension Ready To Handle Questions On Yard Trees”
By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh Service Center;
Erika.SegersonMueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391
Leaves appear wrinkled and less healthy in garlic mustard plants affected by aphids. / Photo Credit: Rebecah Troutman, Holden Forests and Gardens, Bugwood.org
The NR40-restricted invasive plant garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is prevalent in many Wisconsin woodlands, but a new wave of hope is on the horizon.
The garlic mustard aphid, a tiny, dark, gray-to-green insect sometimes called the “grenade” aphid after the pattern of raised blotches on its back, was found in 2021 at the Holden Arboretum in Ohio. It could become a viable form of biocontrol for the garlic mustard plant.
Continue reading “Dropping The Aphid Grenade On Garlic Mustard”
By Peggy Damann, Wisconsin Extension Statewide Horticulture Outreach Specialist, Peg.Damann@wisc.edu
The Wisconsin Extension Horticulture Program provides plant health advising services through the online Ask Your Gardening Question webpage on the Extension Horticulture website. Members of the public can submit their lawn, landscape and gardening questions and photos, which are then routed to the appropriate county, multi-county or statewide Extension person or program. This service may be of interest to your urban residents and homeowners looking for answers to their yard tree questions.
By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh Service Center;
Erika.SegersonMueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391
Controlling invasive plants on your forested property can be a challenging and costly endeavor. The Weed Management Area – Private Forest Grant Program (WMA-PFGP) helps make this process easier for its recipients. Though the April 1 application deadline is quickly approaching, there is still time to apply for funding for your forest.
Continue reading “Weed Management Area Grant Deadline Nears”
By Linda Williams, Forest Health Specialist, Woodruff;
Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov, 920-360-0665
Landowners with hemlock and anyone who walks through or works in hemlock stands can help watch for signs of hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA).
This invasive insect has not yet been identified in Wisconsin, but it has been found in seven counties in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. The insect sucks the sap of hemlock trees, and large populations can cause the decline and mortality of hemlock over 4 to 10 years, depending on the health of the tree and population levels of HWA. It’s vital to find infestations as early as possible to allow multiple options for control and management.
By Linda Williams, Forest Health Specialist, Woodruff;
Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov, 920-360-0665
What can learn new things, move toward and acquire food, remember where food was and what foods are preferred, figure out the shortest route through a maze, remember where it has traveled and seem to disappear as quickly as it first appeared?
It’s slime mold, of course!
