Prepare for the return of gypsy moths in spring

Posted on by margueriterapp

By Bill McNee, DNR forest health specialist, Oshkosh, bill.mcnee@wisconsin.gov, 920-360-0942

Gypsy moth eggs are expected to start hatching as temperatures warm in the next few weeks. Now is a great time for homeowners to check their trees for egg masses and treat or remove any that are found. Removing the egg masses now will help protect trees from defoliation and reduce future caterpillar populations.

Gypsy moth larvae hatching from egg masses on an outdoor bowl.

Gypsy moth larvae hatching from egg masses on an outdoor bowl.

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Wisconsin tree champions lauded for outstanding community service

Posted on by patricialindquist

Chuck Nass received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the WI Urban Forestry Council

By Sara Minkoff, DNR urban forestry specialist, Madison, Sara.Minkoff@wisconsin.gov, 608-669-5447

The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council recently announced award recipients honoring those dedicated to protecting, preserving and increasing the number of trees that line city streets, fill community parks and beautify neighborhoods throughout the state. The Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council advises the Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry on the management of urban and community forest resources.

“Wisconsin plays a critical role in conservation, especially when it comes to trees! These awards honor individuals, organizations and communities for their hard work and dedication to trees and the benefits they provide,” said Kristin Gies, chair of the Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council’s award committee. “Each year we review the nominations and learn about the incredible work happening around Wisconsin that supports healthy community forests.”

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Hope for the future: Barron’s storm story

Posted on by patricialindquist

By Brad Johnson, DNR regional urban forestry coordinator, Spooner, BradleyDJohnson@wisconsin.gov, 715-410-8299

Within a short period of time, from the Jamie Closs tragedy to the violent wind storm of July 2019, the people of Barron, Wisconsin have had to endure unprecedented hardship. They are looking forward to better days ahead. Hope for the future is just what Barron is experiencing as they clean up from the storm and rebuild their urban tree resource. The DNR Urban Forestry team has contributed to these efforts with their expertise and financial support; in the past year, Barron has received a total of $55,000 in DNR Urban Forestry grants.

Barron inventoried all of its public trees in May 2019 with financial help from the DNR, who paid for a consultant as part of a pilot program. Unfortunately, a violent straight-line windstorm damaged and blew down 25% of Barron’s public trees on July 19, 2019.  Barron again had to pick itself up in the face of adversity and with the help of additional DNR funding, reinventoried its trees and wrote a plan of attack on how to rebuild its decimated urban tree canopy.

The updated tree inventory is a crucial component of Barron’s recovery plan. According to Liz Jacobson, Barron City Manager, “Accomplishing a tree inventory is helping us know where we are at, and where we need to go.”

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Extreme cold event challenges tree trials

Posted on by patricialindquist

By Jay Weiss, Cambridge Tree Project, www.cambridgetreeproject.org

Red horse chestnut, Cambridge

It was a cold, still night January 31, 2019 when the air temperature dropped to -32 in Cambridge, Wisconsin. According to village elders, the last time it got that cold was the 1950s.

With this record setting event, we had a rigorous laboratory to assess hardiness among the wide variety of tree species under evaluation in our trials.

Immediately below is a written summary of some our findings. Detailed survival rates, along with annual growth rates of 98 species being evaluated locally, are recorded in an excel document that I am happy to share upon request (email me at info(at)cambridgetreeproject.org).

SURVIVORS:

  • Bald Cypress: all 26 of our street and park trees survived. No dieback was noted.
  • Dawn Redwood: 11 trees survived with no dieback. Two trees were killed outright.

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Common tree myths – and why you shouldn’t believe

Posted on by patricialindquist

By Kim Sebastian, DNR urban forestry coordinator, Milwaukee, Kim.Sebastian@wisconsin.gov, 414-294-8675 

Click on “continue reading” or scroll down for the truth about these common myths:

Myth #1: A tree’s root system is a mirror image of what is above ground.

Myth #2: Tree roots are responsible for damaging and blocking sewer lines.

Myth #3: When removing a branch, cut as close (flush) to the trunk as possible.

Myth #4: The branches on a tree move up as the tree grows taller.

Myth #5: Topping is a necessary evil – otherwise the tree will get too big.

Myth #6: If a little fertilizer is good, a lot is better.

Myth #7: After a pruning cut, wound dressing (pruning paint) is necessary.

Myth #8: All newly planted trees must be staked.

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Wisconsin Waters 2020 – Focusing on Resilient Lakes and Rivers

Posted on by patricialindquist

April 1 – 3, 2020 – Now an Online Learning Event only due to impacts from the coronavirus and associated public health protocols.  Attend from the comfort of your favorite chair! 

Find the connections between Urban Forestry and our Wisconsin Waters.  How can they benefit each other?  Take advantage of the synergies!

There are multiple concurrent sessions covering the themes below:

  • Basics of Lakes and Rivers
  • Building on 2019: Year of Clean Drinking Water and Water Quality
  • People and Policy: Action and Updates 
  • Ecology: Life In and Around Our Waters 
  • Lake and River Science
  • Addressing Climate Change Impacts on Lakes and Rivers
  • Monitoring to Actions: Stories from the Field

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Upcoming webinars: EAB University, Urban Wood Network and more

Posted on by patricialindquist

As winter melts into spring, two new webinar series are getting underway.

The schedule for the spring semester of EAB University can be found here. Topics include beech leaf disease, the future of North American ash, hemlock wooly adelgid management, and more. CEU credits will be offered, and all webinars are recorded and posted online after the talks.

The Urban Wood Network kicks off its 2020 webinar series this month. This “Future Visioning” series is held on the second Wednesday of each month at noon and includes topics such as urban lumber standards, urban lumber business, and what to do with the rest of the tree.

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WDNR/WAA Conference attracts record number of attendees

Posted on by patricialindquist

By Sara Minkoff, DNR urban forestry specialist, Madison, Sara.Minkoff@wisconsin.gov, 608-669-5447; and Kim Sebastian, DNR urban forestry coordinator, Milwaukee, Kim.Sebastian@wisconsin.gov, 414-294-8675

The 2020 Annual Statewide WDNR/Wisconsin Arborist Association (WAA) Urban Forestry Conference, “Sustaining Urban Forests to Ensure a Healthy Future,” set another attendance record this past February 16-18 in Green Bay.

The 885 attendees included community foresters and administrators, professional arborists, green industry professionals, nonprofit staff, and students, who gathered to network, learn and discuss important concepts in urban forest management and practices in arboriculture.

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Forest Health Factsheet: Environmental Causes of Tree Damage

Posted on by patricialindquist

The DNR Forest Health team recently updated its factsheet on common forms of abiotic (non-living, chemical and environmental) damage to trees in Wisconsin.

The factsheet provides a brief overview of the following topics:

  • Storm damage (wind, lightning, hail)
  • Winter damage (ice and heavy snow, frost, sunscald, salt spray, winter desiccation)
  • Drought
  • Flooding
  • Fire
  • Soil (compaction, improper pH and nutrient deficiencies)
  • Pesticides (improper use, drift)

Find this factsheet, as well as the complete collection of DNR Forest Health publications, on this webpage.

Wisconsin Forest Action Plan Review Period Extended

Posted on by Kirsten Held

In this previous post we invited you to comment on the draft Forest Action Plan.  The purpose of the Forest Action Plan is to provide long‐term, comprehensive, coordinated strategies to help the forestry community refine how it collectively invests state, federal and leveraged partner resources to address major management and landscape priorities. The Forest Action Plan should be useful for all interested parties, so we value your input. The comment deadline has been extended to April 6, 2020. 

Please provide your feedback about the draft 2020 Wisconsin Forest Action Plan to Amanda Koch (AmandaA.Koch@wisconsin.gov) by April 6. Thank you for your continued engagement with the development of this plan.