Month: October 2021

New Funding Opportunity: People, Parks And Power

Posted on by patricialindquist

A new national initiative will provide $7 million in funding for community-based organizations to work on park equity and racial justice.

People, Parks and Power (P3) focuses on supporting community-based organizations to build power to take on the policies, institutional practices and power dynamics that produced park inequities in the first place. P3 seeks to fund local-level, community-driven initiatives to work on issues such as public finance measures for parks and green infrastructure, assessments of park needs and inequities, joint use policies to open school grounds for recreational use, land use policies that facilitate equitable access to parks and green space, community engagement units within government agencies and anti-displacement protections, among others.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will award grants of up to $500,000 over a 24-month grant period. Awards will be made to up to 14 sites, and the Foundation reserves the right to make more awards should additional funding be made available.

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DNR Opens Additional Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Grant Application Period

Posted on by patricialindquist

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has opened an additional application period for Knowles-Nelson Stewardship grants to eligible nonprofit conservation organizations (NCOs). These grants help fund the acquisition of land.

Applications are due Friday, Nov. 19, 2021 for the following subprograms:

  • Natural area grants 
  • Habitat area grants
  • Stream bank protection grants
  • State trail grants

The DNR will consider all complete applications received or post marked by Nov. 19. Any organization considering a fall application should contact the regional project manager before applying. Acquisitions that will require multiple appraisals or a more comprehensive review may be deferred until the 2023 funding cycle, which opens in early spring 2022. 

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Casehardening Of Lumber: What It Is And How To Relieve It

Posted on by grace.hershberg

By Scott Lyon, WI DNR Forest Products Specialist

Lumber manufactured into interior wood products (e.g., furniture, flooring, millwork, cabinets) typically requires kiln drying to reach a targeted moisture content to minimize dimensional changes. In Wisconsin, this dry-basis moisture content is 6-8%. Not only does kiln drying allow the wood to equalize to desirable and usable moisture content, it kills fungi and insects that might be present in the lumber.

However, drying stress—commonly called casehardening or tension set—occurs during the drying process. Casehardening is a normal part of the drying process of lumber. It is critically important to relieve this stress as it can lead to warping and twisting when lumber is later re-sawn or machined.

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Merchandizing Urban Trees

Posted on by grace.hershberg

By Scott Lyon and Alex Anderson, WI DNR Forest Products Specialists

An urban tree is most valuable while it’s living. However, if that tree is killed or damaged, there are ways to recycle it. As the “buy-local” movement continues to gain momentum, urban wood recycling efforts have increased in Wisconsin. Historically, urban trees were utilized by only a few mills in the state. With the increased number of trees killed by invasive insects and disease, though, municipalities and arborists are seeking alternative uses for urban wood materials, and interest has grown among traditional forest products manufacturers (sawmills, bolt and pallet mills, pulp mills, etc.) to procure this ever-growing resource. 

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Carbon In Wisconsin Forests

Posted on by grace.hershberg

By Brian Anderson, WI DNR Forest Inventory Analyst and Dan Buckler, WI DNR Urban Forest Assessment Specialist

Wisconsin forests play a major role in accumulating carbon from the atmosphere, but not all forests sequester and store carbon in the same way over time. A new document identifies some of these differences and outlines key metrics of carbon in Wisconsin’s forests.

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Pandemic Assistance for Timber Haulers Closing Soon

Posted on by grace.hershberg

In July, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture announced a Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers (PATHH) program to address losses due to COVID-19. The $200 million fund was opened on July 22 and closes on October 15 of this year and is being administered by the Farm Service Agency in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service. Visit this link for more information.

Take Action! Look For Gypsy Moth Egg Masses

Posted on by patricialindquist

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

In 2021, gypsy moth populations increased for a second consecutive summer due to favorable weather conditions. Populations typically increase with an average or mild winter, below average spring precipitation and above average May through June temperatures.

Regional variation in weather can result in significant differences in populations. If weather conditions are favorable again in 2022, the most noticeable increase in caterpillar numbers would likely occur in southern counties, where conditions were driest during this past spring and summer.

Populations experience the fastest growth rate and are first noticed on:

  • Dry sites with sandy soil and abundant oak
  • Mowed lawns with preferred tree species (oak, crabapple, birch, etc.)
  • Large oaks (bur, in particular) with rough bark, especially on or adjacent to mowed lawns
Five small gypsy moth egg tan masses on a single tree branch in Walworth County.

Gypsy moth egg masses found in Walworth County in fall 2021.
Photo Credit: Gypsy moth egg masses KMSU

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Managing Damage By White Pine Weevil

Posted on by patricialindquist

Article By:  Linda Williams, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Woodruff
Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0665

Tree damage from white pine weevil is noticeable across Wisconsin this time of year. White pine weevils attack several different Wisconsin species, including eastern white pine, jack pine and spruce.

Adult weevils lay their eggs on terminal leaders in the spring. After the eggs hatch, larvae bore into the terminal and begin feeding downwards just under the bark which can result in the killing of a 1 to 2-feet section of the terminal leader as they feed. Terminal leaders will often have a wilted or “shepherds crook” appearance, and they will turn rusty red to brown late in the fall season. These dead terminal leaders will often break off during the winter.

A white pine tree with a cluster of dead twigs caused by a white pine weevil attack.

Dead terminal leader caused by a white pine weevil attack on a young white pine.
Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

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Mystery Walnut Defoliator Identified

Posted on by patricialindquist

Article by: Mike Hillstrom, Forest Health Specialist

In 2020, forest health staff in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa received calls about black walnut stands being defoliated and webbed. In 2021, the defoliation expanded to multiple additional black walnut stands in southwest Wisconsin, while northeast Iowa and Minnesota continued to see damage. Recently, molecular work completed by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has identified the larvae causing the damage as a native Tortricid moth, Gretchena amatana.

G. amatana caterpillars on tree.

G. amatana caterpillars on tree.

Fine webbing covers walnut tree trunk.

Fine webbing covers walnut tree trunk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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