Mike Hillstrom became the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Invasive Forest Pest Coordinator on Sept. 9, 2024. He replaces Andrea Diss-Torrance, who retired on Jan. 24 after a 30-year career with the DNR. Hillstrom’s office will remain in Fitchburg, where this photo was taken. / Photo Credit: Art Kabelowsky, Wisconsin DNR

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

So, what’s bugging Mike Hillstrom these days?

That question has taken on new importance for forestry professionals, now that Hillstrom has stepped into an expanded role with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)’s Forest Health team. Hillstrom started Sept. 9 as the DNR’s invasive forest pest coordinator.

Hillstrom is moving into the position previously held by Andrea Diss-Torrance, who made major contributions to forest health in the state and region during her 30-year DNR career. Diss-Torrance retired on Jan. 24.

“I have the advantage of coming in with some solid background information about what Andrea was up to,” Hillstrom said. “I’ll put my own spin on things and probably take on some new things.”

Make no mistake: Hillstrom is certainly no stranger to Wisconsin’s forests, along with the nuts and bolts of applying elbow grease to the problems that forest health and entomology present to foresters of all types.

“Mike has been a valuable member of the Forest Health Team for 14 years and I’m excited to see him take on this new role,” DNR Forest Health team leader Becky Gray said.

A native of Neenah, Hillstrom studied entomology as both an undergraduate and graduate student, earning his Ph.D. in 2010. He stepped directly into a forest health specialist role with the DNR, working first out of the Wisconsin Rapids office, then Wisconsin Dells and now Fitchburg.

Though he is stepping away from his role as forest health specialist for the South-Central zone, he will continue to cover some aspects of his specialist role until the vacancy is filled. His contact information won’t change, and he will continue to be based in Fitchburg.

Hillstrom’s vision for the new role involves a view that is both widened (from South Central Wisconsin to the entire state and region), and tightly focused (from general forest health issues to problems caused by invasive insects).

“The biggest piece of this position is state and national policy work. That will be the biggest change for me, going from a forest health specialist covering counties to focusing more on state, regional and national policy,” Hillstrom said.

“This position is definitely a lot more office-based, and there will be more national-level meetings. I’ll have a bigger focus on collaborative partnerships, not only within the state but in the Northeast region.”

As Gray put it: “The Invasive Forest Pest Coordinator works closely with our partners in the state and across the country. Mike has experience collaborating with many of our partners and will further build those professional relationships.”

“The other piece of my role will be to step in and take a lead role when the next new forest insect (infestation) shows up in Wisconsin. I’ll be coordinating the DNR’s response and working with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).”

Hillstrom doesn’t have a crystal ball, but he’s already planning for what seems to be the inevitable appearance of the invasive pest hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) in Wisconsin. The aphid-like insect has established a presence in some Michigan counties. It attacks and kills hemlock trees by feeding on nutrient and water storage cells at the base of needles.

“Hemlock woolly adelgid has been on the East Coast for decades. I’ll be working with those partners to see what’s working and what’s not, so we can develop the best strategies for Wisconsin,” Hillstrom said. “There are researchers at universities in other states … we can work with them and adapt that information to our needs.”

Hillstrom said Wisconsin’s geography, climate and location provide some unique circumstances for forestry professionals.

“Wisconsin has unique features that don’t always behave the way they do in other places,” he said. “We’re right on the edge of the range for hemlock and beech. And we have the tension zone,” which is a transitional area that cuts a curving path through Wisconsin, marking the boundary between two ecological regions where the range limits of different plant species overlap.

But Hillstrom’s education and experience – along with all the lessons learned from working with Diss-Torrance – have set him up to make a speedy adjustment into his new role.

“It’s definitely an advantage seeing the way Andrea approached the process over the years,” Hillstrom said.