Month: February 2026

USDA Timber Industry Program Aims To Revitalize Rural Economies

Posted on by akabelowsky
A worker measures the diameter of a tree stem.

A USDA Forest Service timber cruiser measures a tree. The TPEP is a cooperative effort with the USDA Forest Service and USDA Rural Development. / Photo Credit: Lance Cheung, USDA

By United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service

Note: The Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program (TPEP) provides funding to eligible applicants to establish, reopen, expand, or improve a sawmill or other wood-processing facility that processes ecosystem restoration byproducts from National Forest System lands.

The reopening last year of a sawmill in Tilleda, Wisconsin, one of the many recently shuttered sawmills in rural Wisconsin, is a signal of hope for the challenged forest products industry everywhere. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) would like to see more mills brought back to life here with funding through its Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program (TPEP).

Continue reading “USDA Timber Industry Program Aims To Revitalize Rural Economies” →

USDA Forest Products Lab Offers Newsletter

Posted on by akabelowsky

logoThe United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory, based in Madison, is now offering a free newsletter to interested subscribers.

The newsletter covers a variety of topics related to forest products research and can be accessed online on the USDA Forest Service website.

To sign up for the newsletter, go to the bottom of the linked webpage under the heading “Sign Up for Our Newsletter” and enter your contact information.

Hardwood Lumber Risk Assessment: Wisconsin Very Low-risk

Posted on by akabelowsky
A truck hauls logs out of a site.

A truck hauls logs out of a site. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

The American Hardwood Assured framework provides a means of determining “jurisdictional risk assessment of legal compliance.”

Wisconsin’s results are positive and indicate a low level of risk in the forestry, logging, and forest products sectors.

To read the full results for Wisconsin and other states, visit the Risk Assessments webpage.

 

Forest Products Services Calendar Of Events

Posted on by akabelowsky
  • Various panels of cross-laminated timber, made from Eastern white pine grown in Wisconsin by Michigan Technological University, awaits a return trip to Madison, Wisconsin, for testing at the USDA Forest Products Laboratory.

    Various panels of cross-laminated timber, made from Eastern white pine grown in Wisconsin by Michigan Technological University, awaits a return trip to Madison, Wisconsin, for testing at the USDA Forest Products Laboratory. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

    Lake States Lumber Association 2026 Trainings (visit their website as dates near for more information):

    • Topic: LSLA Ed. OSHA Safety Class. When: May 15.
    • Topic: LSLA Ed. Lumber Grading. When: July 27-29.
    • Topic: LSLA Ed. Sawing, Edging And Trimming. When: July 30.
  • Great Lakes Kiln Drying Association Kiln Drying Course:
    • When: Aug. 11-13
  • WI DNR Forest Products Services Webinar Series:

Wisconsin Sees First Recovery Of EAB Parasitoid Oobius Agrili

Posted on by akabelowsky
A plastic pan trap for wasps is hung from a tree branch.

A yellow pan trap used for trapping Oobius agrili wasps. / Photo Credit: United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

By River Mathieu, DNR Forest Health Specialist
River.Mathieu@wisconsin.gov or 608-772-2758

One small adult wasp collected by United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) staff at Riedel Redmond Nature Preserve in Mosinee (Marathon County) was recently identified as Oobius agrili.

USDA APHIS staff collected several wasp specimens in yellow pan traps and sent them to a U.S. Forest Service expert for identification. This marks the first recovery of O. agrili in Wisconsin.

Oobius agrili is an emerald ash borer (EAB) parasitoid that was first released in Wisconsin in 2011 and has been released annually since then. O. agrili parasitizes EAB eggs on the bark of ash trees, consuming the EAB larvae inside the egg. Continue reading “Wisconsin Sees First Recovery Of EAB Parasitoid Oobius Agrili” →

Now Is Time To Seek Out Spongy Moth Egg Masses

Posted on by akabelowsky
Large spongy moth egg masses on a tree main stem.

Large egg masses are seen on a tree at the Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit in 2021. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Bill McNee, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Oshkosh
Bill.McNee@wisconsin.gov

It certainly has been chilly in recent weeks, but spring is coming. When the weather warms up, the annual return of spongy moth caterpillars will begin.

The overall spongy moth population is currently low in Wisconsin. However, egg mass numbers may remain high enough to cause nuisance problems and heavy tree defoliation on individual trees or in small areas.

There’s a way for property owners to help keep the population down: Get out now to locate and properly dispose of spongy moth egg masses, which were produced by adult moths last summer. Each spongy moth egg mass contains hundreds of eggs that will hatch into hungry, leaf-eating caterpillars in the spring.

Continue reading “Now Is Time To Seek Out Spongy Moth Egg Masses” →

Thanksgiving Blizzard And Tree Damage

Posted on by akabelowsky
Ice and snow weigh down trees in a forest after a 2025 blizzard.

Trees bent from the weight of heavy snow following a Thanksgiving-week blizzard in northern Wisconsin. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

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

This year’s Thanksgiving holiday brought with it not only a hearty meal and a few good hunting stories to tell around the family table, but also a heavy fixing of blizzard-like conditions. The storm caused a real stretch to the proverbial beltline of many trees that were left heavily bent over in its wake.

On the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 25, a potent winter storm moved across northwestern Wisconsin, bringing with it freezing rain that transitioned to heavy, wet snow as temperatures dipped overnight.

Then, on Nov. 28-29, southern Wisconsin experienced its own potent dose of early winter snow when a second large snowstorm moved through, bringing heavy snowfall but with more limited damage.

Continue reading “Thanksgiving Blizzard And Tree Damage” →

Heterobasidion Root Disease Resources Updated

Posted on by akabelowsky
Heterobasidion root disease fruiting bodies grow on base of tree

A tree shows fruiting bodies of Heterobasidion root disease at the base of its trunk. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Kyoko Scanlon, DNR Forest Pathologist
Kyoko.Scanlon@wisconsin.gov or 608-235-7532

In 2025, Heterobasidion root disease (HRD), a destructive fungal disease, continued to be found in Wisconsin counties where the disease had previously been detected. There were no new county finds in 2025.

Based on the findings in 2025, the maps in the HRD stump treatment guidelines and online viewer have been updated. The 6-mile and 25-mile buffer zone maps in the guidelines are updated annually and good through Dec. 31, 2026.

Continue reading “Heterobasidion Root Disease Resources Updated” →

Make Plans For National Invasives Week

Posted on by akabelowsky
Workers spray water from a hose to clean the wheels of a tractor in a woodlot.

Workers follow the practice of pressure-washing the tires and frames of a tractor to rid the vehicle of possible invasive plants after a workday in the forest. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

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

The North American Invasives Species Management Association (NAISMA) has organized a series of activities to take place as part of its National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW), set for Feb. 23 through 27.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will participate by presenting a news release and daily social media posts in the days leading up to the start of NISAW’s 2026 activities.

Continue reading “Make Plans For National Invasives Week” →

Correction On Plans For Discarding Holiday Decorations

Posted on by akabelowsky
A pile of discarded Christmas trees in a drop-off lot.

A stack of discarded Christmas trees awaits processing at a drop-off facility. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Wisconsin DNR

An article in the January edition of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Forest Health News contained some incorrect information on the disposal of wreaths, trees, boughs and other holiday decorations.

The article focused on disposing holiday plant matter in ways that avoided the spread of invasive insects, seeds and spores that can spread to harm trees, plants and habitats.

Continue reading “Correction On Plans For Discarding Holiday Decorations” →