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Keep It Local When Stocking Up On Firewood For Winter

Posted on by akabelowsky
Photo of a firewood stand at Potawatomi State Park

A stand at Potawatomi State Park offers local firewood for sale to campers. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Wisconsin DNR

With the onset of autumn, many Wisconsinites have been making plans to stock up on firewood for the winter.

With that in mind, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is reminding residents and visitors about the year-round importance of obtaining firewood from local sources — whether it’s to heat your home in the winter or build a campfire in the summer.

The message is important enough that October has been designated National Firewood Month, and the DNR offers a webpage to explain firewood regulations, best practices and the reasons behind those guidelines.

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Beech Blight Aphids Visible In Eastern Wisconsin

Posted on by akabelowsky
A photo of beech blight aphids found on a beech twig at Kohler-Andrae State Park in Sheboygan County.

Beech blight aphids are found on a beech twig at Kohler-Andrae State Park in Sheboygan County, Sept 5, 2025. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

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

Late summer and fall is the time of year when fluffy “beech blight aphids” become very noticeable on American beech trees (Fagus grandifolia) in the eastern quarter of Wisconsin, where the tree species occurs.

These large aphids grow white, waxy filaments from their abdomens and feed in a colony on the branches of beech trees. When disturbed, they all shake their abdomens in an attempt to scare off predators. This behavior has led to the insect being commonly known as the “boogie woogie aphid.”

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Cottony Ash Psyllid Found In Additional Areas

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Closeup photo showing how cottony ash psyllid nymphs feed on the lower sides of leaves and grow white wool over themselves for protection.

Cottony ash psyllid nymphs feed on the lower sides of leaves and grow white wool over themselves for protection. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

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

Cottony ash psyllid (Psyllopsis discrepans) was observed in 2023 in several areas in northern Wisconsin. Additional sites were then identified in 2024 and this year.

Some provinces in Canada have observed that psyllid numbers can explode during dry periods, so that may be why we started to see some issues in Wisconsin in 2023.

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Hail Damage Can Cause Dieback, Whole-Tree Mortality

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Photo of a young aspen showing signs of severe impact from hail. Arrows indicate each point of impact.

A young aspen shows signs of severe impact from hail. Arrows indicate each point of impact. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

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

Several high-impact storms across the state this summer have pummeled trees with hail. The photos accompanying this article show the kind of damage hail can bring to forests.

The initial damage following a significant hailstorm can immediately appear severe. But give it a month or two, and the damage can look even more pronounced.

Pines in particular will start to turn varying levels of brown, depending on the amount of damage they sustained. Damage to the branches and twigs is not limited to just the spot where the hail hit. As the summer goes on, damaged areas of bark that were cracked by the hail impact will often split open further and allow more drying and additional separation of the bark from the wood, which kills that area of the branch.

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Bur Oak Blight Confirmed In Calumet County

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Photo of a wedge-shaped area of dead tissue at the tip of a bur oak leaf from a tree infected with bur oak blight.

A wedge-shaped area of dead tissue at the tip of a bur oak leaf from a tree infected with bur oak blight. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

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

Recent laboratory examination has confirmed the presence of bur oak blight in Calumet County. The disease affects only bur oaks and is caused by the fungus, Tubakia iowensis.

Calumet County is the 35th Wisconsin county to have a confirmed detection of bur oak blight. The disease has not been microscopically confirmed in all counties where bur oak grows and is likely present in additional counties. Bur oak blight was first reported in Midwestern states in the 1990s.

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HRD Conks Found In Different Shapes And Sizes

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Photo from above showing Heterobasidion root disease growing from an infected tree stump.

Heterobasidion root disease grows from an infected tree stump. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Kyoko Scanlon, DNR Forest Pathologist, Fitchburg
Kyoko.Scanlon@wisconsin.gov

Fall is a great time to look for mushrooms, including conks from trees infested with Heterobasidion root disease (HRD).

Considered one of the most destructive diseases of conifers in the northern hemisphere, the fungus causing HRD is very difficult to eradicate once established. Infestation of a conifer stand may significantly impact stand management, making early detection of the disease extremely important.

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Fall Webworm Spins Its Way To Attention

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Photo of fall webworms form a tent on a tree at Kohler-Andrae State Park in September 2025.

Fall webworms form a tent on a tree at Kohler-Andrae State Park in September 2025. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Bill McNee, DNR Forest Health specialist, Oshkosh
Bill.McNee@wisconsin.gov, 920-360-0942

The native insect known as fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) has been generating calls and emails from curious property owners over the past few weeks.

The caterpillars don’t draw much attention on their own; instead, what catches the eye at this time of year are the large webs (or “tents”) that they create on the tips of tree branches.

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Invasive Japanese Stiltgrass Detected In Three More Counties

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Wide-angle photo of a mat of Japanese stiltgrass in Rock County, Wisconsin, in July 2025

A mat of Japanese stiltgrass in Rock County, Wisconsin, in July 2025. / Photo Credit: John Zaborsky, University of Wisconsin-Madison Renz Weed Science Lab

By Wisconsin DNR

Thanks to the help of eagle-eyed observers across southern Wisconsin, the harmful invasive plant Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) has now been detected in three additional counties. That brings the total number of Wisconsin counties to five.

The most recent detections of the non-native, annual grass came in Dane, Grant and Walworth counties. The Dane County find was in Middleton, northwest of Madison; in Grant County, it was found southeast of Wyalusing State Park; in Walworth County, it was found north of Geneva Lake.

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Imported Willow Leaf Beetle Spotted

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Closeup photo of an imported willow leaf beetle adult and larva.

An imported willow leaf beetle adult and larvae. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

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

Imported willow leaf beetle (Plagiodera versicolor) is a small, shiny, blue-black beetle as an adult, and the larvae are small, solid black and spikey. Both feed on the foliage of willow and poplar species. Two generations per year are possible.

The invasive pest was first detected in the United States in 1915, likely coming from eastern Europe.

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Autumn Is A Great Time To Treat Invasive Plants

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By Wisconsin DNR

Photo of rosettes on a garlic mustard plant. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

Rosettes on a garlic mustard plant. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

As temperatures begin to fall the leaves of many plants and trees have begun to change color. Some trees in the northern part of the state have already started to drop their leaves.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds the public that fall is more than a great time to enjoy the changing hues in the woods. It also presents a good opportunity to spot the invasive plants persisting among the native plants and trees.

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