By Wisconsin DNR
With 145 invasive plants regulated under Wisconsin’s Invasive Species Rule NR40, it can be challenging to identify some of these plants while out in the woods.
The task can be further complicated by the presence of native lookalikes – plants that have a similar appearance to harmful invasive species but are actually native plants that benefit wildlife, pollinators and ecosystems in Wisconsin.
Continue reading “Invasives And Imposters: Native Look-Alikes To Know”
Young spruce budworm larvae begin feeding as buds break, causing the new growth to crook where feeding damage occurs. Webbing is also common. / Photo Credit: Linda Williams, Wisconsin DNR
By Linda Williams, Wisconsin DNR Forest Health Specialist
Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0665
From early indications, the spruce budworm outbreak in some areas of northern Wisconsin is preparing to continue for yet another year.
During the third week of May, expanding buds on balsam fir trees were already showing damage from the tiny larvae.
Pitch blobs near the base of a red pine indicate attack by red turpentine beetle. / Photo Credit: Linda Williams, Wisconsin DNR
By Linda Williams, Wisconsin DNR Forest Health Specialist
Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0665
Red turpentine beetle and pine root collar weevil are the most common insects found attacking near the base of red pine trees in Wisconsin, whether near ground level or just below ground level.
Here are some tips on identifying and controlling these pests.
Forest tent caterpillar larvae displaying gregarious behavior and feeding on a tree leaf. / Photo Credit: Paul Cigan, Wisconsin DNR
By Paul Cigan, Wisconsin DNR Forest Health Specialist
Paul.Cigan@wisconsin.gov or 715-416-4920
Forest tent caterpillar (FTC) populations do not appear to be making a significant return this growing season.
Spring egg mass surveys indicate that populations continue to remain low, continuing the longest documented interphase between outbreaks on state record, at 22 years and counting. The interphase provides some relief for the health of aspen stands recovering from several consecutive years of recent spongy moth defoliation.
Continue reading “Forest Tent Caterpillar Outlook Stays Low”
Hemlock needles affected by winter desiccation will start browning at the needle tips and move inward, sometimes killing the entire needle. / Photo Credit: Linda Williams, Wisconsin DNR
By Linda Williams, DNR Forest Health Specialist
Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0665
During the winter months, warm or sunny weather can wreak havoc on evergreen trees.
Conifers such as hemlock, pines and fir can lose moisture from their needles during the winter. If too much moisture is lost, those needles can quickly turn yellow or brown once the weather warms up in the spring.
Extensive browning of needles on hemlock — sometimes more than 50 percent of the needles – was observed in scattered areas of Oneida and Bayfield counties by the second week of April. The brown needles eventually dropped from the trees, leaving the remaining foliage looking very thin. Buds on the trees appeared viable, and the trees should break bud as normal.
Continue reading “Red Pine And Hemlock Needles Suddenly Looking Brown”
The logo for the Silvicast, a podcast hosted by Wisconsin DNR silviculturists Greg Edge and Brad Hutnik and produced by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Wisconsin Forestry Center. / Graphic Credit: UW-Stevens Point
By Art Kabelowsky, Wisconsin DNR Outreach and Communications
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167
They talked about pulling it, smothering it, using herbicide on it, making turkey calls and making curtain rods from it.
They even wondered if they should just “kill it with fire.”
But it seems Midwestern foresters’ never-ending battle against buckthorn requires a brainier approach.
Michael Hillstrom, invasive forest pest coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forest Health team. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
By Wisconsin DNR
Michael Hillstrom, Invasive Forest Pest Coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), will present a public talk on invasive species and forest health on Sunday, June 22.
Hillstrom’s talk will be part of a two-hour presentation, running from 10 a.m. to noon at Lake Kegonsa State Park, 2405 Door Creek Rd., Stoughton. It is open to the public.
The event is one of several statewide gatherings organized by the DNR as part of Invasive Species Awareness Weekend.
Housing Market Index (HMI) Survey, March 2025. Source: NAHB/Wells Fargo. / Graphic Credit: Brian Zweifel, Wisconsin DNR
By Brian Zweifel, DNR Forest Products Specialist, Dodgeville
Brian.Zweifel@wisconsin.gov
Variability and uncertainty seem like key words to describe many things right now, but the words apply especially to current housing markets.
The home construction and remodeling industry is a key driver of forest products markets and can be an important indicator of future demand. Softwood lumber and engineered wood products such as oriented strand board, plywood and laminated beams and joists are used in home construction. Hardwood lumber, however, is used to manufacture flooring, cabinets and other millwork items for interior applications.
Continue reading “Housing Wisconsin: Home Building Trends, Outlook”
United States Department of Agriculture logo.
Elle Soderberg, DNR Forest Products Specialist, Green Bay
Elle.Soderberg@wisconsin.gov
Communities across Wisconsin have significant economic growth opportunities thanks to several key funding and support programs offered by Rural Development, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). These programs provide vital resources aimed at improving infrastructure, businesses and entrepreneurs across the country.
The Business & Industry Loan Guarantees program is designed to assist businesses in rural areas by offering loans that help promote economic development, job creation and improved services in communities that need it most. Through this initiative, businesses can access funding they may not have otherwise qualified for, thus enhancing their ability to expand and create new opportunities for local residents.
Continue reading “Programs Support Forestry, Forest Products Industry”
A stand of red pine trees towers over its Wisconsin stand. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
By Ryan Heiderman, DNR Forest Inventory Analyst
Ryan.Heiderman@wisconsin.gov
Of Wisconsin’s almost 17 million acres of forest land, the red pine forest type currently covers approximately 815,000 acres. Of those red pine acres, 80%, or 656,000 acres, are planted.
Overall, the acres of red pine have increased substantially since the cutover period of the early 1900s (Figure 1), particularly from planted red pine. In the 1939 report summarizing Wisconsin’s first periodic forest inventory, the authors give a dire warning stating that, with the exception of jack pine, the pine forests are almost gone, having been depleted and deforested in the decades prior.
Chart showing trends of red pine forest type acres in Wisconsin. The asterisk indicates that stand origin was not designated prior to the 1983 inventory. / Graphic Credit: Ryan Heiderman, Wisconsin DNR
This early inventory indicated much of the deforested sandy pine forest had become occupied by aspen, paper birch and scrub oak. They went on to say while natural regeneration might be expected eventually, indications were that it would be slow, and planting seemed to be the only recourse if early reforestation was to be accomplished.
Reporting on the next periodic inventory in 1956, the authors highlighted that red pine acres were ‘coming back’ and white pine acres fading. They reported that much of the tree planting that had been done since the previous inventory was mostly red pine. Echoing the advice from the earlier inventory report, the authors again stated the importance of forest planting – saying reforestation could increase the acreage of productive forest land, but the planting job was a big one. At the time, they reported some 148,000 acres of the red pine forest type. They reported that over half (53%) of these red pine acres were on public lands. Today, more than 60% of red pine acres are in privately-owned forests.
