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A Goodbye… For Now!

Posted on by patricialindquist
UF team photo

Most of the UF Team (missing Jeff Roe). From left to right in the back row: Patricia Lindquist, Kim Sebastian, Brian Wahl, Dan Buckler, Nicolle Spafford, Laura Buntrock. Left to right in the front row: Tracy Salisbury, Kirsten Biefeld, Olivia Witthun, Abby Krause.

Kirsten Biefeld’s last day as an Urban Forestry Outreach Specialist and Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council Liaison was Friday, Feb. 24. You may recognize her through the Urban Forestry newsletter posts and similarly related social media posts and at conferences since June 2022.

Starting Monday, Feb. 27, she will be a Plant Pest Public Information Specialist with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). Here, she will help with the Spongy Moth survey and spray program, as well as helping with furthering outreach and education endeavors about Wisconsin’s forest pest populations.

Continue reading “A Goodbye… For Now!” →

Back On Track In Titletown! 2023 WDNR/WAA Annual Conference

Posted on by patricialindquist
Heather Berklund, DNR Chief State Forester, provided a welcome address

Heather Berklund, DNR Chief State Forester, provided a welcome address at the 2023 WAA/DNR Annual Conference

The 2023 Wisconsin DNR Urban Forestry/Wisconsin Arborist Association (WAA) Annual Conference, “Back on Track in Titletown!” was held in Green Bay on Feb. 19-21, 2023. Conference attendees gathered to network, learn and discuss important concepts in urban forest management and practices in arboriculture.

The conference hosted approximately 890 community foresters and administrators, professional arborists, green industry professionals, nonprofit staff and students. We didn’t quite beat our record of 922 attendees, but we came very close!

DNR staff and the WAA developed a program designed to enrich arboriculture and urban forestry knowledge in the industry statewide. This year, presentations included but were not limited to: 

  • Wisconsin Trees and the Law
  • Advance Your Urban Forest by Improving Work Specifications and Contracts
  • Physical Traits of Urban Trees and Stormwater Mitigation: Let’s Explore the Linkages
  • National Models to Grow an Inclusive Workforce
  • Transplanting Large Trees Bareroot
  • Tree Water Use and Sap Flow
  • Climate Change and Drought: Approaches to Tree Selection

Continue reading “Back On Track In Titletown! 2023 WDNR/WAA Annual Conference” →

Funding Opportunities Available Through The DNR

Posted on by patricialindquist

Local units of government (LUGs) are eligible to apply for four Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program grants and two related federal programs administered by the DNR. The application deadline is May 1, 2023 for the grant programs listed below.

Knowles-Nelson Stewardship local assistance grant programs:

  • Aids for the Acquisition and Development of Local Parks (ADLP)
  • Urban Green Space (UGS) grants
  • Urban Rivers (UR) grants
  • Acquisition of Development Rights (ADR)

Federal recreation grant programs:

  • Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)
  • Recreational Trails Program (RTP)

Applicants are advised that grant awards will be subject to the availability of funds and any procedural changes that may result from the forthcoming state budget and federal appropriations.

Wisconsin DNR 2022 Forest Health Annual Report

Posted on by patricialindquist

By Becky Gray, Forest Health Team Leader, Rebecca.Gray@wisconsin.gov

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Forest Health team recently completed the 2022 Forest Health Annual Report. The report summarizes impacts from pests, diseases and weather on the health of Wisconsin’s forests. Highlights from 2022 include:

  • Spongy moth’s rising numbers and evaluation of control techniques;
  • emerald ash borer continuing to spread and kill ash trees;
  • possible new biological control of buckthorn; and
  • drought and flooding impacts alongside insect infestations.

Read the report here.

2022 Forest Health Annual Report

Sign Up For Oak Wilt Vector Emergence Estimate Daily Email Notification

Posted on by patricialindquist

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

Oak wilt is a serious disease that occurs when insects carrying oak wilt fungal spores land on a healthy oak tree’s fresh wound. To prevent oak wilt infections, it is important to avoid pruning, wounding and harvesting oaks when these insects are abundant, generally from April through July. Predicting exactly when these insects start to emerge in the spring can be difficult as their emergence is highly weather-dependent, and spring weather varies significantly from year to year.

In 2021, the Oak Wilt Vectors Emergence Thermal Model tool, a unique estimation tool, was developed as a collaborative project between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Wisconsin DNR to help with these predictions. This online tool offers localized recommendations about the emergence status of the two most important insects that transmit oak wilt in Wisconsin. The interface uses a degree-day model (Jagemann et al., 2018) constructed from insect trapping data and actual weather data, which helps refine the beginning of the periods when you should avoid pruning, wounding or harvesting oaks.

A screen shot of the oak wilt vector emergence homepage where the location and date data is entered to model growing degree days.

UW Extension’s Oak Wilt Vectors Emergence Thermal Model can help predict when oak wilt vectors may be coming. Photo Credit: UW Extension

Continue reading “Sign Up For Oak Wilt Vector Emergence Estimate Daily Email Notification” →

Make Plans To Control Spongy Moth Before The Eggs Hatch

Posted on by patricialindquist

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

Spongy moth (formerly known as gypsy moth) egg masses typically begin to hatch in April as temperatures warm. Each mass that hatches may produce up to 1,000 leaf-eating caterpillars.

Now is a great time to inspect your trees for egg masses and treat or remove any masses within reach. Wisconsin weather has been favorable for this pest over the last three years and populations have grown.

Photo of three spongy moth egg masses on the underside of a pine branch in Walworth County.

Three spongy moth egg masses on the underside of a pine branch in Walworth County. Photo: Bill McNee, Wisconsin DNR.

Continue reading “Make Plans To Control Spongy Moth Before The Eggs Hatch” →

Spongy Moth Management Webinar: March 8 at 6 p.m.

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By Michael Hillstrom, Forest Health Specialist, Fitchburg, Michael.Hillstrom@wisconsin.gov

Spongy moth populations increased dramatically in 2022 and the outbreak is expected to continue in 2023.

Landowners interested in learning more about spongy moth management options are encouraged to attend an upcoming webinar hosted by UW Extension at 6 p.m. on March 8, 2023.

This is a free event, but registration is required. DNR Forest Health Specialist Mike Hillstrom and UW-Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab entomologist PJ Liesch will discuss a variety of effective management tactics for reducing spongy moth damage in varied settings from high value urban trees to forests.

A flyer for an upcoming webinar about spongy moth management that will take place virtually at 6pm on March 8, 2023.

UW Extension’s spongy moth management webinar can help you prepare to care for your land this spring.

Treat Your Valuable Ash Trees Against Emerald Ash Borer This Spring

Posted on by patricialindquist

By Bill McNee, Forest Health Specialist, Oshkosh, Bill.McNee@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0942

Property owners with healthy, valuable ash trees are encouraged to treat them with insecticide this spring to protect against emerald ash borer (EAB). The pest is currently the most damaging threat to trees in Wisconsin, killing more than 99% of the ash trees it infests.

Woodpecker damage during the winter is often the first sign that an ash tree is infested. The birds remove pieces of bark while feeding on EAB larvae inside the tree. Insecticide treatment of infested ash trees is more likely to be successful if the trees have low or moderate levels of woodpecker damage.

Now is a good time to consider insecticide protection, because the treatments are typically done between mid-April and mid-May. Ash (in the genus Fraxinus) is the only type of tree that needs protection against EAB. Mountain ash and prickly ash do not need protection because the insect does not attack them.

Ash tree branch in West Allis has been damaged by woodpeckers. Sections of bark are missing, exposing the tree’s light brown wood.

This ash tree branch in West Allis has been damaged by woodpeckers feeding on EAB larvae beneath the bark.
Photo: Bill McNee, Wisconsin DNR.

Continue reading “Treat Your Valuable Ash Trees Against Emerald Ash Borer This Spring” →

2023 DNR Urban Forestry Grant Application Now Open!

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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is encouraging cities, villages, towns, counties, tribes and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations to apply for a 2023 DNR Urban Forestry Grant.

The grants range from $1,000 to $25,000, and grant recipients must match each grant dollar for dollar. A startup grant of up to $5,000 is available for communities that want to start or restart a community forestry program. The DNR will award grants to projects that align with state and national goals for increasing the urban forest canopy and the benefits it provides.  

Continue reading “2023 DNR Urban Forestry Grant Application Now Open!” →

Trees Will Need More Water this Summer

Posted on by patricialindquist

We are likely to see a hotter than average summer, which means you, your pets, your plants, and yes, your trees, will need more water!

Stress from drought can affect all plants, from a newly planted sapling to a well-established, mature tree. Trees that are already weakened from other types of stress, such as tree leaf predation by spongy moths, are of particular concern.

See our watering tips below for how you can help!

Continue reading “Trees Will Need More Water this Summer” →