Forest Health News

Forest Health Annual Report Hot Off The Presses

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The cover of the 2025 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forest Health Annual Report.

The cover of the 2025 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forest Health Annual Report. / Graphic Credit: Wisconsin DNR

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

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has made its 2025 Forest Health Annual Report ready to view and download.

This year’s edition contains 55 pages of reporting on forest health issues throughout Wisconsin, detailing methods employed by the DNR and other agencies to control pests, diseases and invasive plants.

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Hemlock Borer Attacks Stressed Hemlock

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Closeup photo of a hemlock borer larva feeding inside channels in a hemlock tree.

A hemlock borer larva inside channels in a hemlock tree. / Photo Credit: Steven Katovich, Bugwood.org

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

Woodpeckers are often the first to know that a hemlock tree is being attacked by hemlock borer.

Woodpeckers will flake off the outer layers of bark to get at the tasty hemlock borer larvae under the bark, leaving the tree with a reddish hue that, once you’ve seen it, is unmistakable. The woodpecker damage quickly makes it obvious that the tree was fully infested from top to bottom by hemlock borer.

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Be Mindful Of Invasives During Holiday Clean-Up

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A person hauls a Christmas tree to a disposal point after using it during the holidays.

Proper disposal of Christmas trees and other plant-based holiday decorations is key to preventing the spread of invasive plants, insects and diseases. / Photo Credit: Central Virginia Waste Management Authority

By Wisconsin DNR

Invasive plants and insects don’t mind playing the long game. After all, they’re just trying to survive and thrive, like the rest of us.

They’ll hang out as part of your holiday decorations throughout the season, just on the chance humans might dispose of them improperly, giving them an opportunity to find a new home in your yard or neighborhood. Their growth and feeding can often harm native trees, native plants and entire ecosystems over time.

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Invasive Species Action Awards Nominations Open

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A group photo showing the winners of the 2025 Invasive Species Action Awards, given by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Winners of the 2025 Invasive Species Action Awards, given by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Wisconsin DNR

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced that the Wisconsin Invasive Species Council will accept nominations for the 22nd annual Invasive Species Action Awards through Feb. 15, 2026.

Award recipients are Wisconsin residents and organizations who have made significant contributions to prevent, control or eradicate invasive species that harm Wisconsin’s native forests, wildlife, wetlands, prairies, lakes and rivers.

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Shively, McNee To Make Public Appearances

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Tim Shively, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forest Health specialist for the West Central zone.

Tim Shively, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forest Health specialist for the West Central zone. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

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

Tim Shively, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Forest Health specialist for West Central Wisconsin, will give a presentation titled “Forest Health for Everyone” at a meeting of the Juneau County Men’s Shed at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, in Mauston.

The event is part of a program put on by the Aging and Disability Resource Center of Eagle Country, and will take place at W4890 County Hwy. N, Mauston. It is open to the public. Continue reading “Shively, McNee To Make Public Appearances” →

White Pine Blister Rust Can Devastate Young Stands

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By Tim Shively, DNR Forest Health Specialist
Timothy.Shively@wisconsin.gov or 608-772-6974

A close-up photo of a white pine blister rust canker as seen on a young white pine tree.

A white pine blister rust canker as seen on a young white pine tree. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) has historically held great ecological, cultural and economic value throughout Wisconsin, a tradition which continues today. For more than 100 years, however, it has been threatened by a non-native, invasive fungal pathogen called Cronartium ribicola, or white pine blister rust (WPBR).

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Impacts Of Winter Weather On Trees

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

A stand of pines shows heavy damage from an ice storm in April 2025.

A stand of pines shows heavy damage from an ice storm in April 2025. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

Winter damage can significantly impact the health of trees. Keeping trees healthy through the fall is important for reducing winter stress. Provide water as needed to trees until the leaves start falling (for deciduous trees) or until the ground starts freezing (for conifers).

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DNR, DATCP Teams Exemplify Interagency Teamwork

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

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forest Health team leader Becky Gray and Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Pest Survey and Control Section manager Renee Pinski appear before the Natural Resources Board to discuss tree and forest health issues on Nov. 13, 2025.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forest Health team leader Becky Gray (left) and Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Pest Survey and Control Section manager Renee Pinski appear before the Natural Resources Board to discuss tree and forest health issues on Nov. 13, 2025. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

The spirit of interagency communication was on display during a joint meeting of the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board (NRB) and the Wisconsin Board of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (Ag Board) on Nov. 13.

The seven-member NRB is the governing body of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR); the nine-member Ag Board governs the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). Each board sets policies and rules to be followed and enforced by its respective agencies. Members of both boards are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Wisconsin State Senate.

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Watch For Woodpecker Damage On Ash Trees

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Woodpecker flecking on the bark of a dying ash tree is visible at Winnebago County Community Park in Oshkosh.

Woodpecker flecking on the bark of a dying ash tree is visible at Winnebago County Community Park in Oshkosh. Flecking occurs when the birds peck away at the trees to feed on emerald ash borer larvae beneath the bark. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

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

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages property owners to watch for woodpecker damage to their ash trees this winter.

Woodpecker damage, often called “flecking,” happens when birds peck away some of a tree’s bark to access the larvae underneath. Flecking is a common early sign that an ash tree might be infested with emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive insect. EAB is the most damaging threat to Wisconsin trees, killing more than 99% of the untreated ash trees it infests.

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Forest Health Staffers Hit The Airwaves

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Photo of Mike Hillstrom, who became the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Invasive Forest Pest Coordinator on Sept. 9, 2024.

Mike Hillstrom became the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Invasive Forest Pest Coordinator on Sept. 9, 2024. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

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

Mike Hillstrom and Bill McNee, members of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Forest Health team, made notable radio appearances during November.

Hillstrom, the DNR’s invasive forest pest coordinator, appeared on Wisconsin Public Radio to discuss the invasive pest hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). The insect has not yet established a presence in Wisconsin.

Continue reading “Forest Health Staffers Hit The Airwaves” →