What’s up with trees that haven’t lost their leaves yet?

Posted on by patricialindquist

Bottom line – Don’t worry (too much)

By Brian Wahl, DNR urban forestry coordinator, Fitchburg, Brian.Wahl@wisconsin.gov, 608-225-7943

Isn’t it time to LEAF? –Are our trees getting lazy and watching too much Netflix to be bothered with personal grooming? While this may be true for some tweens – something different is up with the trees.  Normally, as part of the autumnal process, leaves begin to shut down the photosynthesis factories, shunt some final nutrients around, change colors and eventually fall to the earth (or my gutters). For a leaf to fall easily from a tree, it actively forms/grows/activates an abscission layer – essentially forming a weak layer between the leaf and the tree – a final clue to the leaf that it is time to “fly”. 

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White spruce seedlings available

Posted on by Kirsten Held

Good news for forest landowners who want to plant white spruce this spring; we now have some 3-year-old white spruce seedlings available!

When the DNR reforestation program’s seedlings went on sale this past October, there was a smaller quantity of white spruce seedlings available for purchase than usual. A long, cold, snowy winter in 2018 at our seedling nursery in Boscobel and a cool, wet spring combined to adversely impact our newly germinating and young white spruce seedlings. White spruce is also one of our best sellers, as landowners enjoy the white spruce’s resistance to deer browse, moderate growth, tolerance to some shade and ability to grow in many soil types. This combination of low supply and high demand meant the available trees sold out quickly.

However, we recently learned that Minnesota DNR has a surplus of white spruce, so we were able to acquire some of their extra inventory for our customers. Wisconsin statutes allow for the exchange of seedlings between other state and USDA Forest Service nurseries as long as the seed used to grow the seedlings is appropriate for Wisconsin. In this case, the white spruce seed was from southern Minnesota and the seedlings are very appropriate for planting in Wisconsin.

The only caveat is that the Minnesota nursery is quite far north so the spruce seedlings will be available later in the spring, probably early May. If you would like to purchase white spruce or any other tree or shrub seedlings, please visit us at https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/TreePlanting/ or contact our nursery staff at (715) 424-3700.

New map illustrates damage from EAB

Posted on by margueriterapp

Forest health staff recently produced a map that highlights a gradient of damage from southeastern to northwestern Wisconsin, which roughly corresponds to the length of time EAB has been present in these parts of the state. Whatever the level of damage, homeowners and landowners should consider treating healthy ash, including trees that have responded well to previous treatments, or removing declining, untreated ash before they become hazardous and even more costly to remove.

County-level map of damage from EAB to ash tree populations in 2019

County-level assessment of damage to ash population by emerald ash borer, 2019.

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Invasive plants, ticks and you

Posted on by margueriterapp

Most people are familiar with the impacts of invasive plants to natural areas, but did you know that invasive plants can be hazardous to human health? Did you also know there is a new app available to learn about tick activity near you and help researchers by recording your own tick encounters?Forested setting with tree in foreground and sign attached to tree that says beware of ticks. Continue reading “Invasive plants, ticks and you” →

Leaf beetle spreading in southern Wisconsin

Posted on by margueriterapp

Mike Hillstrom, forest health specialist, Fitchburg, Michael.Hillstrom@wisconsin.gov, 608-513-7690

Viburnum leaf beetle is a relatively new invasive insect from Europe that feeds on the leaves of viburnums and causes mortality after a few years of repeated defoliation. Along with the killing of native viburnum species, which are highly susceptible to the pest, impacts include a higher likelihood of invasive species becoming established following the mortality. Continue reading “Leaf beetle spreading in southern Wisconsin” →

Pine wood nematode in Waushara County

Posted on by margueriterapp

By Alex Feltmeyer, forest health specialist, Plover, alexandra.feltmeyer@wisconsin.gov, 715-340-3810

Pine wood nematode (PWN) was recently found to be infecting Scotch pine in Waushara County. Symptoms of pine wood nematode include rapid crown browning (within 3 months) in late summer, rapid drying of wood and presence of blue-stain fungi in the wood.

Row of pine trees with browning needles from pine wood nematode infestation.

Symptomatic trees dying from pine wood nematode. Photo by Alex Feltmeyer. 

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Biochar 101 and potential applications

Posted on by Kirsten Held

By Sabina Dhungana, forest products specialist, Madison, 608-220-4531

The Forest Products Services program in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service hosted a webinar highlighting the fundamentals of biochar.  Biochar is an emerging forest product that is derived from woody biomass and other organic feedstocks. The use of biochar has gained considerable interest in the agricultural field, and it presents opportunities for utilizing available biomass sources. Topics covered in the webinar included: Biochar markets and uses, biochar production systems, and applications in vegetable growing.  The webinar has been archived and can be viewed here.

Wood energy assistance for Wisconsin businesses

Posted on by Kirsten Held

By Sabina Dhungana, forest products specialist, Madison, 608-220-4531

The Wisconsin Statewide Wood Energy Team (SWET) is a public-private partnership that aims to expand markets for converting woody biomass into energy while advancing installation of commercially viable wood energy systems in both public and private facilities. These efforts support forest restoration, wildfire mitigation, urban wood utilization and other sustainable forest management goals. The WI DNR Forest Products Services program is a member of SWET and currently coordinates the team’s efforts across Wisconsin.

SWET was initially established in 2015 by a USDA Forest Service grant. During the grant period, the team completed seven wood energy analysis projects in Wisconsin for a wide range of entities such as wood industries, hospitals, cheese factories, and schools. Facilities sought out this free assistance to better utilize locally available wood residues while understanding potential cost savings of wood energy. SWET members worked with interested facilities by collecting essential information such as facility energy needs, utility costs, woody biomass availability, and any potential future energy demands. The cost/benefit analysis was then conducted in cooperation with an engineering firm contracted by USDA Forest Service.

With the continuation of wood energy efforts across Wisconsin, your facility can take advantage of this free assistance from SWET. If you are interested in a free wood energy analysis, please contact Sabina Dhungana via email at Sabina.Dhungana@wisconsin.gov or call her at 608-220-4531.

Three perspectives on wood seminar

Posted on by Kirsten Held

By Scott Lyon, forest products specialist, Green Bay, 920-360-3722

The Forest Products Services program has partnered with Madison College’s Cabinetmaking and Millwork Program to sponsor an event titled, “Three Perspectives on Wood.”

Speakers will highlight recommendations for sourcing and using wood properly for best performance. This event is part of the college’s annual seminar series that is geared toward educating students, builders, designers, wood product manufacturers, and woodworkers.

“Three Perspectives on Wood” will be held on December 3, 2019 at Madison College, Truax Campus. For more information or to attend, please visit the event website.

Forest inventory analyst joins the Forestry Division

Posted on by Kirsten Held

By Collin Buntrock, forest products team leader, Rhinelander, 608-286-9083

I am very pleased to announce that Brian Anderson has accepted the Forest Inventory Analyst position with the Forest Products Services team. This position leads Wisconsin’s statewide forest inventory and analysis (FIA) programs for the Division of Forestry and serves as a key consultant for both internal and external customers, providing data analysis and reporting for both urban and rural FIA, forest regeneration monitoring (FRM), and state forest lands (WisCFI). His first day was October 14, and he is based in Rhinelander.

Recently, Brian worked at the University of Minnesota as a researcher on various silviculture and growth and yield studies, in addition to part time work as a biometrician focusing on forest carbon projects. Brian received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in forestry from the University of Minnesota, focusing his studies on quantitative silviculture, forest inventory, and biometrics. Outside of work, he enjoys running, Nordic skiing, camping, hunting, and playing and listening to music.

Brian can be reached at BrianD.Anderson@wisconsin.gov and 715-499-3291.