A closeup of a fresh spongy moth egg mass on a tree. Now is the time to locate and destroy egg masses to reduce the number of caterpillars attacking your trees in the spring. / Photo Credit: Bill McNee, Wisconsin DNR
As fall begins, landowners all over Wisconsin – including those involved in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Managed Forest Law program – are urged to remember the fight against spongy moths.
After all, the best time to put a dent in next year’s infestation is to spend some time during fall and winter finding and removing spongy moth egg masses – each of which contains 500 or more potential future caterpillars.
The invasive pest caused a state-record defoliation total of 373,000 acres in 2023. The outbreak seemed on track to continue in several areas of the state in 2024 until rain and cooler weather boosted the emergence of two natural enemies of spongy moth caterpillars, a virus and a fungus, which helped to greatly reduce the population in many areas last July.
Still, caterpillars survived to pupate, mate and leave behind egg masses that will become next spring’s batch of caterpillars. Fortunately for landowners, the next few months mark the best opportunity to attack the spongy moth population, eliminating the caterpillars before they have a chance to emerge and feed. Continue reading “Landowners Urged To Fight Spongy Moth”
The 
Tree City USA Interactive Map
‘Winter burn’ refers to a type of damage to evergreen foliage that typically occurs over winter. Common symptoms are browning and dying from the tips of the foliage inward. Several factors cause winter burn on evergreens, including winter ‘thaws’ while the ground is frozen, dry soil in autumn, a long period of very cold temperatures, winter sun on evergreen foliage or drying winter winds, poor siting of susceptible plants, recent planting/transplanting and the individual plant’s susceptibility. Frequently affected plants include yews, junipers, boxwood, arborvitae, rhododendrons, dwarf Alberta spruce and hemlock. 
Urban Wildlife Damage Abatement and Control grants help urban areas develop wildlife plans, implement specific damage abatement and/or control measures for white-tailed deer and/or Canada geese. They are available to any town, city, village, county or tribal government in an urban area. This grant provides a 50% cost share up to $5,000 for eligible costs. The application deadline is Dec. 1, 2024. 
Employee attitudes and well-being improve with exposure to nature. Think about it. Every weekday we commute to work, only to be met by a dark cubicle in shades of beige and grey. Ever wonder why your mood starts to match the walls? It’s because the workplace environment contributes to employee health. We’ve known this to be true (anecdotally) for a long time, but mounting scientific evidence proves our urban and community forests have beneficial effects on employee performance. 
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the recipients of the Urban Forestry Catastrophic Storm Grants to assist with damage sustained during statewide extreme storm events that took place June 21-25, 2024. 
The trees on school properties mirror those of the surrounding urban forest in composition but not in coverage.
*These training opportunities are provided as an information service only and does not constitute an endorsement from the WI DNR.