Acorn Pip Galls, Woolly Catkin Galls All The Same

Posted on by akabelowsky

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

Photo of acorns showing small pip galls.

Pip galls are small, tongue-like protrusions emerging from under the caps of acorns. / Photo Credit: Linda Williams, Wisconsin DNR.

Gall wasp life cycles can be complex. Did you know that acorn pip galls, which I’ve written about several times, have another part of their life cycle that is entirely different? This stage is called the woolly catkin gall.

Both woolly catkin galls and acorn pip galls are caused by Callirhytis quercusoperator, a species of cynipid gall wasp. This gall wasp takes two years to complete development by going through the two parts of its life cycle. Both parts of the life cycle are completed on northern red oak in our area.

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Severe Spruce Budworm Defoliation Hits In Northwest

Posted on by akabelowsky

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

Photo taken through magnifying lens of spruce budworm caterpillars.

Spruce budworm overwinters as tiny caterpillars (yellow arrow) that migrate to the buds before they start to swell in the spring. A magnifying lens is needed to see them at this stage. / Photo Credit: Linda Williams, Wisconsin DNR.

For the 11th consecutive year in Wisconsin, spruce budworm has caused significant defoliation on spruce, balsam fir and tamarack in some areas of the state.

This year, areas with widespread severe defoliation include Oneida and Vilas counties, with Forest, Iron, and Langlade counties also showing significant defoliation.

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High Beech Scale Moving Beyond Door County

Posted on by akabelowsky

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

and Linda Williams, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Woodruff; linda.williams@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0665

Photos of white 'wool' coating on trees with beech scale.

Examples of white “wool” coating on trees heavily infested with beech scale at Kohler-Andrae State Park (left) and in the Town of Beecher in Marinette County (right). / Photo Credit: Bill McNee (left) and Linda Williams (right), Wisconsin DNR.

Fourteen years after first detecting beech scale (Cryptococcus fagisuga, a non-native insect) in Door County, sites with high populations of beech scale have been found in additional counties. Beech scale is believed to have spread through the range of American beech in Wisconsin’s eastern counties, but until now has only been seen at low levels outside of Door County.

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Applications For Urban Forestry Grants Are Now Open

Posted on by patricialindquist

Cities, villages, towns, counties, tribes and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in or conducting their project in Wisconsin can apply for a regular or startup 2024 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 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. Grants are awarded to projects that align with state and national goals for increasing the urban forest canopy and its benefits. Also available this grant cycle is an additional $145,000 in federal funding to be used for emerald ash borer treatment and ash tree removals and replacements.

The application deadline is Oct. 2, 2023. For more information, visit the Urban Forestry Grants webpage.

If you have questions regarding the application process and eligible projects, contact your DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator.

Please note: The DNR was recently allocated $4.875 million in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding. We expect to competitively sub-award most of this allocation to local governments, tribal governments and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations through our grant program to fund projects that support equitable access to trees and the benefits they provide in disadvantaged communities across Wisconsin. We will be sharing more information about the IRA funding soon.

The Power Of Progeny: White Oak Initiative

Posted on by ryoungfluur
Group of people examining a freshly-planted white oak seedling outside

DNR reforestation team leader Joe Vande Hey assists his crew with planting white oak seedlings on a plot in Prairie du Chien.

In the fall of 2021, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reforestation team, along with their forestry peers and seasoned seed collectors, were tasked with collecting acorns from the best white oaks across the state as part of the ongoing efforts of the White Oak Initiative, a coalition working on the long-term sustainability of white oak for habitat, recreational activities and industries using oak for forest products.

In total, 39 half-gallon samples of white oak acorns were collected in Wisconsin and part of Iowa. The acorns were processed at Wisconsin state nurseries in late 2021, then shipped to the White Oak Genetics and Tree Improvement Program (WOGTIP) at the University of Kentucky in partnership with the White Oak Initiative.

Prime white oak acorns were collected from a total of 17 states participating in a white oak progeny test implemented by WOGTIP. This research aims to create genetically improved white oak seed orchards across the eastern U.S., including Wisconsin. These high-performing seed orchards will provide a reliable, known source of superior white oak seed for use in forest products industries, such as whiskey distilleries.

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2024 DNR Urban Forestry Grant Application Period Opening Soon

Posted on by patricialindquist

Applications for Urban Forestry Grants are opening soon!

Beginning June 30, 2023, cities, villages, towns, counties, tribes and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in or conducting their project in Wisconsin can apply for a regular or startup 2024 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 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. Grants are awarded to projects that align with state and national goals for increasing the urban forest canopy and its benefits. Also available this grant cycle is an additional $145,000 in federal funding to be used for emerald ash borer treatment and ash tree removals and replacements.

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Grant Opportunity Funds Nature-Based Solutions To Promote Resilient Transportation

Posted on by patricialindquist

The PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program is a new grant opportunity available through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration. PROTECT stands for Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient and Cost-Saving Transportation.

This new program funds projects addressing the climate resilience of transportation systems, including improving highways, public transportation, ports and intercity passenger rail. Selected projects will use innovative and collaborative approaches to risk reduction through the use of nature-based solutions, including conservation, restoration or construction of shade trees, native vegetation, bioswales, marshes, wetlands, breakwaters, reefs and dunes. These methods will help reduce heat impacts, flood risks, erosion and wave damage while also creating habitat, filtering pollutants and providing recreational benefits. 

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Invasive Plant Control Database

Posted on by patricialindquist

Photo credit: Joseph O’Brien, USDA Forest Service, bugwood.org

Are you looking for information on how to control buckthorn, honeysuckle or garlic mustard? The Invasive Plant Control Database from the Midwest Invasive Plant Network is a terrific resource for learning about the most effective chemical and non-chemical control methods for dozens of invasive plants in the Midwest.

Information was collected from both scientific literature and expert opinions and summarized by the Midwest Invasive Plant Network in partnership with the Mark Renz Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For each species, information was reviewed by four individuals, including two who identified as experts on control of that species.

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Willow Identification And Management Class

Posted on by patricialindquist

Riveredge Nature Center in Saukville, located in southeastern Wisconsin, is offering a class on willow identification and management on Friday, June 23, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Expand your restoration skillsets by getting past the Genus Salix to further your understanding of willow species identification, their habitat needs and their importance for pollinators. Follow Zach Khron and Matt Smith into off-trail areas of Riveredge’s uncommon habitats to find willow populations, identify at the species level and discuss management. We will start our day in the lab to review herbarium specimens and end it in the field.

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Madison Welcomes New City Forester

Posted on by patricialindquist

The city of Madison is happy to announce Ian Brown as the new City of Madison Forester.

Brown will lead the Streets Division’s Urban Forestry section. He joins the city after 17 years of public urban forestry experience, most recently as a Forestry District Manager for the city of Milwaukee for the past 7 years.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota – Morris in biology and a Master of Science in natural resource management with a focus in urban forestry from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point.

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