Incorporating Wood Into Biophilic Design

Posted on by Kirsten Held

Part II Of The “Building with Wood” Webinar Series

Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. CT

Hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forest Products Services Team

Did you know that using real wood in your home or living spaces has health benefits? Join us virtually over your lunch break to learn about biophilic design and the many benefits of building with wood. Industry expert, Criswell Davis, will be speaking about why incorporating real, natural wood in our homes, hospitals and other businesses is the path to a more sustainable future.

Register for the free webinar by visiting the link here.

About the Speaker:


Criswell Davis, President of Mighty Oaks Consulting in Louisville, Kentucky, is the founding director of the Timber & Forestry Foundation, which promotes sustainable North American hardwoods to the design community and consumers across the United States. Criswell has been in the hardwood lumber business for more than 32 years and has presented to more than 7,000 architects, designers and students worldwide over 12 years.

 

This event is supported by a U.S. Forest Service Landscape Scale Restoration Grant. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

USDA COVID-19 Assistance For Timber Harvesters And Haulers

Posted on by Kirsten Held

On Tuesday, July 20, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would provide up to $200 million in relief funds for timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses that have experienced losses due to COVID-19.

Loggers and truckers can apply for assistance from July 22 through Oct. 15, 2021. To be eligible for the assistance money, timber harvesting and hauling businesses must have experienced a gross revenue loss of 10% or more between Jan. 1 and Dec. 1, 2020, compared to the period of Jan. 1 to Dec. 1, 2019.

A further explanation of the available financial assistance, complete with program details and application instructions, can be found on the USDA’s website.

Wisconsin’s Forest Resource: Past, Present And Future

Posted on by Kirsten Held

By Collin Buntrock, DNR Forest Products Team Leader and Brian Anderson, DNR Forest Inventory Analyst

Forests are an essential part of Wisconsin’s past and present. Wisconsin’s forests cover over 40% of the total land area, encompassing nearly 17 million acres. Since the cutover of the 19th and early 20th centuries, Wisconsin’s forests have been expanding consistently in acreage, volume and annual growth rate. Those trends largely continue today.

The U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program has taken inventories of Wisconsin’s forests — and the nation’s forests as a whole — since the 1930s. This inventory program provides critical information on Wisconsin’s forests to inform how we manage, utilize, and conserve our forestland. The U.S. Forest Service administered this annual program in close cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Division of Forestry.

Since 1968, Wisconsin has provided funding to intensify the inventory by doubling the number of permanent plots from which data are collected. This offers more reliable data on areas smaller than on a statewide basis. It is critical in a landscape like Wisconsin, given the considerable heterogeneity and great number of important forest types.

The data collected through the FIA program can be used in a variety of ways. Uses include: decisions around forest management and planning by a wide array of ownerships; assessing the sustainability of forest management practices like harvest volumes over time; taking stock of trends in forest health such as mortality related to Emerald Ash Borer and oak wilt; and evaluating wildlife habitat conditions at landscape scales such as ruffed grouse habitat. Combined with other data sources, analyses on forest health, harvesting, and species compositional changes provide essential feedback on how we manage our forests and changes we should note. Continue reading “Wisconsin’s Forest Resource: Past, Present And Future” →

Preliminary Seedling Availability: Spring 2022

Posted on by Kirsten Held

Proper tree planting requires a lot of decision-making. One of those decisions is which species and age are the most appropriate and cost-effective to plant. The Wisconsin Reforestation Program would like to take some of the unknowns out of that process by giving landowners and property managers an early peek at what we anticipate having available in fall 2021 for planting in spring 2022.

This list is preliminary, as some species may be added or subtracted depending on health, growth and other factors as the growing season progresses. Tree and shrub seedlings will be available to purchase on the first Monday of October (Oct. 4, 2021). Even with the expected high demand, we anticipate having various species and ages available to all customers.

The quantity designations are relative to a particular species based on historical sales and projected demand. For example, typically white pine 3-0 sales are about 250,000 seedlings. In 2022, the available quantity, due to several factors, including increased demand in 2021 for 2-year-old seedlings and a lower than anticipated seed germination in 2020, is approximately 75% of the anticipated need. Hence the quantity will be referred to as “limited.” In contrast, our balsam fir had an above-average germination, are growing great and the inventory is above the projected sales, hence an “adequate” quantity designation.

  Continue reading “Preliminary Seedling Availability: Spring 2022” →

Emerald Ash Borer Identified In Iron County For The First Time

Posted on by patricialindquist

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

Emerald ash borer (EAB) has been detected for the first time in Iron County, in the Town of Oma. Many of the black ash at this site are already dead, with other trees still declining. EAB was first identified in Wisconsin in 2008 and has now been found in 60 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties.

Did you know that it takes fewer EAB larvae to attack and kill a black ash compared to a green ash or white ash? This means that black ash will have fewer galleries under the bark and consequently less woodpecker flecking than you would typically see with green ash or white ash. 

EAB was federally deregulated as of Jan. 14, 2021 and Wisconsin instituted a state-wide quarantine in 2018, so there are no regulatory changes due to this find. Emerald ash borer silviculture guidelines were created to help landowners make decisions about management in their woods. All forest sites are a bit different and it can be overwhelming to try to decide what management, if any, should be done in your stand and these guidelines are designed to help answer those questions.

Continue reading “Emerald Ash Borer Identified In Iron County For The First Time” →

Be On The Lookout For Forest Tent Caterpillar

Posted on by patricialindquist

By Paul Cigan, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Hayward, Paul.Cigan@wisconsin.gov or 715-416-4920; and Bill McNee, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Oshkosh, Bill.McNee@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0942

Forest tent caterpillar (FTC) may be making its way back onto the radar of northern Wisconsin property owners in the coming years, as some confirmed reports of defoliation in northern counties have trickled in. A native defoliator with a preference for aspen, oak and birch, this species undergoes periodic population outbreaks every six to 16 years. Widespread outbreaks can last for several years, causing heavy defoliation, reduced growth and temporary stress on affected trees. The last widespread outbreak ended in 2002.

Many forest tent caterpillars gathered together on a tree.

Forest tent caterpillar larvae displaying gregarious behavior on tree stem. Photo credit: Dane Gravesen

Continue reading “Be On The Lookout For Forest Tent Caterpillar” →

Spruce Budworm, Balsam Fir Sawfly, And Yellowheaded Spruce Sawfly

Posted on by patricialindquist

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

The spruce budworm outbreak continues this year, but the amount of visible defoliation is generally lower than last year. Some areas of the Northwoods have severe defoliation this year, but in many other areas, the amount of new, green foliage far exceeds the amount of defoliation.

In areas where the defoliation appears less severe, you can still find plenty of caterpillars, but the new foliage is less eaten than anticipated. The late spring frost/freeze may have killed some caterpillars, or the long cool spring may have delayed bud-break enough that the caterpillars did most of their feeding on older foliage before the new foliage expanded. 

The spruce budworm outbreak in Wisconsin started in 2012, and outbreaks typically last about 10 years.  Mortality of balsam fir trees started to show up last year following several years of significant defoliation. Even with new growth on the trees this year, they may continue to decline, and mortality could still occur. 

Spruce branches showing defoliation, older needles and new, bright green needles.

Defoliation is still present, but there is lots of new growth on balsam fir this year in many areas of northern Wisconsin.

Continue reading “Spruce Budworm, Balsam Fir Sawfly, And Yellowheaded Spruce Sawfly” →

Aphids, Scales And Spittlebugs, Oh My!

Posted on by patricialindquist

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

This seems to be a good year for aphids, scales, spittlebugs and other insects that suck the sap of trees. 

Large conifer aphids have been observed on white pine, jack pine and balsam fir. These large, dark colored aphids insert their mouthparts into the twig and suck the sap. They are often guarded fiercely by ants because aphids excrete a waste product called honeydew that ants collect as food. Sooty mold can grow on honeydew so when it covers the twigs and needles of the trees it makes them look darker than normal. Sooty mold is a problem because it limits the ability of those needles to photosynthesize, which can put the tree under stress if it occurs over multiple years. 

If you have just a few colonies of these aphids, there is no control necessary as tree health shouldn’t be affected. If more than 30% of the branches have ant colonies present, or you’re noticing a buildup of sooty mold, you can spray the aphids with a pesticide or a soapy water mixture. Natural enemies, including ladybugs and lacewings, can be very effective at reducing aphid populations. But if ants are guarding the aphids, it can be difficult for natural enemies to work effectively, so controlling the ants may be necessary.

Aphids on balsam fir. There are several ants in this photo that are tending the aphids.

Aphids on balsam fir. There are several ants in this photo that are tending the aphids.

Continue reading “Aphids, Scales And Spittlebugs, Oh My!” →

What is growing on that oak tree?

Posted on by patricialindquist

By Todd Lanigan, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Eau Claire, todd.lanigan@wisconsin.gov or 715-210-0150

This time of year, you may be noticing some large growths on oak leaves. You are either seeing oak apple gall and/or wool sower gall. These galls are formed by a small, stingless wasp, known as a Cynipid Wasp. 

For the oak apple gall, when the female lays her egg, she injects a growth regulator that causes the leaf tissue to form around the egg. When the larvae begin to feed for the wool sower gall, this causes the gall to form. The galls in both cases protect the developing wasps from the elements and predators. 

Oak apple galls are round and initially are green in color. Eventually, the gall turns brown as the wasp larva matures inside.

Oak apple gall growing on the underside of a leaf.

An oak apple gall

Continue reading “What is growing on that oak tree?” →