The annual WAA/DNR Urban Forestry Conference will again be held at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. More information will be available soon! Continue reading “Save The Date: Feb. 15-17, 2026 – WAA/DNR Annual Urban Forestry Conference”
Networking At Riveredge Nature Center
By Olivia Witthun, DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator; Olivia.Witthun@wisconsin.gov or 414-750-8744
Tree managers met at Riveredge Nature Center (RNC) for a networking meeting/field tour at the end of July. RNC is located in Saukville, ground zero for Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Wisconsin, which was discovered in 2008.
The indoor portion of the meeting consisted of updates from DNR Urban Forestry and Forest Health staff. There was also time for open sharing amongst attendees and an overview by Matt Smith (RNC) about what we’d be seeing in the field. Continue reading “Networking At Riveredge Nature Center”
Trees And Insurance Survey
The Urban and Community Forestry Society (UCFS) Industry Trends committee – charged with monitoring the issues impacting your work – is seeking information on your experiences with insurance companies and urban tree canopy. There is growing evidence that insurance companies are directing the pruning or removal of trees, and the committee wants to fully understand the issue. Your responses to the survey below will help compile stories and evidence so that UCFS can work with industry partners and draft position statements. Continue reading “Trees And Insurance Survey”
The DNR Reforestation Program Needs Seeds
By Jeremiah Auer, DNR Regeneration Specialist; Jeremiah.Auer@wisconsin.gov
The DNR’s Reforestation Program needs red and white pine cones – more specifically, we need the seeds found within those cones for our reforestation needs. The Reforestation Program produces millions of pine seedlings every year at the Wilson State Nursery in Boscobel, and the only way we can produce those seedlings is with seed collected from the fields and forests of Wisconsin. Continue reading “The DNR Reforestation Program Needs Seeds”
American Forests Launches Tree Equity Coaching Network
The American Forests National Coaching Network is a community for urban foresters, community advocates, city leaders and allied professionals to connect, learn, inspire and cultivate city commitments to advance tree equity. This network is a way for people to address challenges and build their tools and resources. Continue reading “American Forests Launches Tree Equity Coaching Network”
DNR Now Accepting Applications For Wisconsin Urban Forestry Catastrophic Storm Grants
By Nicolle Spafford, DNR Urban Forestry Grant Manager; Nicolle.Spafford@wisconsin.gov or 715-896-7099
APPLICATIONS DUE OCT. 10
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced it is now accepting applications for Wisconsin Urban Forestry Catastrophic Storm Grants. Please note: The Urban Forestry Catastrophic Storm Grant CANNOT cover damage caused by water saturation due to flooding.
This round of grant funding became available through Executive Order #272, signed by Gov. Tony Evers on Aug. 11, 2025 declaring a state of emergency for the date of Aug. 9, 2025 due to recent severe weather across Wisconsin. Continue reading “DNR Now Accepting Applications For Wisconsin Urban Forestry Catastrophic Storm Grants”
Upcoming Trainings
*These training opportunities are provided as an information service only and do not constitute an endorsement from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
See below for information on training topics, including Z133 updates, urban tree lifespan, maintaining urban trees on private lands, conferences and watering. Continue reading “Upcoming Trainings”
Invasive Plant Japanese Stiltgrass Detected In Rock County
A mat of Japanese stiltgrass growing in Rock County, Wisconsin, in July 2025. / Photo Credit: John Zaborsky, University of Wisconsin-Madison Renz Weed Science Lab
By Wisconsin DNR
The harmful invasive plant Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) has been detected in a private woodland near Beloit in Rock County, according to a blog post made Monday by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension.
It is the second detection of the non-native annual grass in Wisconsin. The first took place in 2020, inside the Coulee Experimental Forest in La Crosse County. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been working to eradicate that population.
Continue reading “Invasive Plant Japanese Stiltgrass Detected In Rock County”
Native Sawyer Beetles Resemble Asian Longhorned Beetle
Two closeup photos show the similarities and differences between an adult Asian longhorned beetle, left, with spots all over its back and striped antennae; and an adult whitespotted sawyer beetle, right, with one white spot beneath its head and between its wings.
By Michael Hillstrom, DNR Invasive Forest Pest Coordinator
Michael.Hillstrom@wisconsin.gov
More than 300 species of longhorn beetles inhabit the Midwest. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) posted about one species, the invasive Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), on social media in early July.
Forest Health staff received many photos of potential ALB as a result. Fortunately, none of the photos were of ALB – which has yet to be detected in Wisconsin.
By far, the most common insect seen in the submitted photographs was a native longhorn species called the whitespotted sawyer beetle (Monochamus scutellatus), also known as a pine sawyer beetle.
Continue reading “Native Sawyer Beetles Resemble Asian Longhorned Beetle”
Monitor Your Trees For Spongy Moth-Related Decline And Mortality
A photo taken June 20, 2025, shows dead and dying oaks near Whitewater Lake in Walworth County, following a period of defoliation and summer drought. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
By Bill McNee, DNR Forest Health Specialist
Bill.McNee@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0942
Property owners are encouraged to monitor their trees for signs of decline and mortality, as the last few years have been marked by drought and spongy moth defoliation.
Landowners who have oak, birch, crabapple, aspen, willow, tamarack and basswood (linden) trees should be particularly watchful, because the caterpillars of this invasive insect prefer these species. Many other tree species are not preferred by the caterpillars and are less likely to be heavily defoliated, but are more likely to die if heavy defoliation should happen.
This article focuses on oak impacts.
The 2021-24 spongy moth outbreak has now collapsed statewide; no defoliation has been observed as of late July 2025. Only a few reports of single caterpillars were received by Wisconsin DNR Forest Health staff. (Note: Parts of Wisconsin may be experiencing a continuing outbreak of different caterpillars known as “oak leafroller” and “larch casebearer.”)
Continue reading “Monitor Your Trees For Spongy Moth-Related Decline And Mortality”