Care for your woods

Forget About Planting Forget-me-nots

Posted on by akabelowsky

By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh Service Center;
Erika.SegersonMueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391

Wide-angle photo of a forest road covered by a blanket of Woodland forget-me-not.

A forest road is covered by a blanket of Woodland forget-me-not. / Photo Credit: Caleb Slemmons, National Ecological Observatory Network, Bugwood.org

These easy-to-grow, sweet-sounding, small blue flowers may seem appealing, but you should forget about forget-me-nots. A garden plant frequently found in mixed bouquets, forget-me-nots can easily escape the confines of a garden and spread aggressively.

There are two species regulated as invasives in Wisconsin: an Aquatic forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpiodes) and Woodland forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica). Both species are restricted under Wisconsin’s Invasive Species Rule NR40, so control is encouraged if they are found on your property. These species cannot be transferred, transported or introduced without a permit.

Both the aquatic and woodland species of forget-me-not bloom in early spring and can share many visual characteristics. Continue reading “Forget About Planting Forget-me-nots” →

Sign Up For Oak Wilt Vector Emergence Emails

Posted on by akabelowsky

By Kyoko Scanlon, Forest Pathologist, Fitchburg;
Kyoko.Scanlon@wisconsin.gov

With the recent warm-up and little snow on the ground in February, you may wonder if the insects responsible for transmitting oak wilt (oak wilt vectors) may emerge earlier this spring.

Though it is impossible to know precisely when they emerge, there is a tool that can be used to help you ease your anxiety a bit.

Continue reading “Sign Up For Oak Wilt Vector Emergence Emails” →

‘In The Weeds’ With Invasives Tech

Posted on by akabelowsky

By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh;
Erika.SegersonMueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391

Photo of popular garden plants including tulips and daffodils.

While not native to the Midwest, popular garden plants such as tulips and daffodils do not spread outside of gardens or cause harm, therefore they are not invasive. / Photo Credit: Lesley Ingram, Bugwood.org

As the conversation around invasive plants grows, it’s easy to get “stuck in the weeds” when it comes to invasive terminology.

A simple Google search of “invasive plant” will produce a variety of definitions, bringing in technicalities or muddying your understanding with each new idea of what invasive means. Continue reading “‘In The Weeds’ With Invasives Tech” →

Time for Spongy Moth Treatment Plans

Posted on by akabelowsky

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

A photo showing numerous spongy moth egg masses on a bur oak in Walworth County.

Numerous tan-colored spongy moth egg masses on a bur oak in Walworth County. / Photo Credit: Bill McNee, Wisconsin DNR

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages property owners to examine their trees for spongy moth egg masses and determine whether control measures are needed this spring.

Spongy moths thrive in warm and dry weather. Even if weather conditions are more typical this spring and summer, the current spongy moth outbreak — which defoliated a state-record total of 373,000 acres of woodland last year — will likely continue and spread.

Continue reading “Time for Spongy Moth Treatment Plans” →

Invasive Species Find The Spotlight In February

Posted on by akabelowsky

By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh Service Center;
erika.segersonmueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391

Graphic showing home page for NISAW.org-slash-forest, titled Invasive Species Are Damaging Our Forests

One focus for policy development during NISAW 2024 is forest health and invasive plants. NAISMA has created an easy way to contact your elected officials to let them know you support the Invasive Species Prevention and Forest Restoration Act. / Image Credit: NAISMA.org

While February in Wisconsin may bring to mind snow-covered ground and little new plant growth, it’s quite a big month for action in the invasive species world. The last week of February brings National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW), an international event that focuses on legislation, policies and funding for the prevention and management of invasive species.

Continue reading “Invasive Species Find The Spotlight In February” →

Woodpecker Damage On Ash Trees May Indicate Emerald Ash Borer

Posted on by akabelowsky

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

Photo showing woodpecker damage on an ash tree trunk, an early sign the tree might be infested with emerald ash borer.

Woodpecker damage is an early sign an ash tree might be infested with emerald ash borer. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages property owners to watch for woodpecker damage to their ash trees this winter. If damage is found, property owners should make plans to take action in the spring.

Woodpecker damage, often called “flecking,” happens when birds peck away some of a tree’s bark to access the larvae underneath. Flecking is a common early sign that an ash tree might be infested with emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive insect. EAB is the most damaging threat to Wisconsin trees, killing more than 99% of the untreated ash trees it infests.

Continue reading “Woodpecker Damage On Ash Trees May Indicate Emerald Ash Borer” →

Leafminer Creates Green Bay Packers Colors On Aspen Leaves

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Photo of an aspen leaf that fell in the fall showing a “green island” due to leafminer feeding.

An aspen leaf that fell in the fall showing a “green island” due to leafminer feeding. / Photo Credit: Linda Williams, Wisconsin DNR

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

Most aspen leaves that fell this fall were a beautiful yellow gold color, but every so often some could be found that were yellow with a green strip on them. Were the aspen trees supporting the Green Bay Packers? No. The green stripe was an indication of the presence of a tiny leafmining caterpillar.

Leafminers are tiny caterpillars that live and feed within a leaf. These tiny caterpillars may produce blotch mines or serpentine mines that create lines on the leaf.

Continue reading “Leafminer Creates Green Bay Packers Colors On Aspen Leaves” →

Forest Health Forecast For 2024

Posted on by akabelowsky

Paul Cigan, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Hayward;
Paul.Cigan@wisconsin.gov or 715-416-4920

An aerial photo of oak and aspen forests showing heavy defoliation from spongy moth.

Oak and aspen forests with heavy defoliation from spongy moth. Additional defoliation coupled with ongoing drought in the upcoming 2024 growing season is expected to put significant stress on affected forests. / Photo Credit: Paul Cigan, Wisconsin DNR

Maintaining a healthy and productive forest often requires — more than ever before — a working knowledge of how to anticipate, prevent and mitigate environmental stressors that threaten to undermine it. The list of stressors includes drought, impact of forest insects and diseases.

In a recent and timely article, Denise Thornton of My Wisconsin Woods taps the expansive knowledge of the DNR’s Forest Health team and a state climatologist to bring focus to the threats facing forests this year.

She also lists steps that can be taken to ensure health and proactivity are maintained in your forests.

Bronze Birch Borer Attacks Stressed Birch

Posted on by akabelowsky

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

Photo of a white birch tree with its top half dying from bronze birch borer attack.

Bronze birch borer has attacked these trees, and parts of the tree above the attack site are thin and declining. / Photo Credit: Linda Williams, Wisconsin DNR

Bronze birch borer (Agrilus anxius) is a native beetle that attacks birch trees. As adults emerge from the bark, they create small, D-shaped exit holes, similar to emerald ash borer but smaller.

Bronze birch borer attacks stressed trees, and the source of the stress can be anything from drought, flooding, defoliation or old age.

Continue reading “Bronze Birch Borer Attacks Stressed Birch” →

Read All About It: Forest Health Annual Report Published

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By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Forest Health Outreach and Communications Specialist
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167

Graphic showing the front cover of the Wisconsin DNR Forest Health 2023 Annual Report.

The front cover of the Wisconsin DNR Forest Health 2023 Annual Report. / Graphic Credit: Wisconsin DNR

2023 was a busy year for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Forest Health Program. Summaries of activities and progress can be found in the program’s annual report for 2023, which was published on Jan. 31.

The annual report was the last one edited by DNR Invasive Forest Insects Program Coordinator Andrea Diss-Torrance, who retired in late January.

Continue reading “Read All About It: Forest Health Annual Report Published” →