Care for your woods

Woodpecker Flecking On Ash Means EAB

Posted on by akabelowsky
Photo showing that woodpecker flecking on green ash and white ash, from birds feeding on emerald ash borer larvae, will often be extensive and very noticeable.

Woodpecker flecking on green ash and white ash, from birds feeding on emerald ash borer larvae, will often be extensive and very noticeable. / Photo Credit: Linda Williams, Wisconsin DNR

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

Ash trees that are flecked by woodpeckers will have the outer layers of their bark chipped off by the birds. Woodpeckers do this to punch through the remaining bark more easily to get at the tasty emerald ash borer (EAB) larvae living there.

Flecking usually starts at the top of the tree, providing a sure sign that insects are under the bark. Although the problem could be caused by ash bark beetles, the more common culprit is EAB.

Continue reading “Woodpecker Flecking On Ash Means EAB” →

McNee To Speak At Green Bay Conference

Posted on by akabelowsky
Photo showing a few periodical cicadas trying to hitch a ride on the T-shirt of Bill McNee, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forest Health specialist for northeast Wisconsin, in 2024 at Big Foot Beach State Park in Lake Geneva.

A few periodical cicadas try to hitch a ride on the T-shirt of Bill McNee, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources forest health specialist for northeast Wisconsin, at Big Foot Beach State Park in Lake Geneva in 2024. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Outreach and Communications, Fitchburg;
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167

Bill McNee, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) forest health specialist for the Southeast region, will give a public presentation on Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Green Bay Winter Landowner Conference.

Continue reading “McNee To Speak At Green Bay Conference” →

Grant Opportunities

Posted on by janness

Five Star And Urban Waters Restoration Grants Due Jan. 30, 2025

The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration grant program seeks to develop community capacity to sustain local natural resources for future generations by providing modest financial assistance to diverse local partnerships focused on improving water quality, watersheds and the species and habitats they support. Continue reading “Grant Opportunities” →

2024 Spongy Moth Review

Posted on by akabelowsky

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

A tree shows high numbers of spongy moth caterpillars, though the majority of the caterpillars have been killed either by virus (hanging in an inverted V) or fungus (hanging in a stretched line, head down). The virus and fungus helped to quell a potential outbreak in many areas of the state in 2024.

A tree shows high numbers of spongy moth caterpillars, though the majority of the caterpillars have been killed either by virus (hanging in an inverted V) or fungus (hanging in a stretched line, head down). The virus and fungus helped to quell a potential outbreak in many areas of the state in 2024. / Photo Credit: Bill McNee, Wisconsin DNR

As the 2023 spongy moth season ended, there were hopes for a return to colder and wetter conditions in 2024 so that the spongy moth outbreak would decline or even come to an end.

What wound up happening in Wisconsin was the “lost winter,” the warmest since recordkeeping began in 1895. Given this warmth, there were concerns that the widespread spongy moth outbreak would continue for a third consecutive summer, with good caterpillar survival, ongoing defoliation and high rates of tree mortality in already stressed forests.

Continue reading “2024 Spongy Moth Review” →

Cooperative Enlists Public To Make Tree Health A Snap

Posted on by akabelowsky

By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Outreach and Communications, Fitchburg;
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167

Screenshot of the main page of the TreeSnap app as seen on a mobile phone.

The main page of the TreeSnap app as seen on a mobile phone. / Photo Credit: TreeSnap.org

It takes more than a village to foster healthy forests. More than a township, a city and a county, too. Sometimes, even more than a state.

That’s why the Great Lakes Basin Forest Health Cooperative (GLB FHC) was formed four years ago by Holden Arboretum in Ohio and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

Geographically, the group’s region encompasses an area from New Jersey to Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is an active member.

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Forest Health and Climate Change Resources

Posted on by akabelowsky

By Carmen Hardin, Director, DNR Applied Forestry Bureau, Rhinelander;
Carmen.Hardin@wisconsin.gov

A graphic shows changing tornado risk trends in the United States from 1980 to 2020. All Wisconsin counties are showing an increase in tornado days.

A graphic shows changing tornado risk trends in the United States from 1980 to 2020. All Wisconsin counties are showing an increase in tornado days. / Map Credit: Inside Climate News, Stephen M. Strader et. al., Nature Magazine

We are often asked difficult questions about our forests, their health and how climate change is impacting them. Here is a curated collection of resources that may help you answer some of those questions. Continue reading “Forest Health and Climate Change Resources” →

Treatment Of EAB Infestations In Yard Trees

Posted on by akabelowsky

By Abby Krause, DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator;
Abigail.Krause@wisconsin.gov or 608-556-5690

This summer’s detection of emerald ash borer (EAB) in Burnett County means our little metallic friend (or should I say foe?) is now known to be present in all 72 Wisconsin counties.

While EAB has been around for the better part of two decades in Wisconsin, many homeowners are still in the thick of dealing with the fallout of this invasive pest.

Continue reading “Treatment Of EAB Infestations In Yard Trees” →

DNR Urban Forestry Grant Update

Posted on by janness

By Nicolle R. Spafford, DNR Urban Forestry Grants Manager; Nicolle.Spafford@wisconsin.gov or 715-896-7099

The 2025 Urban Forestry Grant application deadline was Oct. 1, 2024, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) received 67 applications, totaling over $1 million in funding requests. In total, $629,680 is available in grant funding for 2025. Continue reading “DNR Urban Forestry Grant Update” →