The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory, based in Madison, is now offering a free newsletter to interested subscribers.
The newsletter covers a variety of topics related to forest products research and can be accessed online on the USDA Forest Service website.
To sign up for the newsletter, go to the bottom of the linked webpage under the heading “Sign Up for Our Newsletter” and enter your contact information.
A truck hauls logs out of a site. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
The American Hardwood Assured framework provides a means of determining “jurisdictional risk assessment of legal compliance.”
Wisconsin’s results are positive and indicate a low level of risk in the forestry, logging, and forest products sectors.
To read the full results for Wisconsin and other states, visit the Risk Assessments webpage.
Various panels of cross-laminated timber, made from Eastern white pine grown in Wisconsin by Michigan Technological University, awaits a return trip to Madison, Wisconsin, for testing at the USDA Forest Products Laboratory. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
Lake States Lumber Association 2026 Trainings (visit their website as dates near for more information):
Trees bent from the weight of heavy snow following a Thanksgiving-week blizzard in northern Wisconsin. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
By Paul Cigan, DNR Forest Health Specialist
Paul.Cigan@wisconsin.gov or 715-416-4920
This year’s Thanksgiving holiday brought with it not only a hearty meal and a few good hunting stories to tell around the family table, but also a heavy fixing of blizzard-like conditions. The storm caused a real stretch to the proverbial beltline of many trees that were left heavily bent over in its wake.
On the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 25, a potent winter storm moved across northwestern Wisconsin, bringing with it freezing rain that transitioned to heavy, wet snow as temperatures dipped overnight.
Then, on Nov. 28-29, southern Wisconsin experienced its own potent dose of early winter snow when a second large snowstorm moved through, bringing heavy snowfall but with more limited damage.
Workers follow the practice of pressure-washing the tires and frames of a tractor to rid the vehicle of possible invasive plants after a workday in the forest. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Outreach and Communications
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167
The North American Invasives Species Management Association (NAISMA) has organized a series of activities to take place as part of its National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW), set for Feb. 23 through 27.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will participate by presenting a news release and daily social media posts in the days leading up to the start of NISAW’s 2026 activities.
A stack of discarded Christmas trees awaits processing at a drop-off facility. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
By Wisconsin DNR
An article in the January edition of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Forest Health News contained some incorrect information on the disposal of wreaths, trees, boughs and other holiday decorations.
The article focused on disposing holiday plant matter in ways that avoided the spread of invasive insects, seeds and spores that can spread to harm trees, plants and habitats.
Continue reading “Correction On Plans For Discarding Holiday Decorations”
This northern red oak has many large Phomopsis galls. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
By Linda Williams, DNR Forest Health Specialist
Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0665
Winter is a great time to admire the structure of trees. When they are without leaves, you can see how the branches are arranged, how large or small the branches are, and if they are fairly straight or contorted. You might also notice some swellings or growths on those branches.
Two types that can really make a statement are Phomopsis and black knot.
Continue reading “Phomopsis, Black Knot Easily Found In Winter”
By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Outreach and Communications
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167
Wisconsin DNR Forest Health specialist Bill McNee presents a hazard tree training talk to other DNR workers at Lizard Mound State Park in 2023. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
Did any of your trees explode during the recent cold snap? Likely not.
Social media — and some traditional news outlets — grabbed hits and headlines by warning folks that the January cold snap could spark a phenomenon they called “exploding trees.”
But Bill McNee, an Oshkosh-based Forest Health specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), was there to prune the branches of the fast-growing viral story.
Continue reading “Forest Health Specialists Spread The News”
The cooperative agreement between the USDA Forest Service and the Davey Tree Expert Company, which typically funds the delivery of i-Tree, has been indefinitely halted. Without this funding, maintenance for i-Tree will be impacted and the tools could eventually cease to function.
By Elton Rogers, DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator
Elton.Rogers@wisconsin.gov or 414-294-8675
To best answer the titular question, I like to start by flipping the question on its head: When is the worst time to prune trees?
To answer this reworded question, we first need to acknowledge that “pruning is wounding.” Anytime you cut off a living portion of a tree, you are doing two main things:
