Witches’ broom on serviceberry. The leaves of this infected shrub are dying because of prolific spore production on their undersides. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
By Tim Shively, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Eau Claire
Tim.Shively@wisconsin.gov or 608-772-6974
Witches’ broom is a term that describes a disease of many different plants. It’s a distinctive, abnormal growth typically caused by a pathogen — though in some cases it can result from insect feeding.
The namesake symptom appears as abnormally dense clusters of stunted shoots, branches, and foliage that strongly resemble a witch’s broom from storybooks and folklore. In Wisconsin, this is not often a critical forest health concern that merits management action, but Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forest Health staff recently observed widespread incidence of two particular witches’ broom diseases.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a webinar to help you develop a competitive urban forestry grant application. This webinar will guide you through the application form so you can submit a strong application that aligns with the DNR’s Urban Forestry Program funding priorities.
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. 
The 
