
Dieback discovered on red cedar branches in Beloit (Rock County) in August 2025. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
By River Mathieu, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Fitchburg
River.Mathieu@wisconsin.gov or 608-772-2758
In August, random branch dieback was observed by a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources forester on red cedars in a 10-acre stand near Beloit in Rock County.
At first, the pattern of dieback was perplexing. Based on a photograph, the damage was first presumed to be caused by a fungal disease. Once a site visit was conducted, it was determined that the branch dieback was caused by cicada oviposition (egg-laying) damage from last year’s emergence of periodical cicadas.
Continue reading “Periodical Cicada Damage Still Visible In Some Areas”

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 



