Did you know?

Don’t Spread Invasive Plants This Hunting Season

Posted on by akabelowsky

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

Photo of a hunter walking through a field.

Whether you are headed out to a tree stand in your favorite local forest or a duck blind on the shore of your nearby pond, you can take a few easy precautions to help minimize the spread of invasive plants in your favorite hunting spots. / Photo Credit: NAISMA.org

Heading out to your tree stand or hunting blind this fall? Avoid adding invasive species to your hunting party by taking a few simple steps to help protect your woods.

Non-native invasive plants often outcompete native plants in forest environments, degrading diversity and destroying wildlife habitat. Invasive plants can replace local forest species and may interfere with or decrease tree regeneration. They may take over woodlands, prairies and wetlands, and many provide ideal habitats for pests that harm wildlife and people alike.

Continue reading “Don’t Spread Invasive Plants This Hunting Season” →

Balsam Fir Mortality Similar To 2018 And 2020

Posted on by akabelowsky

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

Photo of balsam fir tree prematurely turning brown and red.

Scattered balsam fir trees in the Northwoods have suddenly turned brown and red this spring. / Photo Credit: Linda Williams, Wisconsin DNR

Scattered balsam fir trees in some areas of northern Wisconsin have suddenly turned rusty red to brown and are dying. These trees are not being impacted by spruce budworm and typically die with a full complement of needles.

The symptoms resemble what was observed in 2018 and 2020. So far, the number of trees being reported is smaller than what was seen in 2018 or 2020. Reports are still coming in, but they seem to be concentrated in northern areas of the state where we had extensive snowfall in late winter.

Continue reading “Balsam Fir Mortality Similar To 2018 And 2020” →

Yard Waste: Not For The Woods

Posted on by akabelowsky

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

Photo of garden waste dumped along an ATV trail in a Wisconsin state forest.

This garden waste was dumped along an ATV trail in a state forest and can be a pathway for invasive plants and diseases that affect our public lands. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

When a pile of more than 500 pounds of uncooked pasta was found in the woods in New Jersey in early May, no one was quite sure why or how the piles had appeared — but it was clear that they didn’t belong there.

Whether spaghetti noodles, broken electronics or old furniture, some things shouldn’t be in our woods, waters or roadsides, no matter the reason.

Though it may seem obvious that you should avoid dumping these types of waste in your local woods, some items aren’t as straightforward.

Continue reading “Yard Waste: Not For The Woods” →

Balsam Fir Mortality Similar To 2018 And 2020

Posted on by akabelowsky
Picture of dying balsam fir in Northwoods of Wisconsin.

Scattered balsam fir trees in the Northwoods have suddenly turned brown and red this spring. Photo Credit: Linda Williams, Wisconsin DNR

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

Scattered balsam fir trees in some areas of northern Wisconsin have suddenly turned a rusty red or brown color and are dying. These trees are not being impacted by spruce budworm and typically die with a full complement of needles.

These symptoms are similar to those observed in 2018 and 2020. So far, the number of impacted trees reported is smaller than what was seen in 2018 or 2020. While reports of affected trees are still coming in, they seem to be concentrated in northern areas of the state that experienced extensive snowfall in late winter.

Continue reading “Balsam Fir Mortality Similar To 2018 And 2020” →

Hemlock Being Defoliated By Spruce Budworm

Posted on by akabelowsky
Photo of spruce budworm eating hemlock needles.

Spruce budworm defoliation this spring on hemlock makes the trees look thin. Photo Credit: Linda Williams, Wisconsin DNR

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

Spruce budworm is finished feeding for the year, but the damage from the insects is still being observed.

Spruce budworm prefers to feed on balsam fir and spruce, but a previous newsletter article noted that tamarack had been observed as 100% defoliated by spruce budworm. More recently, stands of hemlock with moderate to severe defoliation were also identified.

Continue reading “Hemlock Being Defoliated By Spruce Budworm” →

Maple Petiole Borer Causes Leaves To Drop

Posted on by akabelowsky

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

Photo of maple leaf found on the ground with broken petiole (leafstalk).

A green maple leaf found on the ground with a broken petiole (leafstalk) due to damage by the maple petiole borer. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR.

Some sugar maple trees in the northern half of Wisconsin experienced leaves dropping to the ground this spring.

These leaves were green and had no apparent areas of damage, but they covered the ground under some trees. A closer look showed these leaves had short petioles (leafstalks) that had been broken off when they fell, which indicates a tiny sawfly larva called maple petiole borer was to blame.

Continue reading “Maple Petiole Borer Causes Leaves To Drop” →

Acorn Pip Galls, Woolly Catkin Galls All The Same

Posted on by akabelowsky

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

Photo of acorns showing small pip galls.

Pip galls are small, tongue-like protrusions emerging from under the caps of acorns. / Photo Credit: Linda Williams, Wisconsin DNR.

Gall wasp life cycles can be complex. Did you know that acorn pip galls, which I’ve written about several times, have another part of their life cycle that is entirely different? This stage is called the woolly catkin gall.

Both woolly catkin galls and acorn pip galls are caused by Callirhytis quercusoperator, a species of cynipid gall wasp. This gall wasp takes two years to complete development by going through the two parts of its life cycle. Both parts of the life cycle are completed on northern red oak in our area.

Continue reading “Acorn Pip Galls, Woolly Catkin Galls All The Same” →

Invasive Plant Control Database

Posted on by patricialindquist

Photo credit: Joseph O’Brien, USDA Forest Service, bugwood.org

Are you looking for information on how to control buckthorn, honeysuckle or garlic mustard? The Invasive Plant Control Database from the Midwest Invasive Plant Network is a terrific resource for learning about the most effective chemical and non-chemical control methods for dozens of invasive plants in the Midwest.

Information was collected from both scientific literature and expert opinions and summarized by the Midwest Invasive Plant Network in partnership with the Mark Renz Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For each species, information was reviewed by four individuals, including two who identified as experts on control of that species.

Continue reading “Invasive Plant Control Database” →

Are Native Trees The Right Fit For Our Downtowns?

Posted on by patricialindquist

By Kim Ballard, Project Canopy, kim.ballard@maine.gov

Photo credit: David Lee, bugwood.org

This article was first published on the website of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry. Reprinted with permission.

As urban foresters, we are often asked, “Why do you recommend planting a non-native tree in front of my house/on my sidewalk/in that parking lot?” The question is complex and has as many answers as there are environments in Maine. But it all boils down to “right tree, right place.”

Maine is the most forested state in the nation. Along with our beloved state tree, the eastern white pine, our forests are full of sugar maple, red oak, white birch and eastern hemlock. If you get a chance to wander through these native woods, you’ll notice that the shady air is cooler, moister and perhaps not as breezy as the air around your neighborhood sidewalks. Trees planted in our downtowns face a whole host of conditions – solar reflection, drought, soil compaction, road salt, tunneling winds that forest trees rarely encounter. Can you imagine a majestic white pine on Congress Street in Portland? Even if it could survive, it certainly wouldn’t be very happy. Our downtowns are NOT native spaces, and they cannot support our native species appropriately.

Continue reading “Are Native Trees The Right Fit For Our Downtowns?” →