Disease

Oak wilt found in Price County, plus prevention steps

Posted on by colleenrobinson
This map shows the known distribution of oak wilt in Wisconsin by county and townships as of December 1, 2016.

Map of the known distribution of oak wilt in Wisconsin as of December 1, 2016.

Oak wilt, a deadly fungal disease affecting red oaks, was confirmed for the first time in Price County in 2016. In addition to the new county find, the disease was also confirmed in various townships in northern Wisconsin counties where we already knew oak wilt was present.

The map in the oak harvesting guidelines was updated based on the find.

Oak wilt is commonly found in the southern two-thirds of the state, but has been creeping northward. The disease was found for the first time in 2010 in Oneida County, in 2012 in Lincoln, Sawyer, and Vilas counties, in 2013 in Rusk County, and in 2014 in Washburn County. Oak wilt has been confirmed in all Wisconsin counties except Ashland, Bayfield, Calumet, Door, Douglas, Forest, Iron, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Sheboygan, and Taylor.

Read more about oak wilt prevention in the news release from March 21, 2017: Protect oak trees from oak wilt by waiting until after July to prune.

Written by: Kyoko Scanlon, forest pathologist, Fitchburg (Kyoko.Scanlon@Wisconsin.gov), 608-275-3275.

Financial assistance is available for controlling invasive species.

Posted on by colleenrobinson

Looking for a financial assist in your efforts to control invasive species?

The Wisconsin Invasive Species Council website lists 61 different grant opportunities that are available from Federal and State agencies as well as private foundations. The list is searchable by applicant (tribe, government agency, company, non-profit, individual) and type of invasive organism (plant, animal, aquatic, invertebrate, disease). All but one has a link that takes you to more information or a contact person.

Why not take a few moments to explore these opportunities?

Written by: Michael Putnam, invasive plants program specialist, Madison (Michael.Putnam@wisconsin.gov), 608-266-7596.

Stump treatment to prevent heterobasidion root disease (Annosum)

Posted on by colleenrobinson
Applying a preventative treatment to a fresh pine stump using a backpack sprayer.

Applying a preventative treatment to a fresh pine stump using a backpack sprayer. Photo by: Linda Williams, WI DNR.

There are currently two products available to treat fresh pine stumps to prevent new infections of heterobasidion root disease (HRD), which was previously called annosum. The products are Cellu-Treat and Rotstop-C. Both are water soluble and can be sprayed on the stump. Sporax, a granular/powder product, was previously available but is no longer being manufactured. If you still have a supply of Sporax you can continue to use it. The one-page factsheet on HRD (Annosum) has been updated with information on where to purchase the available products.

For more information on Cellu-Treat and Rotstop-C please check out these websites:

Written by: Kyoko Scanlon, forest pathologist, Fitchburg (Kyoko.Scanlon@Wisconsin.gov), 608-275-3275.

EAB detection continues to grow in urban areas

Posted on by Ellen Clark

EAB is an invasive pest that continues to expand and affect more communities in Wisconsin. EAB affects ash trees, which are prevalent in Wisconsin’s urban forests. Communities have been, and continue to create plans to mitigate EAB infestation. Currently, there are 268 communities with known EAB detections. Unfortunately, Wisconsin has far surpassed the former record for most municipal detections in a single year, 86 this year versus 52 in 2015. Continue reading “EAB detection continues to grow in urban areas” →