Buckthorn beneath dead ash trees at Big Foot Beach State Park. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
By Wisconsin DNR
Is buckthorn taking over your urban property? Would you like to be able to determine which plants are doing harm to the native landscape? Are you ready to arm yourself in the fight against invasives?
If so, this day-long workshop is for you!
Continue reading “DNR, UW Offer Fall Invasive Plants Workshops”
A mat of Japanese stiltgrass growing in Rock County, Wisconsin, in July 2025. / Photo Credit: John Zaborsky, University of Wisconsin-Madison Renz Weed Science Lab
By Wisconsin DNR
The harmful invasive plant Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) has been detected in a private woodland near Beloit in Rock County, according to a blog post made Monday by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension.
It is the second detection of the non-native annual grass in Wisconsin. The first took place in 2020, inside the Coulee Experimental Forest in La Crosse County. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been working to eradicate that population.
Continue reading “Invasive Plant Japanese Stiltgrass Detected In Rock County”
By Olivia Witthun, DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator; Olivia.Witthun@wisconsin.gov or 414-750-8744
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is partnering with the UW-Madison Division of Extension to host a series of fall workshops on invasive species plant identification and management. Learn about invasive plants in urban settings, focusing on identification, impacts, management and available resources. Dr. Mark Renz (professor and Extension specialist with UW-Madison) will lead the instruction, with Travis Wilson, Matt Wallrath and John Zabrosky assisting. Each workshop will include morning classroom instruction followed by hands-on field demonstrations in the afternoon. The cost of the workshop is $40 and includes lunch. Continue reading “Invasive Species – Fall Workshops”
*These training opportunities are provided as an information service only and do not constitute an endorsement from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
See below for information on training topics, including biochar, advanced arboriculture, selecting resilient tree species, The National Urban Tree Canopy Application, invasive species, wildlife and educational resources. Continue reading “Upcoming Trainings”
Star-shaped leaves, pale flowers and cucumber fruit, all characteristics of wild cucumber. / Photo Credit: Bugwood.org
By the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Plants that are pokey, viny or quick to spread across the landscape sometimes seem alarming when you discover them in your backyard or woods, or even when you spot them along the highway.
Wild cucumber has all these characteristics, and its growth rate has been quite prolific in some parts of Wisconsin again this year. But all of this is not as ominous as it seems.
Volunteers smile while they spend a busy day pulling garlic mustard from a Wisconsin forested area. Volunteers provide thousands of hours of annual help in the fight against invasive plant species. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
By Mackenzie Manicki, Wisconsin DNR Invasive Plants Specialist
Mackenzie.Manicki@wisconsin.gov or 608-206-4561
June is Invasive Species Action Month in Wisconsin. This tradition of spreading awareness and taking action began back in 2005.
Twenty years ago, the Wisconsin Invasive Species Council collaborated with partners such as the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Invasive Plants Association of Wisconsin (IPAW) to hold the first Invasive Species Action Awards, aimed at recognizing and celebrating professional or volunteer groups and individuals that exemplify what it means to make an impact on invasive species.
Continue reading “Take Action On Invasive Species This Month”
By Wisconsin DNR
With 145 invasive plants regulated under Wisconsin’s Invasive Species Rule NR40, it can be challenging to identify some of these plants while out in the woods.
The task can be further complicated by the presence of native lookalikes – plants that have a similar appearance to harmful invasive species but are actually native plants that benefit wildlife, pollinators and ecosystems in Wisconsin.
Continue reading “Invasives And Imposters: Native Look-Alikes To Know”
The logo for the Silvicast, a podcast hosted by Wisconsin DNR silviculturists Greg Edge and Brad Hutnik and produced by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Wisconsin Forestry Center. / Graphic Credit: UW-Stevens Point
By Art Kabelowsky, Wisconsin DNR Outreach and Communications
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167
They talked about pulling it, smothering it, using herbicide on it, making turkey calls and making curtain rods from it.
They even wondered if they should just “kill it with fire.”
But it seems Midwestern foresters’ never-ending battle against buckthorn requires a brainier approach.
Michael Hillstrom, invasive forest pest coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forest Health team. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
By Wisconsin DNR
Michael Hillstrom, Invasive Forest Pest Coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), will present a public talk on invasive species and forest health on Sunday, June 22.
Hillstrom’s talk will be part of a two-hour presentation, running from 10 a.m. to noon at Lake Kegonsa State Park, 2405 Door Creek Rd., Stoughton. It is open to the public.
The event is one of several statewide gatherings organized by the DNR as part of Invasive Species Awareness Weekend.
Species in the knotweed complex grow very quickly, causing large infestations on roadsides like this one. / Photo Credit: Randy Westbrooks, Invasive Plant Control, Inc., Bugwood.org
By Wisconsin DNR
With the scourge of knotweed about to gear up for another growing season, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering information.
The DNR has created two fact sheets to instruct general and urban landowners on the best control methods for the fast-growing invasive plant.
