By Bill McNee, forest health specialist, Oshkosh, bill.mcnee@wisconsin.gov, 920-360-0942
The Division of Forestry has completed a revision of the emerald ash borer silviculture guidelines to help foresters prepare for and respond to the arrival of emerald ash borer (EAB) in a forest stand.
Continue reading “Updated emerald ash borer silviculture guidelines now available”
By Mike Hillstrom, forest health specialist, Fitchburg, Michael.Hillstrom@wisconsin.gov, 608-513-7690
The forest health team has produced four new factsheets since the start of 2020. These resources are designed to be informative, 2-page documents for a wide audience that includes landowners, foresters and natural resource professionals, educators, and more. The new factsheets of 2020 are linked below, and more will be announced as they are finalized:
Please check them out and our other recently updated factsheets about Heterobasidion root disease, oak wilt, conifer bark beetles, and hickory decline and mortality. You can find all of these and more forest health publications in the publications catalogue and on the DNR forest health webpage.
By Bieneke Bron, Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases, UW-Madison
Do you ever wonder why you are always finding ticks on yourself or around you, but your friends never do? Researchers at the University of Wisconsin – Madison have developed a mobile application that allows users to share their experiences with ticks to help prevent future tick bites.
Continue reading “The Tick App! ‘Your Tick Expert On-The-Go!’”
Mike Hillstrom, forest health specialist, Fitchburg, Michael.Hillstrom@wisconsin.gov, 608-513-7690
Eastern tent caterpillars (ETC) are hatching and beginning to feed on host trees in Wisconsin, including cherry, apple and crabapple trees. Landowners and homeowners may notice the white silken tents forming in branch forks. Although the tents are unsightly, ETC is a native insect and rarely causes damage. Even completely defoliated trees will put out new leaves within a few weeks.
Eastern tent caterpillars preparing for a day of feeding on a black cherry tree.
Continue reading “Native caterpillars not a major concern for trees”
By Linda Williams, forest health specialist, Woodruff, Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov, 920-360-0665
Tamarack trees are sending out their needles this spring, and larch casebearer caterpillars are feeding on them. In northern Wisconsin, where the trees didn’t push needles out until the end of May, the caterpillars were impatiently waiting to begin feeding and in some counties the damage is now severe.
Tamarack trees defoliated by larch casebearer will appear straw-colored or tan from a distance. Photo taken May 28 in Oneida County.
Continue reading “Larch casebearer and eastern larch beetle: two problems for tamarack”
By Bernie Williams, invasive plants and earthworms specialist, Madison, Bernadette.Williams@wisconsin.gov, 608-444-6948
As the weather warms up and more of us are out in our gardens digging around, it seems like a good time to learn a few things about those fascinating and beautiful worms you keep encountering.
Nightcrawlers have reddish-pink bodies and can be 6-8 inches long when mature.
Continue reading “All about earthworms: nightcrawler edition”
By Mike Hillstrom, forest health specialist, Fitchburg, Michael.Hillstrom@wisconsin.gov, 608-513-7690
What’s the orange goo on that tree?!
Should I fight or should I flee?
I bet forest health staff can ID!
The spore-producing, slimy, orange gall caused by cedar apple rust fungus.
By Linda Williams, forest health specialist, Woodruff, Linda.Williams@wisconsin.gov, 920-360-0665
Pine tortoise scales are sometimes found at very heavy densities on jack and scotch pine twigs. In Wisconsin they prefer young jack pine trees, inserting their straw-like mouthparts into twigs and sucking out the sap. When populations are high, pine tortoise scale can cause branch mortality and even whole tree decline.
Pine tortoise scales are so plentiful on this twig that they are practically on top of one another.
Continue reading “Pine tortoise scale can cause branch and tree mortality, sooty mold problems”
By Kyoko Scanlon, forest pathologist, Kyoko.Scanlon@wisconsin.gov, 608-235-7532
The Wisconsin DNR recently created a short video on Heterobasidion root disease (HRD) to compliment the updated guidelines that were released in 2019. The 5-minute educational video covers HRD biology, its significance as a tree disease, signs and symptoms, as well as preventative measures that landowners can take to reduce its introduction and spread. This is a great video for forestry professionals, landowners and the general public to learn more about HRD. Continue reading “Educational HRD video now available”
Emerald ash borer (EAB) is an invasive insect from Asia that was first introduced into the United States in 2002. Since its discovery, EAB has caused the death and decline of tens of millions of ash trees. Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is using ash trees against the pest to help preserve and protect the tree species. Staff in the USDA EAB biological control (biocontrol) program are asking Wisconsin landowners in Sheboygan, Fond du Lac and Door counties to help by donating infested ash trees for use in raising wasps that attack and kill EAB.
USDA staff cut a “bark window” in green ash to uncover signs of EAB.
