Statewide Forest Health

Oak Moth Outbreaks May Have Peaked In North

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By Paul Cigan, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Hayward;
Paul.Cigan@wisconsin.gov or 715-416-4920

Wide-angle photo showing many oaks across northern Wisconsin with partially defoliated, thin, and yellow-tinted crowns caused by defoliation from the oak leafroller and oak leaftier.

Many oaks across northern Wisconsin displayed partially defoliated, thin, and yellow-tinted crowns caused by defoliation from the oak leafroller and oak leaftier. / Photo Credit: Paul Cigan, Wisconsin DNR

A three-year-long outbreak of oak leafroller moth and oak leaftier moth—two native, early-season oak defoliators—continued this spring in northern Wisconsin, leaving behind tens of thousands of acres of oak-dominated forest with scattered, widespread defoliation.

Partially defoliated, thin and yellow-tinted crowns were visible across portions of Barron, Rusk, Sawyer and Washburn counties, as well as areas in Florence, Forest, northern Marinette and Vilas counties.

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Spongy Moth Status Update

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By Bill McNee, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Oshkosh;
Bill.McNee@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0942

A photo showing several trees with spongy moth defoliation in Marinette County in mid-June 2024.

Spongy moth defoliation in Marinette County in mid-June 2024. / Photo Credit: Darrek Sams, Wisconsin DNR

As of early July, we have seen a mix of live and dead caterpillars and tree defoliation that is typical of a late-stage spongy moth outbreak. Reports of defoliation have been received as far north as Florence County.

Recent aerial surveys in southern Wisconsin spotted defoliation in the same general areas as in 2023, but the defoliation has generally been less intense this year. Information for northern Wisconsin has yet to be made available. Refoliating oaks, growing a second set of pale-looking leaves, were seen in Walworth County in early July.

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Best Disposal Methods For Garlic Mustard

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

Summer can be prime time for invasive plant control, with garlic mustard pulls and many other plant- or location-specific events taking place to confront invasive plants head-on.

Wanting to do your best to help, you might pull garlic mustard along your local hiking trail. But what should you do after you pull it?

Read on for invasive plant disposal tips to ensure you don’t inadvertently do more harm than good with your control efforts.

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Invasives Get The Spotlight On Madison TV

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By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Forest Health Outreach and Communications, Fitchburg
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167

The fight against invasive plant species in Wisconsin’s forests, woods and natural areas got a big boost over the airwaves in June.

WISC-TV (Channel 3 in Madison) produced a news feature on invasives that included an interview and tour with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invasive plant specialist and Natural Heritage Conservation representative Mackenzie Manicki.

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Spongy Moth Egg Mass Surveying Video Released

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By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Forest Health Outreach and Communications, Fitchburg
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Forest Health team joined with the DNR Office of Communications to produce an instructional video aimed at helping large landowners and land managers in the fight against spongy moth.

The video, less than 2 minutes in length, shows how to conduct a survey of spongy moth egg masses in the fall. With that information, people can predict how much damage to expect from the caterpillars in the spring, giving them time to make advance plans for the most effective control options.

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DNR Debuts Fact Sheet On Twolined Chestnut Borer

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By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Forest Health Outreach and Communications, Fitchburg
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167

The Wisconsin Department of Resources (DNR) has debuted a new Forest Health fact sheet on twolined chestnut borer (Agrilus bilineatus), a native beetle that attacks already weakened oaks in Wisconsin.

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Weather Whiplash Affects Pine Stands

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Swath of dead pine due to high water table mortality

A swath of pine dead due to high water table mortality in 2020 in northeast Wisconsin.

By Alex Hornung, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Plover;
Alexandra.Hornung@wisconsin.gov

Many pine stands across central and northeast Wisconsin are being impacted by the change from high levels of precipitation to extreme drought that has occurred over the last 5-7 years.

Drastic or sudden changes can be particularly stressful to trees of all species, but especially to pine stands that prefer well-drained soil types.

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Volunteer Billings Digs Deep In Battle Against Invasives

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By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Forest Health Communications, Fitchburg;
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-335-0167

Andrea Billings insists that she doesn’t do all that much volunteering.

But if most people in Wisconsin regularly put in the time Billings does, a considerable dent would be made in the state’s dealings with invasive plant species.

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Study Shows That Drought Harms Wetter Forests Most

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By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Forest Health Communications, Fitchburg;
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov or 608-3335-0167

The way three California scientists see it, 6.6 million tree rings can’t be wrong.

Their study was published in Science magazine in December 2023 under the title “Drought sensitivity in mesic forests heightens their vulnerability to climate change.”

The scientists studied the annual growth levels revealed by tree rings of 122 species, drawn from 3,775 sites, “to assess trees’ sensitivity to water and energy availability.”

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Wisconsin Expands Trillion Trees Pledge

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By Carmen Hardin, DNR Applied Forestry Bureau Director;
Carmen.Hardin@wisconsin.gov

Photo of seed cleaning equipment at Hayward State Nursery

Existing seed cleaning equipment at Hayward State Nursery is scheduled for an update.

Landowners across the state have stepped up in a big way when it comes to planting trees.

At the end of 2023, more than 32 million trees had been planted and tallied as part of Wisconsin’s Trillion Trees Pledge. The program started in 2021 when Governor Tony Evers committed the state to planting 75 million trees and conserving 125,000 acres of forestland by 2030. Continue reading “Wisconsin Expands Trillion Trees Pledge” →