Beech blight aphids are found on a beech twig at Kohler-Andrae State Park in Sheboygan County, Sept 5, 2025. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
By Bill McNee, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Oshkosh
Bill.McnNe@wisconsin.gov
Late summer and fall is the time of year when fluffy “beech blight aphids” become very noticeable on American beech trees (Fagus grandifolia) in the eastern quarter of Wisconsin, where the tree species occurs.
These large aphids grow white, waxy filaments from their abdomens and feed in a colony on the branches of beech trees. When disturbed, they all shake their abdomens in an attempt to scare off predators. This behavior has led to the insect being commonly known as the “boogie woogie aphid.”
Continue reading “Beech Blight Aphids Visible In Eastern Wisconsin”
The grants range from $1,000 to $25,000, and grant recipients must match each grant dollar for dollar. A startup grant of up to $5,000 is available for communities that want to start or restart a community forestry program. Grants are awarded to projects that align with state and national goals for increasing the urban forest canopy and the benefits it provides. These grants do not subsidize routine forestry activities. In total, $559,680 is currently available in regular and startup grant funding for 2026.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a webinar to help you develop a competitive urban forestry grant application. This webinar will guide you through the application form so you can submit a strong application that aligns with the DNR’s Urban Forestry Program funding priorities.
The Urban and Community Forestry Society (UCFS) Industry Trends committee – charged with monitoring the issues impacting your work – is seeking information on your experiences with insurance companies and urban tree canopy. There is growing evidence that insurance companies are directing the pruning or removal of trees, and the committee wants to fully understand the issue. Your responses to the survey below will help compile stories and evidence so that UCFS can work with industry partners and draft position statements. 
The DNR’s Reforestation Program needs red and white pine cones – more specifically, we need the seeds found within those cones for our reforestation needs. The Reforestation Program produces millions of pine seedlings every year at the Wilson State Nursery in Boscobel, and the only way we can produce those seedlings is with seed collected from the fields and forests of Wisconsin. 
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced it is now accepting applications for 
