Category Invasive species
Getting to Know Your Forest Health Team: Linda Williams on Spruce budworm
By Denise Thornton Spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) has been causing defoliation in Wisconsin since 2012 according to Linda Williams, Wisconsin DNR forest health specialist. This…
Getting to Know Your Forest Health Team: Alex Feltmeyer on Heterobasidion Root Disease (HRD)
By Denise Thornton If you have conifers growing on your land, you should be aware of Heterobasidion Root Disease (HRD), formerly known as Annosum Root…
Getting to Know Your Forest Health Team: Mary Bartkowiak on Woodland Invasive Species
by Denise Thornton Invasive plants are a constant challenge for anyone working to manage Wisconsin’s forests, and with over 9 million acres of Wisconsin in…
Getting to Know Your Forest Health Team: Bill McNee and The Spongy Moth
Getting to Know Your Forest Health Team: Brenna DeNamur
Ancient Prairie in Wisconsin
Thirteen acres of lush green hillside meadow, tucked away in a cool and quiet valley. What a perfect place to spend a Sunday afternoon, slowly…
Messengers Matter
By Steve Swenson, Program Director As a teenager, Peggy Timmerman would have characterized her mother’s interest in nature as over-enthusiastic. Plants individually labelled…
Emerald Ash Borer Confirmed In Oconto And Shawano Counties
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) forestry staff have confirmed the presence of emerald ash borer (EAB) in the Town of Little Suamico in Oconto…
Invasive to Watch: Japanese Hedge Parsley
What is Japanese hedge parsley? Japanese hedge parsley is a relatively new invasive to Wisconsin. It is a biennial that flowers in mid-summer of the…
Wilting Oaks Need Your Help!
Brown and dying oak leaves mid-summer in green and lush woods. Upon seeing this, landowner Dale Parker contacted the local DNR forester and heard the…
Fall invasive control methods
As native trees and plants approach dormancy and lose their leaves, now is a great time to be in the woods tackling invasive species which…
It Takes a Village to Care for Land
“This is a family recreational property, but it is highly degraded. It’s for the benefit of wildlife and we want to witness it, but before…
There’s a New Invasive in Town
By: Ben Johnston, Kickapoo Valley Reserve In late November 2016, I met with Julie Borodin in Crawford County to learn about her experience with a…
Buckthorn Baggie Kills Buckthorn without Chemicals
Cutting invasive buckthorn can be a terrific land stewardship project for the winter or early spring. With leaves off the trees and bushes, buckthorn is…
Can You Tell Native From Invasive Brush?
Cutting invasive brush, like buckthorn, is great winter work — no heat, humidity, bugs, or other vegetation to get in your way. Great, except for…
The Keys to Garlic Mustard Control
By Steve Swenson, Ecologist, Aldo Leopold Foundation A successful garlic mustard control program is both preventative (i.e., identifies new populations) and curative (i.e., controls known…
Checking for Two Greens – Hope and Uncertainty
Every spring, hope and uncertainty unfurl their green leaves. After our stubborn winter, a spring wildflower’s resolve to emerge is hope. Landowners beware, though, uncertainty also…
Three Heart-Shaped Leaves in Your Woods: Two “Lovely” and One “Heartless”
Plant identification is generally easy when you know the combination of leaf shape and leaf edge, also called leaf margin. For example, the three species…
Hitchin a ride: don’t track these into your woods!
“Your shoes better be clean!” Growing up, this may have been yelled to you as you ran into the house for dinner. Now, you need…
Invasive to Watch: Japanese Hops
What is Japanese hops? This fast growing vine can grow over 35′ in one year! Its stems are light green to reddish and covered with rough…
Invasive to Watch: Reed Canary Grass
What is reed canary grass? Reed canary grass is an aggressive, cool-season perennial grass with flat, rough-textured blades. It grows in wetlands and moist meadows. Its…
Emerald ash borer: stay away from my woods!
EAB or the emerald ash borer has been in the news a lot – and for good reason. It kills every ash tree it bores…
Invasive to Watch: Gypsy moth
What is gypsy moth? Gypsy moth caterpillars feed on the leaves of over 500 species of trees. This invasive has infested the eastern half of Wisconsin and…
Invasive plants: a deceptive welcome mat for birds
Right now thousands of birds are arriving back in Wisconsin with one thing on their mind: successfully raising young. Not only does the “early bird…