2024 Forest Forecast
While the new year brings many new joys, it is also a time to be aware of what could cause complications in our woods. This article touches on what you should be on the lookout for in 2024, along with expert advice.
Category Woodland Watch
Read More2024 Forest Forecast
Woodlot Regeneration For WI Landowners
By Denise Thornton Whether you are managing woods that have been in your family for generations, or just getting to know your new property, it’s…
Time to Test Your Knowledge: Wisconsin Woodlands and Wildlife Quiz
As a Wisconsin woodland owner, it’s important to have a good understanding of the trees and wildlife that inhabit your land. Whether you’re interested in…
The Hustle, Bustle, and Serenity of Summer
Hot and humid—just what the doctor ordered for a growing summer garden. Rain has come to the central Kickapoo Valley a few times this past…
Spring in the Kickapoo Valley
It’s been a beautiful spring—strange yet beautiful as springtime always is. It was strange that March and April seemed to trade places on the calendar.…
Departures and Happy Spring Returns
It’s become almost impossible to predict what spring will bring or when it will come in earnest. February’s sub-zero temperatures gave little hope for an…
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…
Winter Raptors Signal Spring
These January days are cold and the nights even colder, but the promise of spring is in the air, in spite of the frigid temperatures.…
Is Your Morel True or False? Know the Difference.
2020 has been a late year for the mighty morel mushroom in Wisconsin. Lingering cool weather and late, widespread frosty nights have kept soil temperatures…
Your Trees at Risk: Heterobasidion Root Disease (HRD)
Beware! If you are a woodland owner of pine and spruce stands, and you anticipate harvesting or thinning, now is the time to understand the…
Quiz: Hairy Versus Downy Woodpeckers?
You’ve likely spied a couple of different woodpeckers visiting your feeder this winter. But can you tell the species apart? The colors and patterning of…
How Big Is Rural Wisconsin?
Wisconsin’s population at the time of the 2010 census was around 5.6 million people. It will come as no surprise that most people (and Wisconsin’s…
Rural Neighbors: Like Peanut Butter and Jelly
“Distance might separate rural neighbors, but relationships are still important.” –Jim Weber, rural woodland owner in Iowa County A simplistic look at rural landowners might…
Erosion: How Much Is Too Much To Sustain Agriculture?
Tolerable soil loss is determined for each farm field depending on characteristics such as soil type and slope. What is the range of tolerable soil…
He Said, She Said…about the Oak in the Driftless Workshop
Last month, on a beautiful Saturday, nearly one-hundred landowners gathered for the Oak in the Driftless Workshop in Richland Center, WI. By every measure, the…
Stump The Chump: Which Resprout Is Best?
Most people think of seeds when they think of tree regeneration. However, trees have other strategies, like stump sprouting. When the above ground portions of…
Where is the Robin in Your Yard Headed on Migration?
In late August, some bird species will begin to migrate south including warblers, shorebirds, and nighthawks. The first of the American robins will leave too,…
When was the first Farm Bill?
Our country shapes food, farming, and natural resource policies through the Farm Bill. This comprehensive piece of legislation covers producer risk, rural development, research, specialty…
Know how to figure the percent slope of your trails?
Percent slope is determined with just two numbers. It is calculated using the amount of vertical distance (rise) over a given horizontal distance (run). Often…
Can You Successfully Key Out Dandelion?
Of course you can! We walk you through it! Start at IDnature guides. First, select Wildflowers. Second, select Wisconsin. Third, check off what you know…
In the Driftless, Diversity Abounds
The Driftless region is full of diversity: a diversity of people, jobs, and landscapes. Hill and dale, wet and dry, wooded and open — the…
How Many Pounds Of Shiitakes Do You Get From One Log?
A typical shiitake log is 3- to 6-inches in diameter and 36- to 48-inches long. Each log reliably produces mushrooms 3 to 4 times a…
Can Tom Turkeys Sire Young From Beyond the Grave?
Usually, the most dominant tom turkeys (one or two) breed with most of the hens in an area. But what if they are shot early during…
Can I Trespass On My Own Land?
Here’s the scenario: You own 40 acres of land, 20 acres of which is leased to a local farmer, and 20 acres in woodland. You…
Everybody Knows Acorns, But How Well Do You?
Do you know the differences between the acorns of red and white oak? Red oak acorns have more of everything: more hairs on the shell;…