Wisconsin Forestry Products
Landowners, watching Covid-era lumber prices go through the roof, might assume that they would get more money for their standing trees, but there are many…
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WI DNR Now Hiring Foresters in Northeast Wisconsin!
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Division of Forestry is recruiting to fill 4 Forester vacancies. The Foresters will be stationed in Northeast Wisconsin with one position in Lakewood,…
Forest Land Leasing Options
Landowners can lease their woodlands for sustainable purposes like maple syrup harvesting and hunting, and it’s worthwhile to address issues specific to each activity. MAPLE…
Is Apple Production Right for Your Land?
According to the UW-Extension, apples are the most widely planted fruit tree in Wisconsin. Who wouldn’t like to step out the door and pick apples…
A Labor of Love: Woodland Restoration
Laura DeGolier is a great example of the diverse kinds of volunteers who can have a significant impact on restoring natural areas throughout the state.…
Is a Christmas Tree Farm Right for Your Land?
This could be the perfect time to start growing Christmas trees — whether you are only interested in a few for your own friends and…
50 Years of Stewardship
About 50 years ago, Tom Wedel and his wife Eva were living in Crystal Lake, Illinois, north of Chicago. They knew they wanted to buy…
Looking back at the History of Wisconsin’s Forests
“The history of Wisconsin’s forests includes what happened yesterday and 10,000 years ago. It’s all part of a continuum — both the natural and human…
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: Paul Cigan and Harsh Weather Effects on Woodlands
By Denise Thornton Weather has a huge influence on all vegetation. It dictates what species will grow, how they grow, and their productivity. The time…
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…
Prepare for Ticks with the Experts
By Denise Thornton If you are going into a wooded area anywhere in Wisconsin, you need to be taking tick precautions. According to Rebecca Osborn,…
Getting to Know Your Forest Health Team: Mike Hillstrom and Oak Wilt
We are now in the high risk period of the year for oak wilt in Wisconsin...
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WICCI Report: Warmer Winters & Extreme Rain Are Stressing Wisconsin’s Forest Resources
By Dea Larsen Converse: WICCI Communications Director A focus on climate impacts to Wisconsin’s forests in the most recent assessment from the Wisconsin Initiative on…
Getting to Know Your Forest Health Team: Bill McNee and The Spongy Moth
Spongy moth caterpillars usually start hatching between mid-April and early May in the southern counties of Wisconsin. Though they have largely been out of sight in rural forests for close to a decade...
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Getting to Know Your Forest Health Team: Brenna DeNamur
Incursions of insects and plants that are harmful to healthy, natural woodland balance, such as Emerald Ash Borer and Jumping Worms...
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Are YOU a Scientist?
By Denise Thornton Many Wisconsin landowners—the concerned and the curious—are joining the growing ranks of citizen scientists (CS) who collect information about their property to…
Is Light Pollution Affecting the Wildlife in My Woods?
By Emily Oyos Star-gazing has been a favorite pastime for millennia, but these days, it often seems like stars are growing dimmer and decreasing in…
A Look Back on the Big Woods of Wisconsin: 90 Years and Counting
By Emily Oyos For centuries, wilderness has been at the center of storytelling. From pictographs to oral histories to the written word, nature has provided…
The Outstanding Vision of a Lady Landowner
By Denise Thornton The view from horseback connects Denise Marino to her land. “It was a dream to have land so I could have my…
Getting Used to Changes Lately
September 18— Like last year, the summer is still lingering in the Kickapoo Valley and the garden flowers are showing their last blossoms. There’s still…
Insect ID Apps: Which is Best?
“Wow, I’ve never seen that bug before! I wonder what it is.” With over one million identified insect species on the planet, it can be…
The 2022 Phenology Calendar is On Sale Now!
It’s officially fall, and the year is already coming to a close! The Aldo Leopold Foundation, a partner of My Wisconsin Woods, is excited to announce...
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Our Favorite Bird ID Apps
“It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s…well, shoot, now it’s gone. That was a neat bird! I wonder what it was.” It seems like we’ve all had…
Muralt, Mississippi, and This Waning Summer
The new normal for me is getting comfortable with the expanding unpredictability of this region’s weather. I had convinced myself that the spring drought would…
Which Plant ID App Should I Download?
“What’s the name of that plant, again? Is that a native or an invasive species? If only I’d brought my field guide with me.” If…
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.…
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…
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…