Interested in seeing how WisDOT monitors field conditions to verify frost depths, see the following video:
White Pine Lumber Grading Course Offered
January 16, 2019 By
The Northcentral Technical College Wood Technology Program is hosting a white pine lumber grading workshop in partnership with the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturer Association (NELMA), and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. This workshop will provide an in-depth review of softwood lumber grading, specifically for Eastern White Pine. In a mix of classroom and hands-on activities, participants will gain valuable skills and experience in grading lumber.
This workshop will be held on February 21-22, 2019 at the NTC Wood Technology Center of Excellence in Antigo, WI. If you are interested in attending this course, please visit NTC’s Conferences and Seminars webpage for additional information and the registration form.
Mapping Tool to connect wood buyers with sellers
January 16, 2019 By
Wisconsin’s primary forest products industry consists of firms that manufacture logs and pulpwood into wood and paper products. Specific examples include sawmills, plywood mills, veneer plants, pulp mills and firewood processors, as well as companies that manufacture products such as composite panels, log cabins and treated wood.
A mapping tool was developed to connect buyers of wood and paper products with Wisconsin’s primary mills and to assist forest managers and loggers with identifying markets for harvested timber. To interact with the mapping tool, click here.
Sauk Prairie Bald Eagle Watching Days Jan. 18-19
January 9, 2019 By
MADISON – Bald eagle lovers can watch up to three rehabilitated eagles released to the wild, see other eagles perching or soaring above the Wisconsin River, and view eagles up close indoors during live raptor shows as the 33rd annual Bald Eagle Watching Days lands Jan. 18-19 in Sauk Prairie. (read more…)
New Farm Bill: What’s in it for Forestry?
January 9, 2019 By
President Trump recently signed the new Farm Bill which lasts through 2023 and reauthorizes $400 billion in agricultural subsidies, food stamps, conservation programs and key safety programs for agricultural producers. While the bill deals primarily with food and farm issues, there are a several significant that directly influence forest owners. (read more…)
Evergreen Inspections Find New Insect Pest; Burn or Bag Decorations, Officials Say
January 2, 2019 By
Note: High-resolution photo available: https://www.flickr.com/photos/widatcp/32486931208/in/dateposted/.
MADISON – Plant health officials are cautioning consumers to burn wreaths and other evergreen decorations, or bag them and put them in the trash, after inspectors found invasive insects on many such items sold at large chain stores in Wisconsin this holiday season.
Inspectors found an insect called elongate hemlock scale, or EHS, on wreaths, swags and boughs, and in arrangements of evergreen boughs in hanging baskets, porch pots, mugs, and sleighs. EHS saps nutrients as it feeds on the underside of conifer needles, and threatens Wisconsin’s Christmas tree farms, native hemlock and balsam fir forests, and ornamental conifers in yards and parks.
“It’s fine to keep your decorations up for the holiday season, but when it’s time to dispose of them, don’t put them on the compost pile or set the greens out for brush collection. Burn them if you can. If you can’t do that, bag them and send them to the landfill,” advised Brian Kuhn, director of the Plant Industry Bureau in the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. “EHS has survived in the northeastern U.S., so winter weather will not kill it. As a result, if you compost this material, the insects may well attack conifers in your yard or neighborhood, and spread from there.”
Looking at Forest Fires from a forestry point of view
December 27, 2018 By
We have all heard about the terrible forest fires in the West in the past few years, and especially the Camp Fire in November 2018. Let’s look at forest fires from a forestry point of view. But before beginning, we do want to voice our cares and concerns for those who lost family and friends and to those that lost homes, belongings and a lifetime of irreplaceable items in the Camp Fire and all wildfires. (read more…)
Snowy Owls are Back
November 26, 2018 By
Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus)
Snowy owls rank among the most charismatic wildlife species in the world. The heaviest of all North American owls, tipping the scales at 3 to 6 pounds, their bright white plumage, large yellow eyes, massive feathered feet and diurnal tendencies appeal to even the most casual nature lover. Equally appealing to some are their unpredictable movement patterns and the remote arctic wilderness they represent.
As their name suggests snowy owls are generally a northern species, nesting worldwide on the treeless tundra above the Arctic Circle. During a typical winter some remain close to their breeding areas while others head south into southern Canada and the northern United States. At least small numbers reach Wisconsin each year. Every handful of years, however, large numbers move into the state, an event known as an “irruption”.
Learn about the Snowy Owls visiting Wisconsin.
Boxwood Wreaths Warning
November 26, 2018 By
Plant Health Experts: Don’t Compost Those Boxwood Wreaths
Contact: Donna Gilson (608) 224-5130, donna.gilson@wi.gov
Bill Cosh, Communications Director, (608) 224-5020, William2.Cosh@wi.gov
MADISON – If you’re decorating with boxwood wreaths or boughs this holiday season, watch where you place them and be sure to dispose of them properly when January rolls around.
“If you decorate with boxwood, keep it away from boxwood or Pachysandra plantings in your yard,” says Brian Kuhn, director of the Plant Industry Bureau in the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. “At the end of the season, don’t compost the decorations. Place them in sealed plastic bags and put them in your garbage.”
The reason to take these precautions is boxwood blight, a fungal disease found in Wisconsin for the first time this past July. Although it’s been detected in only one nursery in southeastern Wisconsin, boxwood decorations may come from other states that have the disease. State plant health officials are on the lookout and would like holiday decorators to do the same. [Read more…]
Qualified Charitable Distributions from your Individual Retirement Account
November 4, 2018 By
If you are over 70 ½ years old you are required to take money out of your individual retirement account (IRA). Normally when you take money out of your IRA this becomes a taxable event and raises your adjusted gross income. If you intend to give this money to charity, your taxable income is reduced by the amount of the gift after the donation. However, your adjusted gross income remains higher.
A way around this is through a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). [Read more…]