News

According to the Center for Disease Control, there were roughly 28,500 confirmed cases of Lyme disease in 2015; but the actual number of cases may be 10 times greater. Lyme used to be confined to a few localized areas, particularly around Connecticut and the Northeast, but warmer winter temperatures and urban sprawl-which has reduced natural predators that kill tick-hosting rodents and deer-have caused populations to explode and spread across the country.

June 6, 2017              To: Stakeholders and Industries Associated with Hemlock The Michigan Department of  Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is implementing an interior state quarantine to protect Michigan’s native and cultivated hemlock populations from hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). HWA has not been found in Michigan until recently where it has been detected at multiple sites in four counties in western Michigan.

Contact(s): Owen Boyle, 608-576-2446; Paul White, 608-267-0813 Call goes out to report surviving bats this summer MADISON — A bat disease that has raced across the eastern U.S. and Canada , killing upwards of 7 million bats, is following the same pattern in Wisconsin, winter hibernacula surveys show.

2017 Forest Conservationists of the Year presented by WI Wildlife Federation to Jim & Marlene Zdanovec In 1985, dreams of eventually returning to their roots were realized when Jim and Marlene Zdanovec purchased 160 acres of land in Marathon County, Wisconsin. Wildlife was the main reason the Zdanovecs purchased the property.

The Trump administration is slapping duties on billions of dollars of lumber imported from Canada, marking an escalation of trade tensions. The Commerce Department said that countervailing duties ranging from 3% to 24% would be applied retroactively on five Canadian lumber exporters. Overall the duties average about 20% and could amount to $1 billion. Additional penalties could be levied if Commerce determines Canadian lumber is being dumped into U.S. markets.

Weekly News – April 25, 2017 – Wisconsin DNR MADISON – Celebrations across the state are taking place to celebrate Forest Appreciation Week, which is capped off by Arbor Day on Friday, April 28. Governor Scott Walker issued a proclamation recognizing Forest Appreciation Week and Arbor Day. Wisconsin has celebrated Arbor Day since 1883.

02/23/2016   Source: Two Sides North America, 2016 “Go paperless, go green” is a common theme these days as many corporations and governments encourage their customers and employees to switch to electronic transactions or communications. But are appeals to help the environment by eliminating paper based on sound science or on marketing strategies aimed at cost cutting?

Weekly News – April 11, 2017 – Wisconsin DNR MADISON – Wisconsin landowners who want to boost wildlife habitat on their property — whether a city lot or hundreds of acres — have a new resource to help them choose native plants that can thrive where they live, benefit a wide variety of wildlife and promote water quality.

Weekly News – April 18, 2017 – Wisconsin DNR MADISON – Early spring is the best time to check gardens, yards and woodlands for garlic mustard and take measures to control this rapidly spreading invasive plant, state invasive plant experts say.

WI DATCP Contact: Donna Gilson, 608-224-5130, donna.gilson@wi.gov  or Bill Cosh, Communications Director, 608-224-5020, William2.Cosh@wi.gov MADISON – You’ve heard it before, and we hate to be pests, but now that cabin and camping season is starting, remember: Don’t move firewood.