Blog Articles

Dave Hall strives to engage his kids and grandkids in their woodlands. He wishes they love the smell of sweet, spring air when the wild geraniums are in bloom as he does. But he also wants them to know and care about the biology of managing such a place. That’s why walking and working in the woods with family is his favorite thing to do on the property.

MADISON – Boxwood blight, a serious fungal disease that attacks a popular garden shrub, has been found in Wisconsin for the first time at a nursery grower in Kenosha County, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection announced today. Department nursery inspectors found it during a routine annual inspection and sent samples for laboratory testing.

Harvey Huss Sr., Kaukauna – passed away March 7, 2018.

Roy Bartz, Neenah – passed away February 9, 2018.  A memorial fund in Roy’s name will be established at a later date.

Gracia Anderson, Osseo – passed away July 4, 2018.  Gracia had been very active in WWOA and the Chippewa Valley Chapter.  Gracia and her husband Henry had attended the WWOA 1997 Sweden trip.  Memorial are preferred to Osseo Evangelical Lutheran Church, 50351 Harmony, Osseo, WI 54758 and the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org.

MADISON–Web-like nests of fall webworm caterpillars, a common native pest active from July through September in Wisconsin, are beginning to appear in parts of the state. “Fall webworms are rarely large enough to cause lasting damage to trees, but the presence of nests and feeding damage from caterpillars can greatly affect how the tree looks,” says Todd Lanigan, forest health specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

A La Crosse woman in her late 50s died from Rocky Mountain Spotted (RMSF) fever in June. She was bit while camping in western Wisconsin in early May. RMSF is considered rare in the Midwest and is more common in central and southeastern regions of the United States. It is spread by the wood (or American dog) tick, whereas most tickborne diseases transmitted in Wisconsin are spread by the deer (or blacklegged) tick.

Aaron Burmeister’s passion for sustainable forestry and logging goes back to his high school days when he cut and sold firewood to his teachers. In the 1980s he bought his own land- 5.5 acres of hayfield- that he planted with red and white pine and walnut, with the intention of growing the pines to train the walnut.

Marshfield Clinic Research Institute (MCRI) is looking for patients suspected to be in the early stages of Lyme disease to aid in the research of the disease. The research is in participation with the Lyme Disease Biobank, a program that collects blood and urine samples of people with early Lyme disease in multiple regions across the country, including the East Coast, Wisconsin, and California.

While many Wisconsin residents are more than ready to take advantage of the warmer weather and enjoy all the resources the state has to offer, the Department of Health Services (DHS) strongly encourages everyone to take care to avoid tick and mosquito bites.