Professional foresters are educated in the basic needs of establishing and growing trees. During the course of their work, they share with woodlands owners activities they can do in their woods that mimic natures’ way of establishing and improving their trees. Foresters occasionally get questions from landowners on how they can earn more income from […]
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The sit spot challenge
Amidst the many challenges of early 2020, I found a lot of joy watching nature come back to life during the spring thaw. Things change quickly in spring and considering the pandemic we were living through, even more so that year. As we adjusted to that changing reality, all of us at UW-Madison Extension worked on […]
Identifying and treating invasive species in the spring
With the recent Safer at Home Act many of us are looking for ways to pass the time and keep our children and families active and healthy. What better way to pass the time than to learn how to identify invasive species, begin planning control methods, and gathering garlic mustard if it is present on […]
If a person bathes in the forest, and no one is around to see it, did it really happen?
According to Web MD and National Geographic, yes, it did really happen! But wait, what exactly is forest bathing? Forest bathing (shrinrin-yoku) is the act of ‘bathing’ or basking in the forest using your senses. When I first read the definition of forest bathing, I thought I was a seasoned forest bather, but I was […]
Who are those NRCS folks and what can they do for me?
I was talking recently with a landowner about some of the projects they had in mind for their property. As is the case with many of the folks I work with, they had projects that required much more time and money than they had to give. The solution to many of their restraints was a […]
The right shrubs for the right habitat for the wildlife you are looking to attract
In a previous article, we discussed some of the basics for how to choose which wildlife trees and shrubs to plant. For this article, I would like to share more specific details about several shrubs, why to choose them, and where to plant them. These native shrubs fit a fairly wide array of soil and […]
Protect your planted trees this winter
We have moved into November and a sacred holiday to Wisconsinites is approaching… deer hunting. For those of us particularly interested in trees, this is one important management tool for protecting young trees. As the snow approaches and food options become more limited, it is a good time to think about further protecting trees from […]
So, you think you know all about your chainsaw, huh?
Chainsaws are powerful tools that make the felling and processing of trees easy. We tend to forget how dangerous these tools can be if used improperly and without safety equipment. Take a moment to test your knowledge about chainsaws and their use. The answers are at the end. 1. About how many people are treated […]
Mushrooms – Not all of them are created equal
In a previous article, I discussed insects that are attacking our trees and I wanted to follow up with a discussion of the common fungi or mushrooms growing in our woods. Just like the insects, some of these are very harmful to our trees and the rest aren’t. What is different from the insects is […]