Blog

Riparian buffers – Agroforestry for any property

Wisconsin private landowners care for over 10 million acres of woodlands that are critical to protecting watersheds across the state. Do you know what watershed your land is in? If not, SEE HERE.  A watershed is an area of land that drains rainfall to a common outlet. In Wisconsin, the common outlet we all share […]

Windbreaks – Agroforestry for any property

I regularly talk with foresters, farmers and woodland owners who have not thought twice about agroforestry. I get it. Some people have never heard of it, and others think I’m talking about putting cows in the woods. However, agroforestry consists of five very different primary practices (outlined here) that are applicable to to a variety […]

Thinking back and looking forward

December tends to be a time for reflection for me. It is a time of cold weather, hot tea, and sitting in my favorite chair thinking about the past year. This year I have been reflecting on what I have accomplished and trying to not compare that list to “before 2020”. This year I didn’t […]

A woodland owner’s journey through the bureaucracy

‘Conservation is seldom convenient’ – Randy Newberg I often think about this quote when talking with landowners looking for help with their woods. Whether help is answering a question about a tree, putting together a Forest Management Plan, or executing that plan, there are many different people, programs, and sources of information to consider.   In extension forestry, our first recommendation is usually […]

Consider the moss

One of the joys of walking in the woods with a toddler is moving slowly enough to appreciate the little things. I like to walk with my 2-year-old daughter at a State Natural Area (SNA) near our home. She’s got a different perspective from me, due both to her size and her relationship with the […]

Taking a snapshot of Wisconsin’s wildlife

Have you ever wondered what’s wandering the woods when you’re not there? Motion-triggered trail cameras are a great way to find out. Trail cameras have been popular in the whitetail hunting world for a while. However, in recent years the technology has greatly improved, and the prices have plummeted. As trail cameras become more accessible, outdoor enthusiasts of all sorts are pursuing […]

It’s the time of the season… for wildfires in Wisconsin

Did you know May is National Wildfire Awareness Month? Since many of us have been spending more time at home during the extended Safer at Home order, now is the perfect time to start thinking about preparing our homes and properties for the 2020 fire season. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram […]

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 […]

Explore Your Woods Together

Our job as Extension Forestry Educators is to serve as interpreters of the language of forest management. Even that term itself, forest management, feels foreign to many woodland owners. Admittedly, sometimes I miss the mark, like trying to explain basal area to a group of landowners off the cuff. But most of the time, connecting […]