The winter of 2023-2024 was Wisconsin’s warmest on record, worrying many whose properties had endured recent Spongy Moth outbreaks, as a warmer winter can improve pest survivability, leading to another year of heavy defoliation...Continue Reading
The big snowstorm in January and its after math certainly dominates the big picture and has laid down a few hair-pin turns as we navigate a new year’s tree and landscape season..Continue Reading
Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) is an invasive species originating from China. Pennsylvania was the first state to detect the insect in 2014. The population of SLF rapidly spread to neighboring states and is now making its way through the Midwest...Continue Reading
Limiting canopy growth can be useful in many cases: trees under electrical wires, trees close to buildings, construction damage, and urban trees with limited root zones...Continue Reading
We’ve had it again: the kind of weather that breaks records. Three years ago, we had a record-breaking wet spring; this spring has broken that record...Continue Reading
For those of you who have not yet experienced the impacts of spongy moth activity…beware! For those of you who have, it should come as no surprise that the populations are forecasted to continue to rise and spread throughout Wisconsin...Continue Reading
Like something out of a children’s story book, galls come in many different shapes and sizes. Galls are also a common type of damage affecting tree leaves, needles, and/or twigs. Their size and shape can range from pointy to round and small or large. The color of a gall can be a simple brown, a bright red, or even blue. This leaf damage can be quite visible and easy to search for too!Continue Reading
A tree with yellow leaves in your landscape can be concerning. View our guide for causes of tree leaves turning yellow and how to revive your tree’s health. Continue Reading
Ten years ago, I wrote an article for this newsletter about the state of emerald ash borer (EAB) and what the future of ash trees looked like then. If you have kept past newsletters, you will find the full article in the winter 2013 issue. At that time, EAB was relatively new in our area and most ash were not yet affected by this destructive insect. Fast forward to today, we have progressed upward on the mortality curve. Thankfully, death does not overrun the current story for all ash trees.Continue Reading
Instead of concentrating only on the most important Ips bark beetle, I thought it might be useful to consider all the major types to see how they work, why they are a concern, and how we can deal with them.Continue Reading