News

Forest Service scientists are piloting parasitic wasps to control populations of emerald ash borer, a pest that’s decimating ash trees. These trees once shaded streets and forests alike. Predatory wasps — which, like the borer, hail from eastern Asia — lay eggs inside the beetles. When hatched, the larvae burst from and kill their hosts. Researchers propose these wasps may complement other borer-control techniques, like applying insecticide and breeding resistant trees.  CLICK HERE for more info.

Ralph Eads passed away on Sunday, April 23rd, 2023.  Many of us knew him as he was our district forester for decades.  He was unassuming, seemingly tireless, cheerful, and always helpful.  No matter your question, he always tried to provide the information that you needed.  And he went above and beyond with speaking engagements, forestry tours, and volunteering his time.  Ralph was the face of forestry in Northwest Illinois for as long as many of us can remember.  NIFA recognized him with one of our first Forestry Pioneer Awards.  Forestry in our area does not seem as personable without him.

The USDA Forest Service just published fact sheets on eight tree species that produce more than just timber.  Consider diversifying your woodland by adding a few of these.  The fact sheets can be found at THIS LINK.

The USDA Forest Service has issued a four page discussion of preparation of income tax returns for woodland owners.  You can download this paper HERE.

• For an excellent educational webinar on improving wildlife habitat in and around woodlands, follow the link below to a presentation by Dr. Craig Harper. Although Dr. Harper is from the University of Tennessee, his presentation is applicable to hardwood forests in the eastern half of the U.S. It is over an hour long, but I highly recommend it for gaining a solid understanding of what “wildlife habitat” truly means (food, water, cover, and space) and how to manage various areas of a woodland and adjacent fields to create high quality habitat. After understanding the basic concepts, you can search online and find numerous presentations from Dr. Harper on more specific topics such as improving deer habitat if that is your priority.

  https://forestrywebinars.net/webinars/woodland-stewards-webinar-series-wildlife-and-woodlands

As of 4/1/2020, the NIFA officers haves decided to postpone all subsequent events to reduce the risk of transmission of the coronavirus.  When this risk subsides, we will re-organize our calendar and hopefully re-schedule many of the postponed events.

Several Walmart locations and one HyVee location have been found to be selling plants containing the pathogen for the Sudden Oak Death disease.  Fortunately, the Illinois Department of Agriculture has responded quickly to contain any spread.  The Walmart in Freeport was one of those named.  Here is the ILDOA press release.

A 2010 study by two universities in Missouri determined that the density of honeysuckle in forests correlated with the increased population of ticks in those same plots.  Get rid of bush honeysuckle in your forest and you reduce the potential risk from tick-borne diseases.

Recently, a member wanted to know how to plant the seeds he had collected to grow seedlings successfully.  There is a very good reference with lots of information on this subject.  The "Seeds of Woody Plants in North America" by James and Cheryl Young covers 386 genera including trees and bushes.  For each of these genera, the book describes in drawings, charts, and text -

• how soon one should collect fallen seeds to prevent them drying out
  
• what temperature and humidity to maintain during seed storage
  
• how long seeds can be stored
  
• temperature and duration of pre-chilling of seeds
  
• the best times of year to plant seeds
  
• the planting depth and spacing for seeds
  

The book also includes information on grafting and growing from cuttings.

This 1992 book is based on Agricultural Handbook 450, published first by the USDA Forest Service in 1948, which covered fewer than half as many genera.

There are other publications on this subject as well, but I am most familiar with this book.

This Indiana DNR just sent out a message asking for public input on its latest strategic plan and how it relates to forestry.  They have proposed charging fees for certain services.  For those enrolled in the Indiana equivalent of our FDA program, there would be a flat per acre fee included in the real estate tax.  For those not in that program, they would charge for specific services. Here is the message that they sent -

"Note that the Division of Forestry, based off Indiana Code 14-23-1-1 that was added in 1995, is recommending fees for services to landowners.

"At the public input meetings, the following suggested fees were presented:

"Classified Forest & Wildlands (CFW) Division of Forestry preliminary proposal:

• $2/acre/year administrative fee
• All other services free
• Paid with property tax, county retains 10%
• Estimated revenue of $1.3 million per year

"Non Classified Lands Division of Forestry preliminary proposal:

"Pay for service:

• Stewardship Plan $200
• TSI Marking $100 for every 5 acres (max. 10 acres per year/landowner)
• Forestry Practice Plans for invasive species and tree planting $100
  
• $100 Revision of existing stewardship plan for cost share
  
• Estimated revenue: $190,000"

Anyone think that the Illinois DNR is not paying attention to this?