Our forests are continually threatened by both native and non-native species that can impact the health of individual trees and an entire stand. Below are descriptions of many of these plants, animals, insects and diseases, and ways you can manage your forest to minimize their impact.
Insects
Emerald Ash Borer – The Green Menace
Produced by: US Department of Agriculture
Publication number: USDA-1769
Keywords: symptoms, prevention
Forest Management Strategies to Minimize the Impact of the Gypsy Moth
Produced by: UW-Madison Department of Forest Ecology and Management, 1997
Publication number: Forestry Fact 83
Keywords: gypsy moth, insect, defoliation, protection
Gypsy Moth & Management
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources, 2008
Publication number: FR-405
Keywords: gypsy moth, forest health, insect, identification, treatment, control
Gypsy Moth Silvicultural Guidelines for Wisconsin
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources
Publication number: FR-123
Keywords: insect, gypsy moth, forest management, protection, defoliation, impacts
Gypsy Moths: Identifying and Managing Gypsy Moth Caterpillars
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources
Publication number: FR-171B
Keywords: gypsy moth, insect, identification
Gypsy Moths: Selecting a Pesticide for Gypsy Moth Control
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources
Publication number: FR-171D
Keywords: gypsy moth, insect, pesticide
Homeowner Guide to Emerald Ash Borer Insecticide Treatments
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: XHT1181
Keywords: Emerald ash borer,treatment, insecticides
How to Manage Jack Pine to Reduce Damage from Jack Pine Budworm
Produced by: USDA Forest Service
Publication number: NA-FR-01-94
Keywords: jack pine, disease, management
Identifying & Managing Pine Pests in Wisconsin
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension, 1988
Publication number: G3428
Keywords: pine, protection, identification, insects, growth, disease, control
Insecticide Options for Protecting Ash Trees from Emerald Ash Borer
Produced by: The Cooperative Emerald Ash Borer Program
Publication number: CEABP1
Keywords: treatment, insecticides
Outdoor Hazards in Wisconsin: A Guide to Noxious Insects, Plants and Wildlife
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: G3564
Keywords: identification, safety, protection, wildlife, ticks, insects, poison ivy, wild parsnip
Pine Engraver Bark Beetle
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources
Keywords: insect, bark, pine, control, prevention
Spruce Budworm Management
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources
Publication number: FHP-10
Keywords: budworm, control
Treating Gypsy Moths with BTK
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources
Publication number: DNR3
Keywords: gypsy moth, insect, pesticide
Tree Defoliation in Forests & Woodlots
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources, 2004
Publication number: FR-220a
Keywords: defoliation, causes, impacts
Diseases
Annosum Root Rot: Biology, Symptoms, and Prevention
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources
Keywords: disease, roots, rot, red pine, white pine, fungus, prevention
Armillaria
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources
Keywords: fungus, roots, rot, stressed trees, control, prevention
Field Guide to Common Macrofungi in Eastern Forests and their Ecosystem Functions
Produced by: USDA Forest Service, 2017
Publication number: NRS-79
Keywords: fungi
How to Identify, Prevent, and Control Oak Wilt
Produced by: USDA Forest Service, 2011
Publication number: NA-FR-01-11
Keywords: disease, oak wilt, management
How to Identify White Pine Blister Rust and Remove Cankers
Produced by: USDA Forest Service, 1977
Keywords: disease, white pine, management
How to Recognize Common Diseases of Oaks in the Midwest
Produced by: USDA Forest Service
Publication number: NA-FR-01-15
Keywords: oak, disease, identification
Lake State Woodlands: Oak Wilt Management-What Are the Options?
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension, 2001
Publication number: G3590
Keywords: oak, forest management, disease, protection, risk, prevention, control
Protect Your Trees From Oak Wilt
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources, 2009
Publication number: FR-127
Keywords: disease, woodlot, building
Tree Defoliation in Forests & Woodlots
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources, 2004
Publication number: FR-220a
Keywords: defoliation, causes, impacts
Invasive Plants
10 Ways to Protect Your Woodland Property
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources, 2005
Publication number: FR-313 2005
Keywords: fire, trespass, boundaries, safety, wildlife damage, timber harvests, invasives, water quality, soil, forest health, scenic beauty
A Field Guide To Terrestrial Invasive Plants in Wisconsin
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources, 2010
Publication number: FR-436
Keywords: invasive, control, spread, identification
Common and Glossy Buckthorn
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources
Publication number: FR-216
Keywords: threats, identification, spread, control, buckthorn, invasive, non-native, exotic
Common Terrestrial Invasive Plants in WI
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources, 2010
Publication number: FR-456
Keywords: invasive plants, NR40
Controlling invasive plants using the cut stump method
Produced by: Invasive Plants Association of Wisconsin
Keywords: invasive, control, management, herbicides, stump
Garlic Mustard
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources
Publication number: FR-350
Keywords: identification, control
Herbicide Effectiveness on Invasive Plants In Wisconsin
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension, 2012
Publication number: A3893
Keywords: herbicides, plants, invasives
Herbicides for Forest Management
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources
Keywords: herbicide, weed control, forest management, planting
How to Hire a Contractor for Land Management Activities
Produced by: UW-Extension and the Aldo Leopold Foundation, 2009
Publication number: Forestry Fact 105
Keywords: contractor, forester, logger, forest management, wildlife management, vegetation management, online resources, estate planning, consultant
Invasive Plants in Forestry – Management Guide for Buckthorn
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources
Publication number: IPIF-1
Keywords: spread, control, native alternatives, regenerating
Invasive Plants in Forestry Management Guide for Honeysuckle
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources
Publication number: IPIF-2
Keywords: spread, control, native alternatives, regenerating
Invasive Plants in Forestry Management Guide for Japanese Barberry
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources
Publication number: IPIF-3
Keywords: spread, control, native alternatives, regenerating
Outdoor Hazards in Wisconsin: A Guide to Noxious Insects, Plants and Wildlife
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: G3564
Keywords: identification, safety, protection, wildlife, ticks, insects, poison ivy, wild parsnip
Regulated Terrestrial Invasive Plants in WI
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources, 2010
Publication number: FR-464
Keywords: invasive plants, NR40
Wisconsin’s Forestry Best Management Practices for Invasive Species
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources, 2009
Publication number: FR-444
Keywords: Best Management Practices, invasive species, management, BMP
Wisconsin Manual of Control Recommendations for Ecologically Invasive Plants
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources
Keywords: Invasive, control, management
Wildlife
An Introduction to Wildlife Damage Management
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: G3997-002
Keywords: wildlife habitat, wildlife damage
Bear Damage and Abatement in Wisconsin
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: G3300
Keywords: wildlife habitat, bear
Beaver Damage Control
Produced by: WI Department of Natural Resources, 2005
Publication number: WM-007
Keywords: beaver, wildlife damage
Controlling Deer Damage in Wisconsin
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: G3083
Keywords: wildlife habitat, deer
How to Build a Plastic Mesh Deer Exclusion Fence
Produced by: Purdue University
Publication number: FNR-486
Keywords: fencing, deer, exclusion, seedlings
Meadow Mouse Control
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: A2148
Keywords: wildlife habitat, meadow mouse, tree damage, rodent
Mole Control
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: G3200
Keywords: wildlife habitat, mole, damage
Outdoor Hazards in Wisconsin: A Guide to Noxious Insects, Plants and Wildlife
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: G3564
Keywords: identification, safety, protection, wildlife, ticks, insects, poison ivy, wild parsnip
Rabbit Ecology and Damage Management
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: G3997-004
Keywords: wildlife habitat, rabbit damage
Raccoon Ecology and Damage Management
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: G3997-005
Keywords: wildlife habitat, raccoon damage
Skunks: How to Deal with Them
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: G3273
Keywords: wildlife habitat, skunk, biology, control
Tree Squirrels in Wisconsin: Benefits and Problems
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: G3522
Keywords: wildlife habitat, squirrel, identification, biology, control
Wildlife Damage Management: Laws and Regulations
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: G3997-001
Keywords: wildlife habitat, wildlife damage, laws
Woodchuck Ecology and Damage Management
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: G3997-007
Keywords: wildlife habitat, woodchuck damage
Woodchucks: Their Ecology and Control
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: G3505
Keywords: wildlife habitat, woodchuck, identification, biology, control
Woodpecker Ecology and Damage Management
Produced by: UWEX Cooperative Extension
Publication number: G3997-008
Keywords: wildlife habitat, woodpecker damage