Arbor Month 2009: My Favorite Tree

Friday, April 24 marks the beginning of an entire month of celebrating trees.  For Arbor Month 2009, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is asking you to share a photo, drawing, or story about your favorite tree.

Get involved: share your favorite tree!
Go outside to take a picture, make a drawing, or tell the story of your favorite tree, then post it here.

State champions needed for Minnesota’s big tree registry!
While you’re at it, the DNR is also looking for state champion trees of the following species. Learn more or submit your champion trees at the DNR’s Big Tree Registry.

• Red Pine, Pinus resinosa
• Northern Mountain Ash, Sorbus decora
• American Hornbeam (also called blue beech), Carpinus caroliniana
• Mountain Maple, Acer spicatum
• Chinkapin Oak (also called yellow chestnut oak), Quercus muehlenbergii

EAB discovered in Wisconsin, a mile from Minnesota

The following information was sent out by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) on April 7.  We’re developing information to help Minnesota woodland owners plan for the expected widespread ash mortality. Meantime, see the many links below and post your thoughts here or on the discussion board.

Emerald ash borer (EAB) has been discovered in Victory, Wisconsin. Victory is approximately 1 mile south of the Minnesota border along the Mississippi River.

This discovery was made only last week and confirmation was made on Monday, April 6. The Wisconsin Departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources have released the news of this find today, April 7. Although Wisconsin has not had much opportunity to evaluate the scale of this infestation, their initial assessment was that this was a significant infestation.

Due to the proximity of this infestation to Minnesota and Iowa, it is possible that the infestation extends into one or both states. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture, along with our partners at the Department of Natural Resources, USDA APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine and USDA Forest Service are already investigating the southeastern portion of Houston County to determine if the infestation extends into Minnesota. We expect these initial surveys to last up to four weeks. If emerald ash borer is found in Minnesota, we will activate our EAB Response Plan (PDF).

Whether or not this initial round of survey discovers EAB in Minnesota, we will be intensifying survey and outreach efforts in southeastern Minnesota during 2009.

The complete press release that is being issued in Minnesota is here. Some key points to remember about the situation are:

1. EAB has not yet been found in Minnesota, but state and federal authorities are investigating the area.
2. No quarantines have been established in Minnesota. A federal quarantine will be imposed in Wisconsin on the infested area.
3. At this time we are asking the public to voluntarily not move ash wood out of Houston County. A quarantine could be placed on Houston County by Minnesota Department of Agriculture in the coming weeks.
4. For Minnesota beyond Houston County the situation has not changed. People should be vigilant as to the condition of their trees and report suspected infestations to MDA. Movement of untreated firewood over long distances should be avoided in any part of the state.

If you have questions, please direct them to MDA’s Arrest the Pest hotline.

“Arrest the Pest” Hotline:  651-201-6684 – Metro Area or 1-888-545-6684 – Greater Minnesota. Or email Arrest.The.Pest@state.mn.us.

Watch MDA’s new 6-minute video on EAB:

More about Emerald Ash Borer:

• New: Get involved!  EAB first detector training: Winona, MN April 28, 2009.
• EAB and the future of the Minnesota woods
• EAB prevention, detection, and rapid response
• Emeraldashborer.info
• EAB: Invader at our doorsteps. 6-minute video by MDA.
  
• Do I have Emerald Ash Borer? (PDF)
• Ash Tree ID (PDF)
• Native borers & look-alikes (PDF)
• EAB Signs & Symptoms (PDF)
• A Reference for Recognizing Insect Galleries in EAB Detection Trees in Minnesota (PDF: 3MB)
• Link to an August 2008 video news release about EAB

Minnesota’s ash resource & markets

Keith Jacobson of the Minnesota DNR – Forestry Utilization & Marketing unit has just updated his brief overview of Minnesota’s ash resource and markets.  This just came out by email today, and is dated February 2009. Download a PDF copy here.

Cambridge DNR Forestry 4th annual forest landowner fall tour

By Beth Jones, Mark Ellison, Alan Olson and Art Widerstrom, MN DNR-Forestry

October 16, 2008, was a beautiful fall day as approximately 45 landowners converged upon the Plymouth Creek Civic Center for the fall landowner tour.  The gardens at the civic center were something to be admired.  The fall blossoms and extensive landscaping was a welcome sight in the middle of the city.

Big woods in the fall. Photo by Mark Ellison, MN DNR.

Tour organizers and DNR foresters, Art Widerstrom and Alan Olson, welcomed the group and we excitedly boarded a tour bus to visit several sites within Hennepin County.  The first stop was at Doug Dayton’s property.  His diverse property supports both a 90-acre prairie and a 20-acre stand of big woods.  The prairie was planted and is being managed by Prairie Restorations using prescribed fire.

Stephanie Jenniges, Land Management Coordinator, from Prairie Restorations spoke about prairie management, some of the plants, several invasive species and the need for this site to be burned periodically to maintain a healthy prairie.

Alan Olson took the group on a hike through the woods to see a prime example of a big woods forest.  The massive oaks, basswoods and maples form a dense canopy, which limits the amount of brush and undergrowth making the walk through the woods a very enjoyable one.  Walking up the hill on this warm fall day, hearing the leaves rustle and crunch beneath our feet, made it seem like we were deep in the north woods.

Alan Olson, MN DNR. Photo by Mark Ellison, MN DNR.

The next stop was in the city of Minnetonka at Purgatory Park.  Our tour guide for the park was Janet Van Sloun Larson, Natural Resource Specialist for the City of Minnetonka.  This area includes a wetland that the settlers could not utilize for agriculture, thus it later was developed into a park.  The park is very popular for walking dogs and offers citizens an escape to a natural area within the city.  It was interesting to listen to Janet discuss how they are re-claiming the area by eradicating buckthorn.  Several techniques for eradicating buckthorn were discussed and we got to see first-hand the results of several extensive buckthorn removal sites which were managed with the help of volunteers.

Stephanie from Prairie Restorations discussed the utilization of prescribed fire techniques for managing prairie and also discussed how fire can be used to re-establish a historical prairie, such as the one that was discovered in this park.  The group got to see where this prairie was discovered and heard how park staff, with the help of Prairie Restorations, used prescribed fire to re-establish the original prairie that was present when the first settlers arrived.

Common buckthorn leaves. Photo by Eli Sagor.

Our tour continued into the Scenic Heights Elementary School Forest, where a local teacher, Dawn Christesen, School Forest Coordinator, has utilized the forest for education of students and other volunteers.  They have done a massive buckthorn removal project and have continued to work with Alan Olson to manage the forest and rid it of invasive species. They have planted seedlings within the school forest utilizing Arbor Day seedlings from the State Nursery.  There is also a small wetland that is used by the science department to teach lessons on water biology.

Using volunteer help, a shelter was built on the property where classes meet to discuss lessons learned at the outdoor learning center. The local Boy Scouts have been assisting with the buckthorn removal program as one of their Eagle Scout projects.  This forest is really integrated into the community.

Oak foliage during fall color. Photo by Mark Ellison MN DNR.

Next, we proceeded to visit a direct seeding project conducted by the City of Plymouth.  City forester Paul Buck spoke with those on the bus regarding the direct seeding procedure and the results of this practice.  Seeds were collected locally and the site was ripped and tilled.  Fifteen five-gallon buckets of seed were spread by hand and the site was covered with wood chips. The planting has had good survival with very acceptable stocking levels.  The planting primarily consisted of black walnut, butternut, bitternut hickory, red and white oak.  Cottonwood, poplar, willow and buckthorn that seeded-in have been removed to maintain the original planting.

Our group returned to the Plymouth Creek Civic Center to enjoy a wonderful meal and hear some presentations. Gary Michael, DNR Private Forest Management Coordinator, spoke about the new 2C managed forest land tax program.  He covered the requirements to be eligible for the program and made comparisons with the SFIA and green acres tax programs.

Tamara Martin, Ecologist from Top-Notch Urban Ecosystems, gave an informative presentation on invasive species.  She brought several samples of invasive plants, discussed how each degrades the environment and recommended eradication techniques that have shown the best results.

Emerald ash borer. Source: http://www.emeraldashborer.info (click image for larger original)

Neville Wilson, DNR Central Region Plant Health Specialist, covered the emerald ash borer.  He discussed what to watch for in your forest to identify symptoms of emerald ash borer and he also showed samples of the insect and discussed strategies for slowing its rate of spread into our forests.

Alan Olson and Art Widerstrom wrapped up the evening with a big thank you to all who participated.

[A big thank you to Beth, Mark, Alan, and Art for sharing this story!  If you'd like to share other events through this site, send your story to potyondy [at] umn [dot] edu anytime. -ed.]

MN DNR celebrations one billionth seedling

(c) MDNR

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources celebrated an impressive milestone in October:  After 80 years, they’ve grown their one BILLIONTH tree seedling.

The DNR’s nursery program serves a tremendously important role in the state’s forests.  Thousands of Minnesota woodland owners have planted seedlings raised in DNR nurseries.

Ever wonder where your seedling came from?  As part of the celebration, DNR produced a short video showing how they grow, pull, and store seedlings for spring delivery.  The state forest nursery website has great info on tree selection and planting as well as seedling order forms. You can also read the official billionth seedling press release.

Cost-sharing for Minnesota woodlands

A variety of cost-share programs are available from year to year for woodland owners. These programs can help defray the costs of wildlife habitat improvement, soil erosion mitigation, tree planting, and many other woodland activities.

Both the amount of funding available and the specific activities for which funding is available vary from year to year. Most of these funds are passed through from the Federal or State governments, so appropriations depend on the legislative process.

Minnesota woodland stewardship classes and workshops

There are a variety of different kinds of classes available to woodland owners. These classes cover topics from forest ecology to general forest stewardship planning to the nuts and bolts of timber sales, and everything in between. To find out about upcoming classes, check out Woodland Advisor, Tree Care Advisor, Minnesota Master Naturalist, and the Woodland School.

Organizations assisting Minnesota woodland owners

Information about organizations serving Minnesota woodland owners: Minnesota DNR Division of Forestry, Minnesota Forestry Association, Minnesota Association of Consulting Foresters, Minnesota Logger Education Program, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and Minnesota Forest Industries.

Finding help: Minnesota woodland professionals

About the many different kinds of Minnesota forestry and natural resource professionals, including public and private sector foresters and loggers. This page will help you choose the right source of professional assistance for your woodland project.

Minnesota woodland stewardship plans

About Woodland Stewardship Plans in Minnesota. Many cost-share programs require written forest management plans, and woodland stewardship plans are one very common option.