July 2021
Oak wilt reaches new territory
When a resident of the Brainerd Lakes Area noticed a group of their beautiful pin oak trees abruptly losing leaves last summer, they became worried.
Read about the latest discovery of oak wilt in Crow Wing County.
How dry we are!
According to the U. S. Drought Monitor, at least 40 percent of the state is in Severe Drought conditions, 53 percent of the state is in Moderate Drought conditions and 7 percent of the state is in Abnormally Dry conditions.
Read more about how dry weather is affecting the state.
Shriveling and browning oak and ash leaves? No need to worry.
Our recent complaints of hot, arid weather make us forget that in late May, most northern Minnesotans experienced nighttime temperatures in the 20s.
Read more how cold temperatures caused extensive damage to bur oak and ash.
Small pest with a big impact.
In late May, a retired DNR employee in central Minnesota expressed concern for his sickly basswoods.
Learn how a single report from an observant citizen signaled a widespread pest issue in our forests.
Which is it – forest tent caterpillar, eastern tent caterpillar, or gypsy moth?
How can you tell a forest tent caterpillar from its look-alikes? There are two other species in Minnesota that look similar to forest tent caterpillar and are also active at this time of year.
A native insect may be on the rise in northern Minnesota.
Pine leaf adelgid has not been around much in the last 30 to 40 years and is damaging white pines.
See what this tiny insect is up to.
Those warts on tree branches are not as concerning as they look.
Foresters and landowners in Itasca and St. Louis counties, and most likely others, have observed an abundance of scales on broadleaf trees, particularly small ash trees.
Learn more about what these scale insects are.
Mistaken identity? Never again!
Whitespotted sawyer is a longhorned beetle native to Minnesota and often mistaken for the invasive Asian longhorned beetle.
A bevy of butterflies!
Massive emergence of native hackberry emperor butterflies in one homeowner's yard led to a call to the DNR's forest entomologist.
Read more about this wonderful massive emergence of butterflies.
Archived issues
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