Illinois Forests
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Volume 3 Issue 3 Spring 2021 Illinois Forests “The Voice for Illinois Forests” Inside this Issue... A Message From the IFA President IFA News and Updates Habitat Loss Spring “Green Up” The Woodland Wildlife Cooperative The Plants of Concern Program Spring Tree Planting and more... Photo Taken at: Dixon Springs Agricultural Center 2020 Illinois Forestry Association IFA Technical Advisors Board of Directors Chris Evans (Chair) Regional Directors University of Illinois Executive Committee Extension Forester Region 1 618/695-3383 (office) PRESIDENT [email protected] Mike McMahan (Region 4) Bill Fern Vienna, IL Chicago, IL Wade Conn 618/977-3415 773/551-5561 State Forester, USDA-NRCS [email protected] [email protected] 217/353-6647 (office) [email protected] Tom Walsh VICE-PRESIDENT Durand, IL Paul Deizman Landon Satterfield (Region 4) 815/248-2234 IDNR Forest Resources Boaz, KY (Benton, IL) [email protected] 217/782-3376 (office) 270/704-2687 Tricia Bethke [email protected] [email protected] Naperville, IL 630/234-7325 John Edgington SECRETARY [email protected] University of Illinois (retired) Dave Gillespie (Region 2) 217/840-5162 Chatham, IL [email protected] 217/494-6982 Region 2 [email protected] Jay Hayek University of Illinois John Lovseth Region 4 Extension Forester Interim TREASURER Jerseyville, IL 217/244-0534 (office) Mike McMahan (Region 4) 618/374.5291 Roger Smith [email protected] Vienna, IL [email protected] Benton, IL 618/977-3415 Lee Rife 618/927-2057 Stan Sipp [email protected] Springfield, IL [email protected] Forester 217/652-2634 Bill Buechel 217/489-9003 IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT [email protected] Highland, IL [email protected] Joe FitzSimmons (Region 4) 904/480-0006 Vienna, IL Kevin Bennet Gary Stratton [email protected] 773/852-7120 Hopewell, IL Forester - Retired IDNR [email protected] 618/954-0113 618/736-2854 [email protected] Jeff Biethman [email protected] Red Bud, IL PROGRAM COORDINATOR 618/282-3651 Chris Whittom Zach DeVillez Region 3 [email protected] IDNR Forest Resources Makanda, IL 217/785-8264 (office) 618/8410932 Stan Sipp 217/280-3659 (cell) [email protected] Mansfield, IL 217/714-1855 [email protected] [email protected] Our Mission... “to act on issues that impact rural and community forests and to promote forestry in Illinois.” Our Goals... • Promote forest management and help landowners manage their forests • Educate members and the general public about rural and community forestry • Advocate for favorable legislation and policies to benefit/protect landowners managing their forests • Understand and engage our members, and increase IFA membership https://ilforestry.org • Govern the IFA efficiently and effectively to better serve our charitable mission 2 Association News Message From the IFA President Fellow IFA Members – IFA is on the verge of significant You can see the scope of these leadership in the Illinois forestry initiatives is literally state-wide. world. Over the last several years, Therefore, we will need volunteers IFA has proposed several projects to help plan project details and to the Illinois Forestry Development then execute them efficiently Council (IFDC) which have been on a pre-planned schedule. This approved. These include, but are is especially important with the not limited to, two major invasive seedling project – we need to be management drive-thru areas, one precise on this one for sure. at Touch of Nature near Carbondale and the other at the HeartLands If you are interested in helping at Conservancy, Arlington Wetlands any level with either of these major near Collinsville. Another significant efforts, please let us know so we project is the coordination of four include you in every step of the Field Days around the State to focus planning process. These initiatives on forestry issues. would not officially start until the IFDC approves the IFA proposals to This maturing partnership between be submitted in May 2021. Each IFA and the IFDC sets the stage for approved project must be 100% two equally significant projects complete by June 2022 in order for Figure 1: State champion cherrybark involving our State Champion Trees. funding to be released to IFA. oak Both of these projects are in the “idea” stage, but the IFA board is I will be asking the Board of continuing to explore the following Directors to take leadership roles in projects. The first project would be these efforts and be the focal point an effort to grow seedlings from for you to get involved. Contact selected Champion Trees for several information will follow. If you want years and offer the resulting young to volunteer early, you can certainly If you shop on Amazon, consider do so by contacting me or Zach trees for sale on a pre-order basis. entering the site through this link: An accompanying project will be to now. identify 12 Champion Trees annually https://smile.amazon.com/ and develop a calendar for use by ch/27-0134781 either the IFDC or the IDNR – or both. Each year 12 new Champions Even without the specifics, it’s easy will be selected until all have been to search for the Illinois Forestry featured. Association as your preferred charitable organization. Just remember to enter “smile dot” before amazon dot com. At no cost to you, Amazon will donate 0.5% of eligible purchase totals to the IFA. Every little bit helps. Thanks for your support! 3 3 Partner & Program News IFA News and Updates by Zach DeVillez This year, the IFA has multiple Regional Field Day exciting projects to educate Schedule members and the general public about responsible forest Very soon, throughout May and management. One of which, occured June, the IFA will be holding four The third field day will be held at the on April 17th at the Arlington regional field events to show Howard Coleman and Funderburg Wetlands Center. attendees different aspects of Forest Preserves outside of Rockford responsible forest management. on Saturday June 5th from 10:00 The IFA, along with HeartLands These field tours will be held in- am - 12:00 pm. The tour will be Conservancy staff toured the work person, but will have a 50 person led by Consulting Forester, Mike that IFA board member, Roger Smith limit for attendees. Registration will Woolery and Forest Pest Outreach conducted within the area. The be required, so when registration Coordinator, Tricia Bethke. The forest around Arlington Wetlands opens, make sure to reserve your Howard Coleman and Funderburg had the same non-native invasive spot! Forest Preserves are geographically species challenges that most sites adjacent to one another, but have have around Illinois. The forest The first field day will be held at been managed differently. Attendees was covered by a dense wall of Principia College in Elsah, Illinois will learn about silviculture, invasive bush honeysuckle. The forestry on May 19th from 5:00 pm - 6:30 species control, prescribed fire, mulcher effectively removed the pm. This field tour will be led by harvesting, and forest pests that bush honeysuckle and made control Dr. John Lovseth, an Assistant could threaten Illinois forests. efforts easier to accomplish. The Professor of Biology and Natural next step will be for HeartLands Resources and Illinois Forestry The fourth field day will be held at Conservancy staff and volunteers Association board member. John Allerton Park, near Monticello Illinois to treat resprouts with a systemic facilitates management to the forest on June 14th from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm. herbicide. within Principia College’s campus. This tour of Allerton Park will be led Attendees of this field tour will get to by Ryan Pankau. More details will be Roger Smith did a wonderful see a 65-acre prescribed burn, a site available for this program soon! job demonstrating the various that was sprayed aerially to control techniques and herbicide specifics bush honeysuckle infestations, and needed to effectively control woody learn about the timber rattlesnake invasives. Attendees were able to conservation efforts being made on learn these techniques so that they These events are free and Principia College’s campus. can replicate the techniques on the available to the public, forest they own or professionally however registeration is The second field day will be held manage. required! at Touch of Nature Environmental Center at SIUC. This event is When you arrive at the Arlington For more details about these scheduled on Saturday May 22nd Wetlands today, you see what events and to register, go to: from 10:00 am - 11:30 pm. This foresters would call a beautiful thing; field tour will be led by Dr. Charles you see the interior of the forest. https://www.ilforestry.org/ Ruffner, a Forestry Professor at SIUC, No longer will visitors’ views be Events Roger Smith, an arborist and IFA obstructed by dense infestations board member, as well as Chris Evans of bush honeysuckle. Visitors can and Zach DeVillez with University of see right through the forest to the Illinois Extension Forestry. Attendees beautiful wetland , nestled within of this field tour will learn about the forest. With repeated monitoring prescribed burns and Forest Stand and retreating, greater native plant Improvement, invasive species diversity should reatake the forest. control, and emerald ash borer. 4 Featured Articles Habitat Fragmentation And The Need For More Well Managed Contiguous Forests By Zach DeVillez In today’s world, there have never Causes of Habitat Loss been more environmental concerns. It seems as if every day, a new study Deforestation: comes to light that paints a gloomy picture about the future of our global Deforestation is one such practice environment. While a great deal of that heavily impacts wildlife. divisiveness remains entrenched Deforestation is the act of removing in the conversation about climate a large area of trees, often taking change and environmental health, the form of a clear-cut (cutting every one thing we know for certain is that tree within a forest).