Wisconsin Forest Health Protection Annual Report 2010 Compiled and edited by Forest Health Protection Program Staff Wisconsin Forest Health Protection Program Division of Forestry Department of Natural Resources Premature color change in beech trees affected by beech scale in Door County, September, 2010. Photo by Bill McNee 2 Table of Contents Wisconsin DNR Forest Health Protection Staff ........................................................................................... 3 Wisconsin’s Forest Resources ........................................................................................................................... 5 Exotics ........................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Emerald Ash Borer – Agrilus planipennis ........................................................................................................................................ 7 Current status of EAB in Wisconsin ................................................................................................................................................... 7 Management Strategies ........................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Emerald Ash Borer: Using Sink Trees to Slow Population Spread..................................................................................... 11 Double-Decker Traps for Detecting EAB ....................................................................................................................................... 15 Increased understanding of Cerceris fumipennis, the beetle hunting wasp, in Wisconsin ...................................... 16 Firewood as a vector of Invasive Pests and Diseases: ............................................................................................................. 21 Modeling the risk and adjusting regulation to reduce it ........................................................................................................ 21 Gypsy Moth Suppression ...................................................................................................................................................................... 22 Banded Elm Bark Beetle - Scolytus schevyrewi ........................................................................................................................... 24 Thousand Canker Disease (TCD)-Geosmithia morbida and Pityophthorus juglandis................................................. 25 Beech Bark Disease - Cryptococcus fagisuga and Neonectria spp. ...................................................................................... 25 Hemlock Wooly Adelgid - Adelges tsugae ...................................................................................................................................... 27 Invasive Plants and Earthworms ...................................................................................................................................................... 27 Hardwood Health Issues .................................................................................................................................. 30 New Oak Wilt Detections ...................................................................................................................................................................... 30 Field Studies to Evaluate the Risk of Overland Spread of Oak Wilt ................................................................................... 33 Anthracnose – Several Fungi .............................................................................................................................................................. 36 Oak defoliation – suspected to be caused by June beetles ..................................................................................................... 36 Ash Yellows – Phytoplasma ................................................................................................................................................................. 37 Columbian Timber Beetle - Corthylus columbianus .................................................................................................................. 38 Hickory Mortality - 100 Canker Disease ........................................................................................................................................ 39 Aspen Blotchminer - Phyllonorycter apparella ........................................................................................................................... 39 Alder Flea Beetle – Macrohaltica ambiens .................................................................................................................................... 40 Introduced Basswood Thrips - Thrips calcaratus ...................................................................................................................... 40 Fall Cankerworm - Alsophila pometaria ......................................................................................................................................... 41 Eastern Tent Caterpillar – Malacosoma americanum .............................................................................................................. 41 Forest Tent caterpillar – Malacosoma disstria ............................................................................................................................ 42 Butternut Project Update 2010 ......................................................................................................................................................... 43 Conifer Health Issues ........................................................................................................................................ 46 White pine needle loss ........................................................................................................................................................................... 46 Jack Pine Budworm - Choristoneura pinus pinus ........................................................................................................................ 47 Jack Pine Budworm Survey in Northwest Wisconsin: Procedures and Results 2010 ............................................. 49 Pine spittlebug - Aphrophora parallela .......................................................................................................................................... 51 Jack pine gall rust surveys in Wisconsin state nurseries update: 2010 .......................................................................... 51 Eastern Hemlock Tip Blight – Sirococcus tsugae ........................................................................................................................ 53 Sirococcus Shoot Blight – Sirococcus conigenus ......................................................................................................................... 54 Red Pine Pocket Mortality Landowner and Manager Update .............................................................................................. 55 Diplodia pinea: Testing for Asymptomatic Infection in State Nursery Red Pine Seedlings .................................... 57 Annosum Root Rot – Heterobasidion irregulare ....................................................................................................................... 57 The effect of Annosum infection on tree regeneration ........................................................................................................... 58 Abiotic-Caused Forest Health Issues ........................................................................................................... 60 Tornado Damage on the Turtle Flambeau Flowage ................................................................................................................. 60 Freeze Injury .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 61 Precipitation and drought in Wisconsin 2009 to 2010 ........................................................................................................... 62 2 | P a g e Wisconsin’s forest health highlights 2010 3 Wisconsin DNR Forest Health Protection Staff Staff update In 2010, the forest health team implemented a few changes to address the ever-growing workload associated with forest health protection. Regional staff have transitioned or are transitioning from specialists (where some staff work primarily with gypsy moth) to generalists, where staff handle all insect and disease issues, including the gypsy moth suppression program. This transition included a change in the territories covered by each forest health specialist (Figure 1) and the addition of a forest health position in Wisconsin Rapids. We are pleased to welcome Michael Hillstrom to the forest health team! Shane Weber Michael is a forest health specialist #S Brian Schwingle stationed in Wisconsin Rapids. He will #S be working in a nine-county area of central Wisconsin, which includes Clark, Marathon, Wood, Portage, Juneau, Adams, Waushara, Marquette, #S Todd Lanigan and Green Lake counties. Mike Hillstrom #S Hillstrom's first day on the job was #S Linda William s November 8. He received his 2003 Bill McNee Bachelor's and 2009 Doctoral degrees in Entomology from the