The return of spring weather has the officials warning landowners to keep an eye out for infestations of hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), an invasive insect native to east Asia and now raising concern for landowners and forest managers in Michigan. The known extent of investation are in Mason, Ottawa, Oceana, Muskegon and Alegan counties.

HWA affects eastern hemlock trees (Tsuga canadensis) by sucking the tree’s sap and disrupting the flow of nutrients to needles and branches until the tree grows weak and eventually dies. This tiny insect is difficult to see, but it is identifiable by the cottony, white egg-containing sacs that form on the undersides of the tree’s branches. HWA was accidentally introduced to the West Coast of the United States in the 1920s, and by 1951 it had reached Virginia and spread to 20 states along the East Coast. In the 2010s, it was transported into Michigan on nursery stock. Since then, a quarantine with mandatory treatment of all incoming hemlocks was established to prevent future exposures. Thanks to HWA’s relatively slow spread rate and the diligent effort by forest managers, the spread has been limited to 

Stopping HWA does take considerable effort, though.
“We’re working on eradication, which is difficult because we keep treating, and it keeps spreading,” said Robert Miller, the Invasive Species Prevention and Response Specialist at the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD).

Trees left untreated will more than likely die in 4 to 10 years.

Miller described a band of hemlock trees along the shore of Lake Michigan as currently facing the most immediate threat. Many efforts are being focused there to ensure that the infestation does not spread further into northern Michigan where there is a much higher concentration of hemlock. The state has an estimated 170 million eastern hemlock trees, which play critical roles in their ecosystems by providing habitat for other plants and wildlife and protecting waterways from run-off and erosion.

Michigan has placed several eradicative and preventative measures in place to control the HWA spread, including treatments with insecticide that contains either Imidacloprid or Dinotefuran as an active ingredient. Effective treatment may require reapplication in the following few years.  According to Miller, MDARD often works with Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas (CISMAs) and other partners to survey and treat any infestations. They are currently collaborating with the West Michigan Conservation Network, which services the area of infestation near Lake Michigan. The work is largely funded by the Michigan Invasive Grant Program (MISGP) from the state and the Great Lakes Recovery Initiative (GLRI).

Michigan landowners are asked to call 800-292-3939 to report any infestations on their property.

Click  here for more information regarding (HWA)

This invasive plant was recently found in Calhoun county, Michigan. A species is considered invasive if it is non-native and cause harm to the inviroment or econmy. 

How Does This Plant Cause Harm?
This vine is able to grow 6" a day! That's 25 feet in 6 to 8 weeks! As it grows it's barbs allow it to climb over and up other vegitation. It eventualy smothers native plants and trees under dense, prickly thicket,  including possibly, your standing timber that is growing along the outside edge of your woodlot!

What Can You Do About The Mile-A=Minute Weed?
This time of year the barbs will still be seen on the vine. If it is spotted, you can remove by hand (wear leather gloves).  Monitor the area in the spring for new growth, removing as soon as possible, befor flowers and than seeds have an opportunity to form. Place vegitiation into a burn bin.  

This poem, by Wendell Berry is true for so many of us and is especially timely during these current circumstances.  On this 5oth Anniversay of Earth Day we hope the very best for all. May you and your families find peace and calm in His creation of nature, as you witness it in a walk in the woods or as you sit quietly on your back yard deck or front yard
​porch watching and listening to the sights and  sounds of nature.

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. 
I come into the peace of wild things 
who do not tax their live with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
​waiting with their light. For a time
​I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

-Wendell Berry

It's true! The tender shoots of the common daylilly is excellent in stirfrys. Just make sure they are a clean source with no pesticides.

​Spring turkey hunting seasons are open, and licenses are available.

www.theoutdoorwire.com/releases/ec157062-6a13-4216-9963-8139210fb3d1


For current and up-to-date information regarding coronavirus, visit www.michigan.gov/coronavirus