What You Can Do
Take Action to Stop Forest Invasives!

Bad Bugs May Be Burrowed In Your Bundle

A new firewood hotline is available to get the very latest information regarding firewood and Wisconsin State Parks. The toll-free number is 1-877-303-WOOD (9663).

If you’re taking firewood along on your next camping trip, please remember to burn all the wood that you bring within the length of your stay. Don’t leave any behind.

Help keep Wisconsin’s forests healthy by taking the following steps:

• Don’t bring firewood from outside the state, especially firewood from Lower Michigan. It’s at high risk of transporting emerald ash borer.
• Buy wood produced from local sources. It has less risk of introducing pests and diseases into the area. Most state parks have firewood for sale. To see if the park you’ll be visiting has firewood, call 1-608-266-2181 or download this list [PDF 7KB].
• Limit the amount of firewood you transport over long distances within the state and make sure that what wood you do move is used within a week or two, or is at least 1 year old.
• Storing wood at your home or cabin is advisable only if that wood came from a very local source or is at least 1 year old.

Rid Trees of Gypsy Moth Caterpillars

1) Search and destroy egg masses once leaves fall in October:

• Egg masses, 1-11/2 inches long and shaped like a teardrop, are buffy tan and look like felt.
• They are found in protected spots, often in cracks in rough bark or under loose bark, but also under signs, in rock or firewood piles, on manmade objects like vehicles, picnic tables or playground equipment.
• Use a knife to scrape the egg mass off into a jar and destroy the egg masses by placing the jar into a microwave for a minute or by covering the eggs with a 50/50 mixture of soybean oil and water.
• Dispose of the eggs and the jar in the trash. Avoid directly handling the egg masses as the hairs that cover them can be irritating.
• If you can’t scrape the egg masses off cleanly, use a spray bottle to treat them with Golden Natur’l Spray Oil, a soybean oil-based insecticide which coats and suffocates the eggs.

2) Place a band of sticky material around your yard trees before mid-May when the bark is dry to prevent caterpillars from climbing up the trunks to feed:

• Wrap duct tape around the tree, shiny side out, at chest height, and several inches wide
• Smear sticky material such as Tanglewood or petroleum jelly along the band’s center, leaving 2 inches of tape clear if you use petroleum jelly
• Periodically check the bands to make sure they aren’t clogged with trapped insects, dirt or debris - apply more sticky material as needed
• Take the bands down in late July when gypsy moth caterpillars have pupated.

3) Place burlap bands around your trees in mid-June so gypsy moth caterpillars will accumulate under them and you can collect and kill large numbers of larvae:

• Wrap the strip of 12- to 18-inch wide burlap around the trunk above the sticky band if you have one in place
• Tie a string around the center of the burlap band and allow the top 6 inches to flop over to make a two layered skirt
• Check the burlap bands daily from mid-afternoon to 6 p.m. and collect all caterpillars, pupae, adults and egg masses, using gloves or forceps because the caterpillar hairs can be very irritating to human skin
• Kill caterpillars by placing them in cup of soapy water (dishwashing detergent works well), then drain off the water and throw the caterpillars in the trash
• Take the burlap bands down in August

Feral Pig Removal

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has adopted the position that feral pigs are invasive, non-native wild animals that pose significant threats to both the environment and to agricultural operations. The Department promotes aggressive removal anywhere feral pigs are reported. Feral pigs are considered unprotected wild animals with no closed season or harvest limit. Feral pigs may be removed any time throughout the year as long as those choosing to pursue them possess a valid small game license and the permission of the landowner where they intend to hunt. Also, landowners may shoot feral pigs on their own property without a hunting license, under DNR's animal nuisance control authority...

For more information on Feral Pig Removal please visit http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/HUNT/Pig/Pig_Hunting.htm
For more information on Feral Pigs in general please visit http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/PUBL/wlnotebook/Pig.htm