DNR forest expert to speak at library
Linda Williams will present “Forest Insect and Disease Issues in Central Wisconsin” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 19, at the Waupaca Area Public Library.
The free program is sponsored by Winchester Academy.
Williams, a forest health specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, will speak about forest insect and disease issues that the DNR saw in Wisconsin in 2017 and what to expect in 2018.
She will share information about the emerald ash borer, first identified in Waupaca County in 2017.
The good news is that emerald ash borer is a slow-moving pest on its own. The bad news is that it moves quickly and easily into new areas when people help it by moving it in firewood and nursery stock.
The DNR also saw issues with white oak and another forest disease, oak wilt, in 2017.
“Oak wilt, though widespread in central and southern Wisconsin, is still a new and uncommon disease in much of northern Wisconsin,” Williams said.
Oaks threatened in southern areas, such as white and bur oaks, are more likely to survive the disease, but the northern species are less likely to survive.
Williams will discuss other forest health issues, including how the wet Wisconsin weather impacted trees.
Williams has a bachelor’s degree in forestry and a master’s degree in entomology from Michigan State University.
She has been with the Wisconsin DNR for 18 years. In her job she identifies issues impacting forest health, including insects, diseases, and abiotic issues such as drought and flooding effects. She spent 17 years in the Green Bay office, covering 13 counties in northeast Wisconsin, including Waupaca County.
Williams recently transferred to the Woodruff office and is now covering eight counties in northern Wisconsin.
Cookies and coffee are served at 6 p.m. and the program begins at 6:30.
Winchester Academy program expenses are funded through sponsors and tax-deductible donations.
For more information about Winchester Academy, check winchesteracademywaupaca.org, follow the group on Facebook or contact Executive Director Ann Buerger Linden at 715-258-2927 or [email protected].