Prune Your Oak Trees Before April 1
Landowners throughout Michigan are being reminded to prune or complete any work around any red oak trees before April 15 in order to help stop the spread of oak wilt. Oak wilt is a non-native fungus that is 100% fatal to red oaks and can be controlled if recommended practices are followed. Any planned construction or utility work that requires removal or pruning of oaks, a timber harvest, or any activity that is likely to wound oaks, should all be completed before the growing season begins. If tree work is completed now, the tree wounds will seal off before the picnic beetles are active. These sap feeding beetles are the primary vectors transmitting the fungal spores overland.
Oak wilt is one of the most expensive diseases to treat, so prevention is key. Avoiding new infections is the least costly of all the management options available. Tree professionals strongly recommend not pruning or injuring red oak trees when the trees are actively growing and the beetles are active, so between April 15 and October 31 is a guideline that will lower the risk of overland spread by the sap feeding beetles. Pests and diseases do not recognize dates on our calendar, so waiting until temperatures are consistently cold and they go dormant is the time of lowest risk. If a tree receives storm damage or for hazard reasons, needs to be pruned during the growing season, immediately seal the wound with tree wound or latex paint.
New satellite oak wilt sites occurred last summer in the Glen Arbor and Benzonia areas. Landowners are encouraged to share the preventative information with neighbors so that together, we can keep the spread of this fatal fungus under control. Please visit the Michigan Oak Wilt Coalition website for up-to-date information, https://www.michiganoakwilt.org/.
The Forestry Assistance Program for Leelanau, Benzie and Grand Traverse Counties offers free, on-site technical assistance to help landowners correctly identify wilt, and learn about treatment options. For more information, contact Kama Ross, District Forester, 231-256-9783 or kama.ross@macd.org.
Oak wilt is one of the most expensive diseases to treat, so prevention is key. Avoiding new infections is the least costly of all the management options available. Tree professionals strongly recommend not pruning or injuring red oak trees when the trees are actively growing and the beetles are active, so between April 15 and October 31 is a guideline that will lower the risk of overland spread by the sap feeding beetles. Pests and diseases do not recognize dates on our calendar, so waiting until temperatures are consistently cold and they go dormant is the time of lowest risk. If a tree receives storm damage or for hazard reasons, needs to be pruned during the growing season, immediately seal the wound with tree wound or latex paint.
New satellite oak wilt sites occurred last summer in the Glen Arbor and Benzonia areas. Landowners are encouraged to share the preventative information with neighbors so that together, we can keep the spread of this fatal fungus under control. Please visit the Michigan Oak Wilt Coalition website for up-to-date information, https://www.michiganoakwilt.org/.
The Forestry Assistance Program for Leelanau, Benzie and Grand Traverse Counties offers free, on-site technical assistance to help landowners correctly identify wilt, and learn about treatment options. For more information, contact Kama Ross, District Forester, 231-256-9783 or kama.ross@macd.org.
Restoring Benzie County Forests, with Students in Mind
[Submitted by the Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network (ISN) and Partners]
Frankfort--Two expanses of forest, just east of Frankfort in Benzie County, are gradually being restored with the goal of natural communities being returned to their original state. These parcels, acquired by Frankfort/Elberta Public Schools, have seen much change - from original cutover, ongoing farming, and then abandonment. This naturally led to the establishment of a healthy population of woody invasive shrubs like honeysuckle, Japanese barberry, and autumn olive. These species are opportunistic in settings such as this (and quickly take over).
Ultimately, another goal is to restore the area for educational use.
Kama Ross, District Forester for Benzie, Grand Traverse, and Leelanau counties refers to the Forest Stewardship website to explain. "The concept of school forests in Michigan dates back to 1925 with the Negaunee Schools in the Upper Peninsula. The program grew statewide in 1931 when the Municipal Forest Act was passed by the Michigan Legislature, allowing the Department of Conservation (i.e. the Michigan DNR) to take tax reverted properties (those with delinquent property tax payments) and transfer ownership to schools and government organizations. The forests are not just for schools; they are open to public access, providing both educational opportunities and community-wide benefit."
In the meantime, there's a lot of work to do. First, determining the best management practices and subsequent restoration requires diving into published information, historical forest records, and looking at neighboring parcels.
Liana May, Owner of Borealis Consulting, has been working diligently to determine the design and process which she says is, "one of the most challenging parts of the project."
"Though we rely on the best published information, every forested area is different: soils, microclimate, ecological interactions, all vary from site to site; so, we have designed what we think will be a successful start to a diverse and climate resilient hardwood stand that provides well for wildlife."
Seeing that design come to life is already well underway. In January of this year, Wildlife and Wetlands Solutions, LLC began the process of removing the woody invasives on site - an impressive endeavor. Now, much of the standing red pine is being logged by Biewer Forest Products, subcontracted with Dan Bundy Logging of Manton. This is the second harvest of the plantation pine and the majority of the trees are being removed because of pine bark beetle infestations and widespread wind damage. Remaining clumps of pine will provide shade and a natural seed source to help regenerate the area with native conifers. Other beneficial trees will be left standing including black cherry, sugar maple, ironwood, white spruce, and American beech. Starting this spring, over 6,000 native tree and shrub seedlings will be planted, some with an emphasis on replacing beech and ash trees affected by insect and disease.
Ross admits she is a bit worried about seedling success with no water source on the property as it won’t be possible to provide water to the newly establishing seedlings if there are droughty conditions during the first two years. For that reason, the species selected are native to Michigan and well adapted to sandy soils but only time will tell which trees do the best on these sites. Most of the hardwood seedlings will be protected from deer, rabbit and rodent browse with planting tubes.
Eventually, students from the nearby schools will be able to see the forest regeneration first-hand and hopefully assist with invasive species removal work-bees. Garlic mustard is present and will likely worsen initially due to the shrub removal and subsequent logging. Members of the public may also have the opportunity to assist with bare-root seedling plantings although those plans are still in development.
If you would like to learn more about this project and/or be kept in the loop regarding volunteer opportunities, please contact Kama Ross directly - kama.ross@macd.org.
The Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network (ISN) is a collaboration of over 60 highly motivated and respected organizations in the region. ISN’s mission is to protect, enhance, and promote northwest Michigan's natural communities through terrestrial invasive plant management and outreach. Its service area includes Manistee, Benzie, Leelanau, and Grand Traverse counties. More information can be found at HabitatMatters.org.
Frankfort--Two expanses of forest, just east of Frankfort in Benzie County, are gradually being restored with the goal of natural communities being returned to their original state. These parcels, acquired by Frankfort/Elberta Public Schools, have seen much change - from original cutover, ongoing farming, and then abandonment. This naturally led to the establishment of a healthy population of woody invasive shrubs like honeysuckle, Japanese barberry, and autumn olive. These species are opportunistic in settings such as this (and quickly take over).
Ultimately, another goal is to restore the area for educational use.
Kama Ross, District Forester for Benzie, Grand Traverse, and Leelanau counties refers to the Forest Stewardship website to explain. "The concept of school forests in Michigan dates back to 1925 with the Negaunee Schools in the Upper Peninsula. The program grew statewide in 1931 when the Municipal Forest Act was passed by the Michigan Legislature, allowing the Department of Conservation (i.e. the Michigan DNR) to take tax reverted properties (those with delinquent property tax payments) and transfer ownership to schools and government organizations. The forests are not just for schools; they are open to public access, providing both educational opportunities and community-wide benefit."
In the meantime, there's a lot of work to do. First, determining the best management practices and subsequent restoration requires diving into published information, historical forest records, and looking at neighboring parcels.
Liana May, Owner of Borealis Consulting, has been working diligently to determine the design and process which she says is, "one of the most challenging parts of the project."
"Though we rely on the best published information, every forested area is different: soils, microclimate, ecological interactions, all vary from site to site; so, we have designed what we think will be a successful start to a diverse and climate resilient hardwood stand that provides well for wildlife."
Seeing that design come to life is already well underway. In January of this year, Wildlife and Wetlands Solutions, LLC began the process of removing the woody invasives on site - an impressive endeavor. Now, much of the standing red pine is being logged by Biewer Forest Products, subcontracted with Dan Bundy Logging of Manton. This is the second harvest of the plantation pine and the majority of the trees are being removed because of pine bark beetle infestations and widespread wind damage. Remaining clumps of pine will provide shade and a natural seed source to help regenerate the area with native conifers. Other beneficial trees will be left standing including black cherry, sugar maple, ironwood, white spruce, and American beech. Starting this spring, over 6,000 native tree and shrub seedlings will be planted, some with an emphasis on replacing beech and ash trees affected by insect and disease.
Ross admits she is a bit worried about seedling success with no water source on the property as it won’t be possible to provide water to the newly establishing seedlings if there are droughty conditions during the first two years. For that reason, the species selected are native to Michigan and well adapted to sandy soils but only time will tell which trees do the best on these sites. Most of the hardwood seedlings will be protected from deer, rabbit and rodent browse with planting tubes.
Eventually, students from the nearby schools will be able to see the forest regeneration first-hand and hopefully assist with invasive species removal work-bees. Garlic mustard is present and will likely worsen initially due to the shrub removal and subsequent logging. Members of the public may also have the opportunity to assist with bare-root seedling plantings although those plans are still in development.
If you would like to learn more about this project and/or be kept in the loop regarding volunteer opportunities, please contact Kama Ross directly - kama.ross@macd.org.
The Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network (ISN) is a collaboration of over 60 highly motivated and respected organizations in the region. ISN’s mission is to protect, enhance, and promote northwest Michigan's natural communities through terrestrial invasive plant management and outreach. Its service area includes Manistee, Benzie, Leelanau, and Grand Traverse counties. More information can be found at HabitatMatters.org.
Kama Ross, District Forester, tells us how to identify three northern Michigan trees in winter!
Leelanau Ticker: Our Region's Biochar Movement Takes Root, by Emily Tyra
Today kicks off National Biochar Week, and — to nourish a budding “biochar movement” here in Northern Michigan — the Grand Traverse Conservation District (GTCD) is hosting a meeting of the minds via Zoom this morning, Monday, Dec. 7.
Among the dozen-plus local leaders attending — including foresters, farmers, conservation district employees, and property owners — is the man who GTCD Executive Director Koffi Kpachavi calls the “Godfather of Biochar” in the region. Tim Overdier, a retired soil scientist, is a producer and promoter of biochar in Northport. He, along with Paul May — who produces and uses biochar on his grass-fed beef farm in Frankfort — are the self-coined Biochar Guys.
But, what’s this thing they call biochar?
Biochar is simply woody material which has been turned into a substance similar to charcoal via a specially monitored smoldering heat. Biochar is created as an agricultural soil amendment, which, Kpachavi explains, “can play an important role in soil health, carbon sequestration, reduction in the level of fertilizers farmers put in the soil, and much more.”
Overdier tells the Leelanau Ticker, “Biochar is like a natural forest fire. It rejuvenates the ecosystem, it adds carbon, compacted like a honeycomb with millions of pore spaces of many sizes, that provide housing for microbial diversity, increase water and nutrient holding capacity, and build a long-term stable carbon substrate that maintains soil health.”
Over time, he says, microbes move in and fungi develop networks of electrochemical nutrient pathways, feeding plants just what they need in the right combination.
And even beyond soil fertility, there’s biochar’s compelling environmental benefits. For instance, its nutrient retention reduces run-off, which upsets the ecosystem balance in streams and riparian areas. And biochar sequesters carbon in soils — recent research cited by the nonprofit US Biochar Initiative demonstrates that biochar-enriched soils reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions by 50-80 percent.
For that reason, it’s been described as the “Swiss Army knife” of both soil and climate solutions. And it has some early adopters in the region, specifically in Leelanau County.
There is Overdier, of course, who began experimenting with it in planting trees on his Northport property four years ago. “My ground is a former orchard that was so sandy and windswept that it failed as a cherry producer,” he says. “My trees are much better off with biochar. Most of the seedlings survived without much extra water in poor soil.”
Overdier creates his own biochar with a specialized kiln, using debris from his own woodlots and scraps from neighboring Thomas and Milliken Millworks in Northport. “They are glad to see the stuff put to good use,” he says.
Overdier’s biochar also goes to Krull’s Composting in Maple City, where Barry Krull uses it in Millennium Compost — a char-enhanced compost with twice the total carbon as normal compost. This compost has been promoted at the Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference for two years and now has a cult following among growers in the region.
While the name “biochar” was coined in 2005, it has been in use by Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon for centuries. Now, Overdier says, “like any good innovation, it solves a timely need and links the past to the future.”
What excites both Overdier and Kpachavi about creating and using biochar in Northern Michigan at scale is the double whammy of environmental-economic benefits. Says Overdier: “Biochar offers the potential to manage local tree waste as a resource, turning it into high-value, marketable carbon products that improve soil for lawns, gardens, agricultural, and landscaping applications.”
Kpachavi says at the working session he’s leading this morning, the focus is on entrepreneurial opportunities, and “laying a foundation for the work ahead to bring biochar into the mainstream.”
He adds that “biochar’s huge role in combating climate change and the fact that we currently have so much forest product going to waste in our region, makes biochar a very compelling choice, I think.”
Kama Ross, district forester for Leelanau, Grand Traverse and Benzie Conservation Districts agrees. She champions the idea of a portable biochar kiln, “that could travel from orchard, to vineyard, to farm, and could be used to process Leelanau’s orchard and ag waste onsite.” She also sees a win-win in using biochar kilns to process autumn olive, one of the region’s top invasive species, into biochar to return to the soil.
Meanwhile, in forestry applications, Kpachavi says, usually the slash from a tree harvest is burned to ash, buried or left to decompose. “The burning to ash, especially, is a monumental waste. We need to work with the forestry industry to redress this.”
Municipalities and homeowners also burn off brush piles, says Overdier. “We work so hard to rid ourselves of this ‘waste’ material that has so much value for increasing our yields and building our soils for current and future generations.”
The fire to create biochar uses a top-down approach and is extinguished at a precise moment before the biochar is rendered to ash. Both Ross and Kpachavi stress that because of risk of forest fire, making biochar is best suited to specialized kilns with trained operators, and with an immediate nearby water supply.
Biochar kilns come in a wide range of capabilities, capacities, and costs: $150 to $1 million. WarmHeart Worldwide and Wilson Biochar produce some of the more basic, affordable units. Kpachavi says the pricier professional kilns can even capture the energy generated during the burn process and convert it to electricity.
As inspiration for expanding biochar capabilities in our region, Overdier cites a larger-scale carbon industry model that has emerged over the last six years. “Cool Planet, a startup invested in by Google, Exxon Mobil, USDA secured loans, J.R. Simplot, and others was bought in 2020 by a Minnesota firm with a subsidiary in Marquette, Michigan, National Carbon Technologies (NTC),” he says. “Cool Planet developed 50 patents for processing, inoculating, buffering, and pelletizing biochar for agriculture.”
He adds that now NCT is “looking to develop the ag and other uses. For example, carbon is used to strengthen steel, rubber, and concrete. It also has applications for wastewater and hazmat cleanup.”
Overdier adds, “We need additional ‘technology’ — specialized equipment and procedures for burning, processing, and applying biochar at a scale that is compatible with existing on-farm workloads. This could also prove to be a business potential for youth or youth employment organizations in the area, such as SEEDS.”
Kpachavi says seeking investors is among the next steps. “This is the beginning of what I hope will be a long and fruitful collaboration to advance biochar in our region,” he says. “My dream is to have our region become the ‘Silicon Valley’ for biochar.”
The Grand Traverse Conservation District is planning a free virtual “Intro to Biochar” Zoom presentation Thursday, December 10 at 7pm, to discuss the benefits of utilizing biochar, biochar’s carbon sequestration potential, and more. Register here.
Among the dozen-plus local leaders attending — including foresters, farmers, conservation district employees, and property owners — is the man who GTCD Executive Director Koffi Kpachavi calls the “Godfather of Biochar” in the region. Tim Overdier, a retired soil scientist, is a producer and promoter of biochar in Northport. He, along with Paul May — who produces and uses biochar on his grass-fed beef farm in Frankfort — are the self-coined Biochar Guys.
But, what’s this thing they call biochar?
Biochar is simply woody material which has been turned into a substance similar to charcoal via a specially monitored smoldering heat. Biochar is created as an agricultural soil amendment, which, Kpachavi explains, “can play an important role in soil health, carbon sequestration, reduction in the level of fertilizers farmers put in the soil, and much more.”
Overdier tells the Leelanau Ticker, “Biochar is like a natural forest fire. It rejuvenates the ecosystem, it adds carbon, compacted like a honeycomb with millions of pore spaces of many sizes, that provide housing for microbial diversity, increase water and nutrient holding capacity, and build a long-term stable carbon substrate that maintains soil health.”
Over time, he says, microbes move in and fungi develop networks of electrochemical nutrient pathways, feeding plants just what they need in the right combination.
And even beyond soil fertility, there’s biochar’s compelling environmental benefits. For instance, its nutrient retention reduces run-off, which upsets the ecosystem balance in streams and riparian areas. And biochar sequesters carbon in soils — recent research cited by the nonprofit US Biochar Initiative demonstrates that biochar-enriched soils reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions by 50-80 percent.
For that reason, it’s been described as the “Swiss Army knife” of both soil and climate solutions. And it has some early adopters in the region, specifically in Leelanau County.
There is Overdier, of course, who began experimenting with it in planting trees on his Northport property four years ago. “My ground is a former orchard that was so sandy and windswept that it failed as a cherry producer,” he says. “My trees are much better off with biochar. Most of the seedlings survived without much extra water in poor soil.”
Overdier creates his own biochar with a specialized kiln, using debris from his own woodlots and scraps from neighboring Thomas and Milliken Millworks in Northport. “They are glad to see the stuff put to good use,” he says.
Overdier’s biochar also goes to Krull’s Composting in Maple City, where Barry Krull uses it in Millennium Compost — a char-enhanced compost with twice the total carbon as normal compost. This compost has been promoted at the Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference for two years and now has a cult following among growers in the region.
While the name “biochar” was coined in 2005, it has been in use by Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon for centuries. Now, Overdier says, “like any good innovation, it solves a timely need and links the past to the future.”
What excites both Overdier and Kpachavi about creating and using biochar in Northern Michigan at scale is the double whammy of environmental-economic benefits. Says Overdier: “Biochar offers the potential to manage local tree waste as a resource, turning it into high-value, marketable carbon products that improve soil for lawns, gardens, agricultural, and landscaping applications.”
Kpachavi says at the working session he’s leading this morning, the focus is on entrepreneurial opportunities, and “laying a foundation for the work ahead to bring biochar into the mainstream.”
He adds that “biochar’s huge role in combating climate change and the fact that we currently have so much forest product going to waste in our region, makes biochar a very compelling choice, I think.”
Kama Ross, district forester for Leelanau, Grand Traverse and Benzie Conservation Districts agrees. She champions the idea of a portable biochar kiln, “that could travel from orchard, to vineyard, to farm, and could be used to process Leelanau’s orchard and ag waste onsite.” She also sees a win-win in using biochar kilns to process autumn olive, one of the region’s top invasive species, into biochar to return to the soil.
Meanwhile, in forestry applications, Kpachavi says, usually the slash from a tree harvest is burned to ash, buried or left to decompose. “The burning to ash, especially, is a monumental waste. We need to work with the forestry industry to redress this.”
Municipalities and homeowners also burn off brush piles, says Overdier. “We work so hard to rid ourselves of this ‘waste’ material that has so much value for increasing our yields and building our soils for current and future generations.”
The fire to create biochar uses a top-down approach and is extinguished at a precise moment before the biochar is rendered to ash. Both Ross and Kpachavi stress that because of risk of forest fire, making biochar is best suited to specialized kilns with trained operators, and with an immediate nearby water supply.
Biochar kilns come in a wide range of capabilities, capacities, and costs: $150 to $1 million. WarmHeart Worldwide and Wilson Biochar produce some of the more basic, affordable units. Kpachavi says the pricier professional kilns can even capture the energy generated during the burn process and convert it to electricity.
As inspiration for expanding biochar capabilities in our region, Overdier cites a larger-scale carbon industry model that has emerged over the last six years. “Cool Planet, a startup invested in by Google, Exxon Mobil, USDA secured loans, J.R. Simplot, and others was bought in 2020 by a Minnesota firm with a subsidiary in Marquette, Michigan, National Carbon Technologies (NTC),” he says. “Cool Planet developed 50 patents for processing, inoculating, buffering, and pelletizing biochar for agriculture.”
He adds that now NCT is “looking to develop the ag and other uses. For example, carbon is used to strengthen steel, rubber, and concrete. It also has applications for wastewater and hazmat cleanup.”
Overdier adds, “We need additional ‘technology’ — specialized equipment and procedures for burning, processing, and applying biochar at a scale that is compatible with existing on-farm workloads. This could also prove to be a business potential for youth or youth employment organizations in the area, such as SEEDS.”
Kpachavi says seeking investors is among the next steps. “This is the beginning of what I hope will be a long and fruitful collaboration to advance biochar in our region,” he says. “My dream is to have our region become the ‘Silicon Valley’ for biochar.”
The Grand Traverse Conservation District is planning a free virtual “Intro to Biochar” Zoom presentation Thursday, December 10 at 7pm, to discuss the benefits of utilizing biochar, biochar’s carbon sequestration potential, and more. Register here.
BeLEAF It or Not!
An Open-Educational Resource for Forest Science Education
Forestry Articles, provided by Bill Cook, forester & biologist
Click on the links below to read articles by Bill!
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As an MSU Extension forester, I provide educational programming for the entire Upper Peninsula. My office is located at the MSU Forest Biomass Innovation Center near Escanaba. The Center is the headquarters for three MSU Forestry properties in the U.P., with a combined area of about 8,000 acres. A collection of these newspaper articles, back to July 1997, can be viewed on the following website: http://michigansaf.org/ForestInfo/Newspaper/0000 Directory.htm or under the "Forest Info" button of http://michigansaf.org.
Bill Cook, Forester & Biologist MSU Extension, Upper Peninsula 6005 J Road Escanaba, MI 49829 906-786-1575, voice 906-786-9370, fax Email: cookwi@msu.edu MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. |