Leaves are down, temperatures are cooler, and that means it’s prime time for pruning oak trees, which can be infected by the oak wilt fungus if they’re pruned during the high-risk period April 15-July 15.

“Beetles that can carry the disease from tree to tree are not very active now, and the trees are not vulnerable to infection,” said Simeon Wright, forest health specialist with the DNR Forest Resources Division. The beetles are attracted to fresh bark damage or wounds where tree limbs have been removed. Read more

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation committed $400,000 to reinforce its multi-decade partnership with western states on issues crucial to the movement and overall health of elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope and other wildlife species.

“This is not just an agreement with our partners at the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA). It’s an action plan,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “The initial three-year allotment of funding will be matched by WAFWA at a ratio of at least a 3-to-1, thus placing more than $1.2 million on the ground for the protection and conservation of critical winter range and migration corridors.” Read more

A woman has died eight days after being hospitalized as the result of an apparent elk attack on her property in the Pine Lake community in the Hualapai Mountains, about 15 miles southeast of Kingman.

The attack occurred on the afternoon of Oct. 26 while the woman’s husband was in Kingman. According to the husband, when he returned around 6 p.m., he found his wife on the ground in the backyard with injuries consistent with being trampled by an elk. He also observed a bucket of spilled corn nearby. There were no witnesses to the event.

The husband called 911, and his wife was transported first to the Kingman Regional Medical Center and then to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas. According to the husband, she was put into a medically induced coma due to the extent of her injuries.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) did not learn about the attack until the next day, Oct. 27, when a local resident informed a department officer. On Oct. 28, another AZGFD officer visited the community, put door hanger warning signs on residences along the road advising people not to approach or feed elk, and spoke with the victim’s husband and other residents. While at the victim’s residence, the officer observed multiple elk tracks in the yard. Read more

While you’re enjoying time outdoors this fall and winter, keep an eye open for black bear dens. Reporting den locations to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is a simple, yet effective way to support bear management programs.

“Finding winter den locations is an important component to managing black bear populations, and we need hunter, trapper and landowner assistance to add new den sites to the program in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula,” said Mark Boersen, wildlife biologist at the DNR Roscommon Customer Service Center. “Currently, we are monitoring six bears from the ground and aircraft using radio tracking equipment.” Read more

Wow, we asked you to plant trees, and Michiganders showed up: planting and registering more than 100,000 trees on the DNR’s interactive Mi Trees map since 2021.

This amazing turnout for the Mi Trees effort has helped the DNR move toward its goal of planting 50 million trees by 2030 in partnership with 1T.org, a global initiative to plant 1 trillion trees. Much of Michigan’s landscape is privately owned or in urban and community areas, making public participation an important part of the effort.

Why plant a trillion trees? Forests are important for the health of the planet and for us. From simply providing beauty to our landscapes and communities, to creating wildlife habitat, slowing climate change, providing renewable materials for everyday products and even improving mental health, trees are essential.

The Michigan DNR plants about 6 million trees a year on state forest land, with forest management practices that are certified as sustainable by two independent organizations.

If you want to join the effort, find tips to pick the right tree and plant it correctly at Michigan.gov/MiTrees. Be sure to tag them on our map to share your achievement and help us get closer to the Trillion Trees goal. Read more

New Michigan State University research details how the emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive forest pest native to Asia, is jeopardizing the entire U.S. and Canadian native range of black ash trees. The finding is particularly troubling because the trees are of cultural importance to Indigenous and First Nations groups.

Research results were published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. The effort was co-led by Nathan Siegert, forest entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, and Deborah McCullough, professor in the MSU departments of Entomology and Forestry. The USDA Forest Service provided funding for the project. Read more

NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, in partnership with TenPoint Archery, Archery Trade Association, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has released another film in the “Partner with a Payer®” series—a collection of videos highlighting the importance of wildlife conservation and management. The latest video, “Conservation Success at the Crossroads of Collaboration,” highlights the work being done to continue providing public access to target ranges, hunting opportunities and other outdoor experiences within the United States. Read more