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My Wisconsin Woods

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My Wisconsin Woods

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My Wisconsin Woods is a public, private partnership serving private woodland owners across Wisconsin.

Key partners include the Aldo Leopold Foundation and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

10/29/2026

Right now, buckthorn and honeysuckle are easier to spot than at any other time of year. ‼️

Walk your woods this week and look for the leaves that are still green when everything around them has let go.

Most native trees and shrubs have turned or dropped their leaves by now. Invasives like buckthorn and bush honeysuckle hold on longer, so they stand out in a way they never do in summer. A green shrub in a bare understory is often a sign.

Some natives look similar, so if you’re not sure what you’ve found, take a photo and look closer before you act. Have you spotted any holdouts on your land yet?

📸 Stephanie Ladd - Green buckthorn against fall trees

10/27/2026

Something is watching you from the dark depths of the Wisconsin Northwoods... 🌲👁️

If you venture off the trail into Rhinelander’s densest forests, keep your ears open. Long before it became a friendly town mascot, early loggers whispered in terror about the Hodag — a foul-tempered, 7-foot-long beast with the head of a frog, the glowing eyes of a demon, and a spine lined with razor-sharp daggers.

Luke Sylvester "Lake Shore" Kearney wrote the foundational 1928 book "The Hodag and Other Tales of the Logging Camps," turning oral timber-camp myths into printed Wisconsin folklore.

Have you seen any spooky creatures in your woods?

10/23/2026

Milwaukee Brewers begin the World Series tonight! Did you know that the Forest Products Lab in Madison helped Major League Baseball figure out why wooden bats break?

Between July and September of 2008, more than 2,800 bats broke during Major League Baseball games, and maple bats were three times more likely than ash to shatter into multiple pieces. MLB brought in a team of experts, including a research engineer from the lab, to figure out why.

They studied over 2,200 broken bats and found that most failures came down to a steep slope of grain, a pattern that’s harder to read in maple than in ash. Once MLB adopted the group’s recommendations, multi-piece breaks dropped by about 30% the next season.

How a tree grows shows up in its grain, and that grain can end up in a ballgame. Hoping the bats stay in one piece tonight. Go Crew! ⚾️

📸 Broken bats at the Forest Products Lab and Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

10/21/2026

"Deer" Landowners, 😉

A joint state-landowner program proven successful in Wisconsin areas is under consideration for expansion into more counties!

The goal is to combat the slow, but steady decline in active deer hunters. This decline prompts concerns in both environmental and economic realms.

Landowners passionate about forest management and the future of deer hunting are encouraged to participate! Learn more at the link in the comments.

📸 A deer in Adams County from Snapshot Wisconsin

10/19/2026

Spring planting starts with decisions you make now. The DNR Reforestation Program opened spring 2027 seedling orders on Oct. 5, and if you own woods, the right species and spot depend on your land.

Once the trees are in the ground, you can add them to the Wisconsin tree planting map and count toward the pledge. Where on your land would you plant first?

Check out the links in the comments to learn how to order trees and mark them on the map!

📸 Photo courtesy of Milwaukee County Parks

10/16/2026

Wisconsin woodland folklore... it can get pretty spooky. 👻

If you wander into the isolated woods near Land O' Lakes, you might stumble upon two massive, 40-foot stone chimneys standing completely alone in the forest. This is all that remains of Summerwind Mansion.

For nearly a century, Summerwind was a magnet for paranormal lore. From stories of an 18th-century explorer hunting for a missing land deed, to whispered tales of shape-shifting architecture and disembodied voices in the pines, the house terrified everyone who lived there.

In 1988, a lightning strike burned the mansion to ash, but locals say an eerie energy still lingers in those woods.

What’s your favorite piece of spooky Wisconsin woodland folklore? Let us know in the comments! 👇

10/14/2026

After a couple of quiet summers, spongy moth caterpillars have mostly slipped out of the Wisconsin conversation. The DNR didn’t map any defoliation from the air this year, and populations are expected to stay low for a few years.

However, a dry summer, especially up north, is leaving some oaks stressed, and late fall is when tan, nickel-sized egg masses show up on bark, birdhouses, and woodpiles. A slow walk around your property can tell you a lot about next spring.

DNR Forest Health Specialist Bill McNee breaks down what he’s seeing this year at the article linked in the comments.

Have you noticed anything unusual on your oaks lately?

📸 Egg masses, caterpillar, and map from Wisconsin DNR

10/12/2026

Today we celebrate Wisconsin's historic and present native-nations! Each has its own unique traditions, histories, and knowledge that continue to shape our state. We celebrate and honor their presence and contributions to the land and community.

To celebrate Indigenous People's Day, explore which tribal lands and which nations are located closest to your home. The colored sections show tribal lands circa 1800, while the white blocks show present day native-nations.

Check out https://wisconsinfirstnations.org/ to learn more.
📸 Graphic from Wisconsin First Nations

10/11/2026

Today at noon, it's Bears at Packers. 🧀

Wisconsin's woods are already dressed for it. White pine holding its green, aspen and birch turning gold. Green and gold ready!

Wisconsin has bears of its own, and they're busy eating everything in sight before winter, which is also how most of us will watch the game. 🐻

So be honest. Are you out walking your woods before kickoff, or is the only trail you're covering the one between the couch and the snack table?

📸 Original photo from Snapshot Wisconsin

10/09/2026

From the air, oak wilt control looks like a circle of dead trees most of us never see. During a late August aerial survey over parts of Lincoln and Taylor counties, the DNR captured treated pockets from this year and last, with trees dying and others still standing.

The method is a chainsaw girdle and an herbicide, aimed at the wilting oaks and the ones likely root-grafted to them, so the fungus can’t travel underground to the neighbors. And since oak wilt isn’t a decay fungus, those standing trees can still be harvested.

The full article (linked in comments) covers the details and where to find the DNR’s fact sheet. Have you noticed any oaks on your land that looked off this summer?

📸 Wisconsin DNR - Oak wilt from the air and the treatment method

Address

E13701 Levee Road
Baraboo, WI
53913

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+16083550279

Website

http://www.mywisconsinwoods.org/

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