Forestry

Blog Posts

Trillium: Good things come in threes group of white trillium blooming on woodland floor
Trillium: Good things come in threes
In my last blog post, I shared my affection for bloodroot and boldly claimed that “among the myriad of spring blooms, few thrill me as much as...
U.S. Native Tree Checklist
Across the United States, our urban and natural forest ecosystems support a wide range of both flora and fauna. Trees are certainly the center of...
Urban Forest: Not a contradiction but a critical resource overhead photo of a community with low residential buildings and many trees blue sky with a few white clouds
Urban Forest: Not a contradiction, a critical resource
By definition, a forest is a large area of land covered with trees and understory growth. Traditionally, these parcels of land are often imagined as...
Bald cypress tree
One tough tree: Bald cypress
Lessons learned: Bald cypress is a tree to know Don’t you wish you knew then what you know now? Speaking from experience, when I first began...
Invasive Species and Birds
Nearly every deciduous plant in the Illinois landscape has lost it leaves for the year, except for one standout.  The non-native, invasive shrubs...
truck hauling firewood
Emerald Ash Borer: Is it okay to move firewood yet?
Many years ago, when emerald ash borer (EAB), had just arrived in northern Illinois, a colleague came across a flatbed trailer loaded with cut ash...
trees woodland area
Unique soil conditions create biodiversity in Flatwood Forests
Walking through the woods, you will notice that not all forests are the same. The plant composition, elevation in the land, geography, and soil...
green leaves, black berries, red/purple stems
Pokeweed teaches us to ask questions about the natural world
Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is a showy plant that makes you stop and ask questions about it whenever it is stumbled upon - whether in...

News Releases

Woman in kayak close to rocky bluff
Taking a deep dive into plant identification
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS – It is just before 8 a.m. at Devils Kitchen Lake in Southern Illinois. The mid-August sun is already hot, and a small group unloads their kayaks, eager to get going. Against a stunning backdrop of towering bluffs, all eyes are focused on the water looking for cattails...
A man crouches next to a drone preparing to take flight
Tracking down invasive species with drones
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS – The forests of Southern Illinois have a new friend in the fight against invasive species. The University of Illinois Extension Forestry program has taken to the skies...

Videos

History of Forest Pest Outbreaks in North America

North America has a history of exotic pests that extirpate individual tree species, with Emerald Ash Borer serving as our modern example. In our current, ever-globalizing society there is significant risk for future outbreaks that may impact all of our trees from the urban forest to our...

Staff