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Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners Association

Working for Indiana Woodlands

July Update

Dear IFWOA members,
The dog days of summer have arrived in full force! We are daydreaming about cooler weather and planning for fall invasive species control projects or next spring's tree planting. In the meantime, see some resources below that will help you with your woodland objectives now or later in the season. Wishing you all the best as you continue your stewardship.
IFWOA Board of Directors and Liz Jackson, Executive Director

Dispose of Old Pesticides: Register by Friday

An Indiana Pesticide Clean Sweep Project at 6 sites across Indiana will collect and dispose of opened, unopened or just unwanted pesticides (weed killers, insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, miticides, etc.). This disposal service is free of charge up to 250 pounds per participant. Over 250 pounds there will be a $2.00 per pound charge. This is a great opportunity for you to legally dispose of unwanted products at little or no cost.
You must sign up in advance by August 10. Learn more and sign up here.

Spotted Lanternfly: Be on alert

This invasive insect is currently found in about half of Pennsylvania, plus NJ, DE, MD, WV, and VA. It's favorite host is the invasive Tree of Heaven but it will infest fruit trees, grapes, black walnut, maples and others. SLF has been spreading by the adults or egg masses "hitching rides" on vehicles, wood, stone, and other natural materials or equipment or gear stored outside. If you travel through the quarantined areas inspect your vehicle and all supplies for signs of this invasive pest. Learn more about spotted lanternfly here.

Photo credits: (L) Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org, (R) Lawrence Barringer, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org

Property Line Marking

Marking your property line can ensure you are receiving the full benefit of the property you own. Lenny Farlee, Purdue Extension forester, shares in this video a new inexpensive way to mark your property line and has the same force of the law as no trespassing signs have. Watch the short video and see other resources here.

Vulture Roost Survey

Vultures provide valuable ecosystem service by cleaning the environment of carrion, reducing disease risk for humans and livestock, but across the globe vulture species are declining dramatically. In contrast, American black vulture populations have grown and expanded into new areas in the past several decades. This has created the potential for conflict because black vultures have been documented to kill weak or newborn livestock. This research seeks to better understand vulture ecology to inform conservation of other vulture species, as well as to understand how best to minimize conflict between vultures and producers.

Marian Wahl, a Purdue PhD Wildlife student, is soliciting roost location reports for any type of vulture from anyone willing to share. A roost is any spot where groups of vulture spend time perched, either during the day or overnight, aside from when they are feeding at a carcass. If you know of any vulture roosts, please fill out the survey here.

Upcoming Events

Purdue Extension "Ask the Expert" Series on Facebook Live, Thursdays at 3 PM:
July 16: Wildlife Mythbusters
July 23: TBA
July 30: Hardwood Ecosystem Experience Research (Ep. 2 – Birds and salamander research)
August 6: Rainscaping
Find all future and past videos on the Purdue FNR Extension Facebook Page

Control Japanese Stiltgrass Now

It's time to control Japanese stiltgrass either using grass specific or other herbicides or through mowing or weed whacking in August or September before it seeds. Managing it prior to seeding is important to reduce further spread. Learn more about controlling it here.

Photo credit: Chuck Bargeron, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

Dicamba Herbicide Updates

In recent years there has been increased off-target damage to trees from the herbicide Dicamba. To help limit damage, this year the Indiana cut-off date for over-the-top dicamba application was June 20. Learn more about Dicamba, and how to spot signs of drift damage or how to report damage in this article.

Researcher Looking for Women Woodland Owners/Co-Owners

My name is Olivia Lukacic and I am a graduate student at UMass Amherst with the Family Forest Research Center. I am interviewing female landowners to hear about their experiences, goals, challenges, and resource sources . My project will result in the production of an outreach publication for women landowners across the northeast and midwest.

So far I have been able to identify and interview many wonderful women that I would consider to be "engaged landowners." This means that they might have utilized state and federal programs, met with foresters, or have management plans. This has been amazing, but survey data shows that most land owners are not like this, but rather "unengaged." Unengaged does not mean uninterested or unenthusiastic. They can either own land themselves or be co-owners and ideally own 10 or more acres but are less actively managing and participating in programs. If you fit this description contact me at olukacic@umass.edu or at (978) 394-9186.

Reversing Ruffed Grouse Declines in Indiana

Ruffed grouse need young seedling/sapling brushy habitat for success. Learn more about how this habitat has changed over time. From the last newsletter, this article is available for reading or download, or see past newsletters.

View or download the Spring newsletter

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765.409.3272

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