Got Nature? Blog

In this video, we talk about the third treatment technique used on the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment, control units. The only management in these areas involves removing invasive species and continued maintenance for recreational purposes.

If you have any questions regarding trees, forests, wildlife, wood products or other natural resource topics, feel free to contact us by using our Ask an Expert web page.

Resources
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE), Playlist,  Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment: Uneven-aged Management, Video
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment: Even-aged Management, Video
A Woodland Management Moment, Playlist
Woodland Stewardship for Landowners, Playlist
The Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment: Indiana Forestry and Wildlife, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Resources and Assistance Available for Planting Hardwood Seedlings, The Education Store

Charlotte Owings, Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment Project Coordinator
Purdue University, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

---

In this prescribed fire ignition technique videos Purdue Extension wildlife specialist Jarred Brooke describes a ring fire. The igniters will light fires to encircle the unit. Ring fire technique usually creates more intense fire behavior than strip head fires.

If you have any questions regarding wildlife, trees, forest management, wood products, natural resource planning or other natural resource topics, feel free to contact us by using our Ask an Expert web page.

Resources
Wildlife Habitat Hint, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube channel
Wildlife Habitat Hint: Late Growing Season Prescribed Fire, Video
Renovating Native Warm-Season Grass Stands for Wildlife: A Land Manager’s Guide, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Prescribed fire: 6 things to consider before you ignite, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – 4Forestry and Natural Resources

Jarred Brooke, Wildlife Extension Specialist
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resource

---

MyDNR Newsletter, Indiana Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (IDNR): Indiana residents are more likely to see coyotes during wintertime, but sightings are no cause for alarm. Coyotes become more active during winter as young coyotes leave their families to find a new home and coyotes begin breeding. Coyotes may look larger than they are due to their thick winter coats, but the average coyote only weighs 20-30 pounds.

General characteristics

• The coyote closely resembles a German shepherd dog in height and shape but it carries its tail below the level of its back instead of curved upward and is generally half the weight of a German shepherd.
• Coyotes have a long slender snout and large, pointed ears.
• The upper body is a grizzled gray or buff, with a reddish brown or gray muzzle and legs. The belly is white, cream-colored or reddish yellow.
• The coyote has a bushy tail, which it carries below the level of its back.
• Coyotes average 25 pounds (ranging from 20 to 50 pounds), and they measure 40 to 50 inches long from nose to tail tip.
• Coyotes are elusive and normally avoid humans.
• They can be active day or night, but are typically most active at dawn and dusk.
• The coyote communicates by barking, yipping and howling.

Distribution and abundance

Coyotes are present in all sections of the state. There are records of coyotes in Indiana as early as 1816, though they likely inhabited Indiana well before that time. Bounties were in place in Indiana on coyotes from at least 1849 through the late 1960s. Despite this persecution by early European settlers, coyotes persisted in Indiana. Historically, coyote populations were limited in range to the prairie regions of the state, and expansion may have partially been limited because wolves suppress coyote populations, and both red and gray wolves were once abundant in Indiana. However, with the eradication of wolves and conversion of habitat to farmland, coyotes have been able to expand and adapt to new habitats.  Statewide coyote abundance has slowly increased as coyotes continued to expand into previously unoccupied habitat.  Today, coyotes occupy all of Indiana, no matter the habitat type or amount of development.

Detour Coyote

If you see a coyote and want it to go away, try to make it uncomfortable:

• Yell.
• Wave your arms.
• Spray it with a hose.
• Throw tennis balls or small stones at it, but don’t throw anything that could be food, like apples.
• Carry a jar of coins to shake or a small air horn to make noise.

For more information, please visit Indiana Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (IDNR).

To subscribe for the monthly newsletter view: MyDNR Email Newsletter.

Resources
Coyotes, IN DNR
Coyotes (PDF), Wildlife Conflicts, Department of Entomology, Purdue University
Should I Be Worried About Coyotes in My Yard?, Purdue Extension – Forestry & Natural Resources (FNR) Got Nature? Blog
Coexisting With Coyotes, Wild Bulletin, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife
Ask the Expert: Coexisting with Coyotes , Purdue Extension – FNR Got Nature? Blog
Urban Coyotes – Should You Be Concerned?, Purdue Extension – FNR Got Nature? Blog
Pets Disappearing? The Cause May Be Coyotes, Purdue Extension – FNR Got Nature? Blog
Question: Which is the correct species of coyotes I have on my land here in Indiana, coyote or coywolf?, Purdue Extension – FNR Got Nature? Blog

Indiana Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

---

In this episode of Wildlife Habitat Hint, Purdue Wildlife Extension specialist Jarred Brooke talks about exclusion cages. Exclusion cages are cheap and easy ways to gain information about deer and food plots on your property.

If you have any questions regarding wildlife, trees, forest management, wood products, natural resource planning or other natural resource topics, feel free to contact us by using our Ask an Expert web page.

Resources
Wildlife Habitat Hint, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube channel
Ask an Expert: Wildlife Food Plots, Video
A Woodland Management Moment – Deer Fencing, Video
Deer Exclosures, Video, Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube channel
Frost Seeding to Establish Wildlife Food Plots and Native Grass and Forb Plantings, Purdue Extension resource center
Woodland Stewardship for Landowners: Managing Deer Damage to Young Trees, Video

Jarred Brooke, Wildlife Extension Specialist
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

---

Question: My husband and I are 64 and have been in woods all our lives. We came across a tree we couldn’t identify and are wondering if you are familiar with it. It kind of looks like a birch with giraffe like markings. We are wondering if it is diseased since it is so unusual.  Please see photos.

 

 

 

 

 

Answer:
Thank you for your Ask an Expert inquiry regarding the identification of this tree and asking if it is invasive. After sharing this with other master arborists we have identified this tree:
Paper Mulberry
Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L’Her. ex Vent
Mulberry family (Moraceae)
Origin: Japan and Taiwan
Background: Paper mulberry was introduced for use as a fast-growing shade tree. Native Pacific cultures use it to make bark cloth.
Distribution and Habitat: Found from Illinois to Massachusetts, south to Florida and west to Texas, paper mulberry invades open habitats such as forest and field edges. Internationally, it is identified as an invasive weed in over a dozen countries.
Ecological Threat: Once established it grows vigorously, displacing native plants through competition and shading. If left unmanaged, paper mulberry can dominate a site. Its shallow root system makes it susceptible to blowing over during high winds, posing a hazard to people and causing slope erosion and further degradation of an area.

We have several resources to help you as you identify trees and invasives:
Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory, send in a sample or photos to help identify or diagnose trees and plants (cost $11+), Purdue Extension-Botany and Plant Pathology
Tree Doctor, download app that can be used to help identify and learn more regarding tree diseases Purdue Extension-The Education Store
Certified Arborist, Find an Arborist, International Society of Arboriculture
Invasive Forest Pests in IN, Purdue Extension-Entomology
Indiana Invasive Species Council
Ask an Expert, Purdue Extension-Forestry & Natural Resources

More Resources:
Red and White Mulberry in Indiana, The Education Store, Purdue Extension Depot
Invasive plants: impact on environment and people, The Education Store
Woodland Stewardship for Landowners: EQIP, YouTube, Purdue Extension
Invasive Species, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube Channel
Woodland Stewardship for Landowners, Playlist
FNR Ask An Expert: Invasive Plant Species, Video
ID That Tree, Playlist
What are invasive species and why should I care?, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
Report Invasive Species, Purdue Invasive Species
The GLEDN Phone App – Great Lakes Early Detection Network
EDDMaps – Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System
Indiana Department of Natural Resources: Invasive Species
Indiana Invasive Species Council
Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA)

Lindsey Purcell, Chapter Executive Director
Indiana Arborist Association

---

Get ready to receive your weekly dose of natural resources information via a new podcast network called Natural Resources University. Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources’ Jarred Brooke hosts the new podcasts Habitat University.

Brooke, a Purdue Extension wildlife specialist, is the co-host of Habitat University along with Adam Janke, an extension wildlife specialist at Iowa State University. The pair will discuss the science behind wildlife habitat management and how landowners and managers can use different habitat management practices to improve their land for wildlife. Brooke and Janke will be joined on the podcast by other wildlife specialists, wildlife biologists, researchers and landowners. The first episode of Habitat University is here: Habitat University. You can also follow Habitat University on twitter at www.twitter.com/Habitat_U.

In total, Natural Resources University will include four science-based podcasts, covering different aspects of natural resource management. You can subscribe to the entire network, which will bring you a different podcast each week, or you can subscribe to an individual podcast, which will release one episode a month. Subscribe here: Natural Resources University

A full introduction to the Natural Resources University network team and to each podcast are available in this overarching episode: Episode 01 – Introduction to NRU.

The podcasts are categorized in four topics:
Deer University: Topics discussed include deer biology, ecology, and management to help landowners and hunters apply science to practical management objectives. Subscribe to Deer University: Deer University

Pond University: Conversations with aquatic scientists, landowners, and pond professionals will cover topics like pond habitat, fish stocking, vegetation control and pond construction. Listen to Pond University: Pond University

Fire University: Science-based podcast covering the latest research in fire ecology and how it relates to management of wildlife and plant communities. Subscribe to Fire University: Fire University

Habitat University: Discusses the science behind wildlife habitat management and how landowners and managers can use different habitat management practices to improve their land for wildlife. Subscribe to Habitat University: Habitat University.

The Natural Resources University podcast network, which is funded by the Renewable Resources Extension Act, is a partnership between the extension services at several land-grant universities, including Mississippi State University Extension Service, University of Florida Extension, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and Purdue Extension.

Resources
Pond and Wildlife Management Website
Managing Your Woods for White-Tailed Deer, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
A Pond Management Plan Template, The Education Store
Renovating native warm-season grass stands for wildlife: A Land Manager’s Guide, The Education Store

Megan Gunn, Recruitment and Outreach Specialist
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Jarred Brooke, Wildlife Extension Specialist
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

---

Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee brings you another edition of ID That Tree. Sweet orange fruit, simple leaves and alligator-like bark are just a few recognizable characteristics of this native Indiana tree, the persimmon. Enjoy video and learn more.

If you have any questions regarding wildlife, trees, forest management, wood products, natural resource planning or other natural resource topics, feel free to contact us by using our Ask an Expert web page.

Resources
Persimmons, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
The Fruit Of The Gods From An Indiana Tree?, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
Persimmon, Native Trees of Indiana River Walk, Purdue Fort Wayne
ID That Tree, Playlist
A Woodland Management Moment, Playlist
Investing in Indiana Woodlands, The Education Store
Forest Improvement Handbook, The Education Store

Lenny Farlee, Sustaining Hardwood Extension Specialist
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resource

---

Aquaculture is a rapidly growing industry in the United States. This publication describes what sustainable aquaculture is, a sampling of aquaculture species are produced in the Midwest, health benefits associated with eating fish as part of a balanced diet, and dietary recommendations. Don’t miss trying the recipe shared in this publication: Parmesan Crusted Perch.

Resources
Walleye Farmed Fish Fact Sheet: A Guide for Seafood Consumers, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Best Practices Guide for Charter Fishing and COVID-19, The Education Store
Pond Management: Managing Fish Populations, The Education Store
Pond and Wildlife Management website, Purdue Extension
Natural Resources University Podcasts, Collaboration with Mississippi, Florida, Iowa and Indiana Extension Services
Indiana Pond Fish, Species Identification Card Set, The Education Store
Fish Cleaning with Purdue Extension County Extension Director, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
Aquatics & Fisheries, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources

Amy Shambach, Aquaculture Marketing Outreach Associate
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources/Illinois Indiana Sea Grant Program

---

This Nature of Teaching lesson plan teaches students how the transportation of food and food waste affects the environment. Students will expand their vocabulary, broaden their geography, and have fun working on their math skills as they calculate food miles. A list of materials needed and activity instructions for interactive, hands-on activities are included, along with Next Generation Science Standards and/or Core Standards met by these lesson plans.

The Nature of Teaching includes formal standards-based curricula and informal activity-based curricula all centered around getting youth outside. The three program areas of the formal curricula include: Wildlife, Health and Wellness, and Food Waste. Each program area provides standards-based lesson plans free as a downloadable PDF. Lesson plans are classroom ready for grades K-12.

Resources
Nature of Teaching, website and Youtube Channel
The Nature of Teaching: Food Waste Solutions, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
The Nature of Teaching: Food Waste and the Environment, The Education Store
Food Waste and Natural Resources Lesson Plans, The Education Store
Introduction to Nature of Teaching Sneak Peek Videos, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources

Rod Williams, Professor of Wildlife Science
Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

---

Well-maintained trees provide many benefits including increased property values, improved air quality and curb appeal. Trees are living organisms making them vulnerable to pests and environmental extremes resulting in health issues which result in defects. This publication will help guide you on where and how to identify tree defects and a better understanding of when to contact an arborist for assistance.

Resources
Tree wounds and healing, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
How to Identify Tree Defects and What to Do About It?, Got Nature? Blog
Iron Chlorosis of Trees and Shrubs, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Surface Root Syndrome, The Education store
Tree Appraisal and the Value of Trees, The Education Store

Lindsey Purcell, Urban Forestry Specialist
Purdue University, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

---