Got Nature? Blog

Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee introduces you to the American Basswood. He shares about how to identify this species, where you might find them and common uses.

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
FNR Hardwood – American Basswood, The Purdue Arboretum Explorer
Tilia Americana, The Purdue Arboretum Explorer
Basswood, Native Trees of Indiana River Walk, Purdue – Fort Wayne
ID That Tree, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources Youtube Channel
A Woodland Management Moment, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources Youtube Channel
Investing in Indiana Woodlands, The Education Store
Tree Appraisal and the Value of Trees, The Education Store
Forest Improvement Handbook, The Education Store

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

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Join this edition of Ask an Expert video series with Dr. Joy O’Keefe and PhD candidate Elizabeth Beilke as they share about their studies of bats on the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment.

The HEE is in its initial stages and is planned as a 100-year project. Data were collected for two years prior to the first round of timber harvests and inventories have been conducted annually since, allowing us to quantify the varied responses of plants and animals to active forest management. This data will ultimately be used to develop management prescriptions that provide for resilient and sustainable managed forest ecosystems in Indiana.

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) Highlights: Bats, Video, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube Channel
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE), Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment, Website
Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment – Wildlife Responses to Timber Harvesting, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
The Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment: Indiana Forestry and Wildlife, The Education Store
Ask An Expert: Bats on the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment, Video, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources Facebook
Bats in Indiana, Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)
Bat Houses, Bat Conservation International

Joy O’Keefe, Assistant professor and Wildlife Extension Specialist,
University of Illinois (Champaign) Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

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Purdue extension forester Lenny Farlee introduces you to the red elm, or slippery elm. He shares about how to identify the red elm and also how to differentiate it from its relative, the American elm.

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
Elm, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Slippery Elm, Native Trees of Indiana River Walk, Purdue – Fort Wayne
ID That Tree, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR) Youtube Channel
A Woodland Management Moment, Playlist, Purdue Extension – FNR Youtube Channel
Investing in Indiana Woodlands, The Education Store
Tree Appraisal and the Value of Trees, The Education Store
Forest Improvement Handbook, The Education Store

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

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Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee brings another new video to the ID That Tree series. Enjoy the gorgeous red fall color of the black gum on this special fall foliage edition of ID That Tree.

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
Black Gum and Tupelo, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Fall Color Pigments, Video, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
Black Gum/Tupelo, Native Trees of Indiana River Walk, Purdue Fort Wayne
Black Gum & Tupelo, Purdue Arboretum Explorer
ID That Tree, Playlist
A Woodland Management Moment, Playlist
Investing in Indiana Woodlands, The Education Store
Tree Appraisal and the Value of Trees, The Education Store
Forest Improvement Handbook, The Education Store

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

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Join Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee and extension wildlife specialist Brian MacGowan with another new video added to the Ask an Expert YouTube Playlist. This episode of Ask an Expert covers everything from the change in fall foliage to invasive species identification and control, fall foods for humans and wildlife, habitat prep and management and planning ahead for spring plantings.

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

Resources
Ask An Expert, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR) Youtube channel
A Woodland Management Moment, FNR Playlist
Woodland Stewardship for Landowners, FNR Playlist
Invasive Species, FNR Playlist
Fall Color Pigments, FNR Video
Wildlife Habitat Education Program – Teaching and Learning Wildlife Management Practices, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
What Nurseries Need to Know About the Invasive Species Regulation, The Education Store
Invasive plants: impact on environment and people, The Education Store

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

Brian MacGowan, Extension Wildlife Specialist
Department of Forestry & Natural Resources, Purdue University

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In this video, Purdue Extension wildlife specialist Jarred Brooke describes a point source fire. The igniters will light points or spots of fire and thus create less intense fire behavior than a strip head fire.

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 Resouces 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 Resources

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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

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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

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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

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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

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