MyMinnesotaWoods

08/21/2026

What happens when you stop trying to restore a forest to the past — and start managing it for the future?

University of Minnesota Extension forestry professor Angie Gupta has spent the past seven years volunteering to remove invasive plants from the woods surrounding Rochester’s historic Plummer House. What began with familiar work removing buckthorn and garlic mustard has turned into something much more unusual.

The site contains what Gupta describes as “novel forests”: unexpected combinations of native and introduced trees, the effects of decades of deer browsing and even invasive jumping worms. It’s also become a living laboratory. Researchers are studying how jumping worms affect the soil, and a mature sycamore growing there is providing valuable information about a species that could become more common in Minnesota as the climate changes.

And the work is paying off. Native plants are returning in areas once dominated by garlic mustard, while newly planted trees are helping build a more diverse woodland for the future.

Rather than trying to recreate a historical landscape exactly, Gupta is thinking about what can thrive there now and in the decades ahead.

Read more about Angie’s work and the evolving forests at Plummer House in the Post Bulletin (may require a subscription to read):
https://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/a-rochester-professor-wants-to-re-wild-the-woods-around-the-plummer-house

An effort to “re-wild” the woods surrounding the Plummer House is helping write a playbook on invasive species management.

Read more: https://mrf.lu/2RF5j

08/17/2026

Golden oyster mushroom (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) is a non-native edible mushroom spreading quickly through the upper midwest. They grow on dead wood and have conspicuous yellow caps and curved stems. Help us learn about its distribution —particularly in western and northern Minnesota — by submitting observations to iNaturalist. For more information visit https://z.umn.edu/TIPS-GOM

Images via iNaturalist courtesy Tanner Barnharst CC-BY.

08/13/2026

If you see honeylocust in northern Minnesota please submit an observation to iNaturalist. Honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos) has large compound leaves with very small leaflets. It produces conspicuous pods and the wild species can have large compound thorns. Most planted cultivars are thornless. To learn more about this tree and Extension’s climate-ready woods project visit Tree Trackers https://z.umn.edu/tree-trackers.

Images: Honeylocust compound leaves and large seed pods by Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org and honeylocust bark and large thorns by A. Gupta.

08/11/2026

If you see a black walnut tree in northern Minnesota, please submit an observation to iNaturalist. Black walnut trees (Juglans nigra) have large compound leaves with 9–21 leaflets. They produce large (up to baseball-sized!) nuts that are green this time of year. They are used by many wildlife, including squirrels, which eat these nuts when they’re mature. To learn more about this tree and Extension’s climate-ready woods project, visit the Tree Trackers website at https://z.umn.edu/tree-trackers.

08/10/2026

Can you tell a sugarberry from a hackberry? If you can spot the difference, your observations can help contribute to current research!

Both species are predicted to do well in our future climate, and Extension’s Tree Tracker project is asking for help gathering data on where these tree species are growing now.

Both species produce small, edible berries that can remain on the tree through winter. Sugarberry generally has smoother, less warty bark than hackberry. Its leaves tend to droop and have pointier tips with fewer, smaller serrations.

Learn how to submit an iNaturalist observation and find out how your photos can support forest research: https://z.umn.edu/tree-trackers

08/05/2026

American sycamore trees are beloved in many areas, and are even included in the Indiana state song, “On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away.” Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) is a large tree with mottled white and green bark, large maple-like leaves and curious round seeds pods. This species is projected to do well in our future climate, and the Tree Trackers project is using iNaturalist observations to improve data on its distribution. For more information on the project visit https://z.umn.edu/tree-trackers.

07/28/2026

Red mulberry (Morus rubra) is a small, shade tolerant understory tree that is often confused for (and can hybridize with) non-native white mulberry (Morus alba). How can you tell them apart? Red mulberry leaves are dull, rough on the top and slightly haired on the underside and have small pointed serrations on the leaf edge. White mulberry leaves are shiny, smooth on the top, and the serrated edges are larger and less pointed.

Red mulberry is very rare in Minnesota, so we’re hoping to gather as many observations of this species as possible! Berries are likely present in July, making them a little easier to spot right now. Learn more about the Tree Trackers project, including how to make observations in iNaturalist, at https://z.umn.edu/tree-trackers.

Photos: Sally Weeks, Purdue University; David Stephens, Bugwood.

07/27/2026

Caring for woodlands can be deeply rewarding. It can also leave you with a lot of questions.

How healthy are your trees?
What should you do about invasive species?
How can you improve habitat?
What programs or tax incentives might apply to your land?
How do you plan for your woodland’s future?

Minnesota Woodland Steward will give you the knowledge, tools and connections to make better decisions based on your land and your goals.

The southeast Minnesota cohort begins August 3. Save your seat: z.umn.edu/MWSP

07/24/2026

How can we help Minnesota’s trees thrive in a changing climate?

Join us for a hands-on Climate-Ready Trees field tour in Grand Rapids on Friday, Aug. 21, from 1 to 4 p.m. You’ll see how climate change and other stressors are affecting urban and rural forests, and learn practical strategies for selecting, planting and caring for near-native tree species.

Whether you care for a woodland, manage community trees or simply care about Minnesota’s forests, you’ll leave with ideas you can put into action.

Register: https://z.umn.edu/GRtrees

07/22/2026

Wildfires in and near the Boundary Waters can affect our safety, health and emotional well-being — even when we live far from the flames.

Our latest article shares 10 practical ways to prepare, stay informed, manage wildfire smoke, support affected communities and care for yourself during stressful events. It also explores how fire has long shaped northern Minnesota’s landscapes and communities.

Read the full article: https://extension.umn.edu/my-minnesota-woods-news/boundary-waters-wildfires-10-things-you-can-do