Hi First name / Subscriber! Thanks for taking the time to read the February edition of the Muskegon Conservation District Newsletter.
In the month of February we're highlighting the spring seedling sale, MCD's 88th annual meeting, upcoming workshops, and a few articles to explore. We're happy you're here!
The Muskegon Conservation District is now accepting orders for our annual Spring Seedling Sale - our largest and most anticipated sale of the year. Choose from a wide selection of conifers, hardwoods, shrubs, fruit trees, native seed mixes, dune grass, wildlife houses, fertilizer tablets, and more.
Whether you're enhancing your backyard, restoring wildlife habitat, or planning a larger planting project, you’ll find everything you need in one convenient place - just in time for spring. Stock up early to secure the best selection and make the most of planting season!
Your voice plays a vital role in shaping the future of conservation in our county. By completing our Conservation Needs Assessment, you help guide the direction of our programs, projects, and funding decisions. Your input ensures we focus on the issues that matter most to you - whether that is protecting water quality, preserving wildlife habitat, supporting local agriculture, or enhancing outdoor spaces for future generations. When you share your perspective, you help us make informed, community-driven decisions that strengthen our natural resources and the quality of life for everyone who calls this county home.
Please allow 2-10 minutes for the survey. Survey will open in a new window.
Join us for the Muskegon Conservation District’s 88th Annual Meeting! We’ll be highlighting the accomplishments of the district in 2025 and where we’re heading in 2026. Presentations by Michele Richards, Michigan Department of Military Affairs Natural Resources Specialist and Wildland Fire Programs Manager and Connie Crancer, Wild Ones Shore-to-Prairie Chapter President. We’d love to see you there.
We kindly ask that everyone planning to attend register for the event, regardless of whether you plan to purchase a dinner ticket.
Your dinner ticket includes access to a delicious baked potato bar loaded with all the fixings - catered by local Muskegon favorite, Kuntry Cookin!
-Plant the Future Series: Native Planting at Dune Harbor (Date/Time TBD)
-Plant the Future Series: Aquatic plug planting at Dune Harbor (Date/Time TBD)
Invasive Species
As of November 2025, MDARD has confirmed spotted lanternfly populations in Lenawee,
Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, and Wayne Counties. A new detection this year is in Jackson
County.
A newly introduced Michigan Invasive Species Watch List Viewer mapping tool shows where
spotted lanternfly has been confirmed. The online tool also displays locations of invasive
species of other insects and diseases, aquatic plants, and terrestrial plants. The viewer is an
excellent new tool to help people understand the scope of invasive species in Michigan.
Detection and treatment activities for spotted lanternfly are ongoing in Michigan.
Unfortunately, it is expected to continue to spread.
At this time of year, you can see the egg masses that it lays. These egg masses look like grayish smudges of mud when fresh but become cracked and flaky over time, revealing rows of eggsunderneath. You might find them on tree trunks, outdoor furniture, vehicles, trailers, fences, or even rocks!
If you think you see an egg mass contact your District Forester, rod.denning@macd.org to verify.
Are You Looking for Invasive Species Treatment in 2026?
Hemlock woolly adelgid(HWA) is an invasive insect that feeds at the base of hemlock tree needles. This time of year, you can see the ovisacs that look like small, white cotton balls. You might also notice dead needle tips, yellowing, or just general sparseness of canopy.
Hemlock trees provide shade and shelter for wildlife year-round and are a slow-growing keystone species to the forests and environments of West Michigan and are not easily replaceable. Once infested with HWA, a hemlock tree has 4-10 years to live unless treated. At MCD, we survey hemlocks all winter long and then we come back out to treat them in the summer. If you have questions about your hemlocks, do not hesitate to reach out to us!
Pines are the second largest taxonomic group of trees in Michigan, by volume, exceeded only by the maples. However, what makes a “pine” a pine? All that is “evergreen” is not a pine, or even evergreen.
“Pines” belong to the genus Pinus. Michigan forestlands boast three natives (if you exclude porcu-pine) and three exotics. Most of us know white pine, red pine, and jack pine. The introduced species are Scots pine, Austrian pine, and loblolly pine. Altogether, they make-up about 15 percent of Michigan’s wood volume.
White pine is closely intertwined with Michigan history. That’s probably why it was chosen as the official state tree. Maine did the same thing. And, Idaho chose western white pine.
Today, however, white pine does not have much commercial value, although it’s the sixth most common tree and may be considered our largest tree, certainly the tallest. Big trees will pop out of the ambient forest canopy and earned the characterization of an “emergent”. White pine has one of the state’s highest net growth rates.
Red and jack pine also occupy a big piece within Michigan forests, especially red pine, or Norway pine, as some folks call it. Red pine was heavily planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps back in the 1930s, after the historic logging era and decades of monster wildfires. It’s a particularly good plantation species for many reasons, including rapid growth and good markets.
Jack pine has a special place in forest ecology as the poster-child for fire-dependent forests. A portion of the cones are actually “glued” shut and open only at ground surface temperatures around 120 degrees, common after fires clear the parent forest. The formerly endangered Kirtland’s warbler is associated with younger jack pine stands of a particular structure. That warbler is one of many forest management success stories.
The three exotic pines occupy a small portion of the forestland inventory. Scots pine is the most common of the three and much of the volume grew from abandoned Christmas tree plantations and conservation programs from the 1940s and 1950s. Austrian pine is an escaped urban tree that’s currently a minor component in our forests. Loblolly pine was planted in southwest Michigan, but it’s native to the U.S. southern states.
Now, having identified the pines, some people tend to call any and all evergreens “pines”, which is why Linnaeus invented scientific names. Spruces, firs, hemlocks, and tamaracks are not pines, although it can be confusing when they also belong to the taxonomic family “Pinaceae”. Accurate identification is particularly important when considering wildlife habitat or diagnosing pest problems or just for the fun of it.
Of the non-pine evergreens, hemlock is the most common by volume, about half. Our other natives are rounded-out by balsam fir, white spruce, black spruce, and tamarack. Then, there’s a sprinkling of five exotic species.
Balsam fir may be the most common Michigan species if numbers of seedlings and saplings are included in a tree count. Then, tamarack is special because it loses all of its needles in the fall, just like the deciduous trees. In fact, tamarack is a deciduous conifer. Nature can be goofy.
Now, one might be thinking where the cedars fall in the menagerie of conifers, especially northern white-cedar. White cedar is the fourth most common tree in Michigan, and can grow to over a thousand years old. Redcedar is a minor forest component but it can be common in parts of southern Michigan. Both species belong to the family Cupressaceae, not the Pinaceae. Redwoods, sequoias, and cypress are family cousins.
Michigan forestlands sport ten native conifers, with another eight or nine introduced species. The group occupies just about every habitat available and altogether consists of around 30 percent of Michigan’s wood volume. That makes Michigan a hardwood state, where broad-leafed forests reign.
HUNTING REMINDER
As a reminder, after January 12, small game access permits will be available for MCD parcels. This will allow those interested in hunting small game during late winter on MCD properties the opportunity to do so. Furthermore, spring turkey permits will also be available March 3. Turkey and small game permits are $30. Prospective permit holders who purchased an all seasons permit during the previous year are eligible for a $5 discount on the current year's permit. These permits will grant access rights to all parcels open to hunting. To obtain your permit, feel free to come into the office during our hours of operation (7:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Tuesday to Friday).
If you have questions please contact our office at 231-828-5097 or by email at muskegoncd@macd.org.
