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Woodlands’ charms spark rising demand----Don’t overlook a wetland---Don’t plant over hidden prairie remnants---The birth of direct seeding in reforestation---A father and daughter collaborate on a book about the benefits of trees---Tips on thinning for timber stand improvement.

How Paul Easley adds value with a small sawmill--- Special 12-page report: Turning the tide against invasive plants---The great mushroom drive---An old pasture yields a hidden prairie--- A guide to field guidebooks.

Having your prairie and bluebirds, too---One family’s journey from farming to forestry---Wiping out spotted knapweed---Acrobasis insects nip black walnut in the bud---Restore a savanna and still do forestry---Why foresters hate brome---Dehumidification kiln.

Restoring prairies and savannas in the Wisconsin River blufflands.---Government Land Office Survey notes---Where to find historical survey records on your land---Writing your land’s history---New owners piece together the histoy of sectrion 20, Pleasant Grove Twp---Before the settlers, a Native American’s story---Saving the oak-hickory forests---Books: “The Land Remembers,” by Ben Logan.---A tree that “barber chairs” can kill you---Lumber stays dry in an old poultry barn.

Downhill racer finds new thrills as a tree farmer---“Exclosure” fences measure deer damage---Prairie remnants pop up in old CRP fields---Profiles in small-scale logging---Horse logging with Tim Carroll.

Indian Grass Hills: From rundown farm to prairie gem---Special Section: Mapping your land with GPS and GIS digital systems. In southwestern Wisconsin, Wayne Gebken used GPS/GIS to map management zones in his timber and meadows. In eastern Iowa Doug and Lorna Caulkins used the system to mark a rare sedge meadow-----Book review. "Schleswig in Iowa," by Larry Grill---What’s causing leaf tatters in oakes?---Naturalist’s Notebook---Living his art: Johnny Micheel, artist and fire fighter.

Small sawmill spins profits from junk logs---From Lake Darling to “Wal-Mart State Park:” editor’s nights on the road in a truck camper---The book, “Invasive Plants of the Upper Midwest and Elizabeth Czarapata’s brave fight to finish it---Invasive species threats: black swallow-wort and sericea lespedeza---Alice D’Alessio: her poetry and her land---From a soybean field to a wildflower field---Naturalist’s Notebook.---Building with green wood.

Testing ideas for tomorrow’s forests on the Severeid farm---The search for canker-resistant butternut---Comeback for the American chestnut.---John Arthur’s pocket prairie in Hopkins, Minnesota---Natural resource workers use their skills to help victims of Hurricane Katrina---“My Prairie.” Essay by Betty Moffett---Naturalist’s Notebook.

Future stewards special section---Teens do science on an Iowa farm---Junior college professor Danielle Wirth teaches restoration where it happens---Legacy of the CCC---Minnesota Conservation Corps---AmeriCorps in action---55-year-old joins AmeriCorps---Ecology graduate launches his own business—Itinerate conservation worker---Bright job picture for foresters---Spring tree-planting briefing---The life of a professional tree planter---Remembering conservationist Sandy Rhodes---Book review: “Last Child in the Woods.”

The push to map remnants before it’s too late---Saving native ecosystems in southwestern Wisconsin---The Powell Prairie---Tom Rosburg combs an Iowa county for prairie remnants—Clearing cedar releases native prairie species---The Iowa Prairie Survey---Protecting the dwarf trout lily---Minnesota’s County Biological Survey---Restoring habitat in Illinois’ Lower Sangamon Valley---Incentive program saves a rare wetland---Saving hill prairies in Illinois---The Southern Iowa Oak Savanna Alliance---Sibylla Brown’s showcase savanna---A top 50 list of prairie indicator plants---Carl Kurtz on searching for prairie remnants.

Ray Hamilton preserves the local gene pool of the prairie one handful of seed at a time---Prescribed burning at Indian Creek Nature Center---Confessions of a former fire fighter--Naturalist’s Notebook---Book reviews: “Caterpillars of Eastern North America,” “Tinkering with Eden” and “Wildflowers in the Field and Forest.”—Prairie makeover of a retention pond in St. Cloud, Minn---On the retirement of Iowa extension forester Paul Wray.

Dean and Edith Arny give new life to an old Wisconsin farm---A district forester assesses the editor’s woods---Computer-aided mapping: more powerful, more affordable---Big little hill prairie---An Illinois winery celebrates its agricultural and prairie roots---A natural yard brings joy and saves hours on a tractor seat---Tree Guy Jack Knight expounds on the bur oak---Outdoor writer Larry Stone recounts his journey to awareness and respect of native ecosystems---Naturalist’s Notebook.

Johnson Creek Hardwoods: producing boards at the high end of the market---The photography of Michael Johnson and Carl Kurtz: shooting landscapes and nature---Book review: “Before Columbus”---From a tree hugger’s journal: essay by Alice D’Alessio---Gauging the health of the Prairie Pothole region---Prairie potholes and the CRP---Prairie potholes and perpetual easements---Prairie potholes and the new wave of sod busting---Protecting a prairie lake---From Java to the Prairie Pothole country: the odyssey of Fred Haring.

Farmstead makeover by Mark Muller and Valerie Cool---The pen-and-ink prairie art of Mark Muller---Mixed emotions over Roundup herbicide---Commonsense weed control in prairies---The Tilman, Lehman and Hill paper: making the case for the prairie model in biofuels----The politics of biofuels.---White pine: the tree that built the Midwest---An affordable, energy efficient house from local wood---Greg Nolan turns pine trees into siding.---Naturalist’s Notebook.

Bringing nature back into landscape design---Darrel Morrison on the prairie school of landscape design---Food and fuel: the growing pressure on our soils---Computerized models post daily figures on soil erosion on the Web---Book review: “Plan B 2.0,” by Lester R. Brown---Natural Yards Chicago style---Lorrie Otto: the Godmother of natural landscaping---Remnant prairie, pine barrens, oak savanna and the Karner blue butterfly highlight the Hamels’ restoration---Weapons in the war against invasives.---Book reviews: “The Songs of Insects” and “Design Your Natural Midwest Garden”---Let’s save the white oak---Naturalists’ Notebook---“Free in the Air,” poem by Betty Moffitt.

German and Jeanne Davison: a life of farming and reforesting---Book review: “A Green and Permanent Land”---The Kentucky coffee tree---A Twin Cities rain garden--- Book review: “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle”---Sunflower fields and Community Supported Agriculture---Eating close to home.---“Indian Summer,” essay by Fr. Jim O’Connor---My battle with buckthorn---Popping out honeysuckle with The Honeysuckle Popper---Creating yard art from honeysuckle roots---Book review: “Birdscaping in the Midwest”---Practicing what she preaches: a visit with Mariette Nowak, author of the “Birdscaping” book.---Naturalist’s Notebook.

Dan Badtke gets more out of timber with maple syrup and mushrooms---Book review: “The Emerald Horizon”---A conversation with Cornelia Mutel, author of “The Emerald Horizon”---Tackling multiflora rose---Sod busting revisited---The small but bountiful natural yard of Toni Stahl and Mark Apfelstadt---Certified yards catch on---The many faces of basswood---John Krantz: master producer of fine basswood boards---Harley Refsal: master carver of fine basswood---Bees and basswood: honey of a deal---Naturalist’s Notebook---The Loess Hills Prairie Seminar---Remembering Carolyn Benne, organizer of the first Loess Hills Seminar.

The story behind patch-burn grazing---The Grand River (Iowa) patch-burn grazing trials---Editor’s encounter with a wayward elk ---Patch-burn grazing in Missouri---Cattle debut in Iowa’s Waterman Prairie--Grazing at the Lac qui Parle natural area in Minnesota---Grass banking---Book review: “Terra”---Using goats to clear thorny underbrush---Graziers return to the Broken Kettle Grasslands in the Loess Hills---Shagbark hickory: venerable brethren of oak---A tallgrass prairie frames a view of the Mississippi River for this Iowa couple---Thoughts on garlic mustard---Silvipasture: where cattle and trees do mix---For seeding prairie: the Dew Drop Drill---Naturalist’s Notebook.

Profiles in Stewardship: Mark Mittelstadt protects rare species---Jack Pizzo, restoration evangelist---Larry Greenberg, retention-pond activist---Robert Engstrom, residential developer with a prairie vision---Dave Crawford shakes up the neighborhood with native landscaping---Bill Haywood on saving the oak-hickory forest---The Zales dedicate a prairie to their granddaughter in the Loess Hills---Zac Wedemeyer connects children with nature---Galen Bontrager produces healthy food on healthy land---About lady bugs and the less lovable Asian lady beetle---Weed wrench, root talon and other tools to yank out invasive species---The adaptable black cherry.

Mrs. Woods gets promoted---Special Report on volunteers and other caregivers, including the work of Susan Kenney who restores a riverbank in Wisconsin, the Whiteside County Natural Area Guardians in Illinois, the Quad City Natural Area Guardians in Illinois, and volunteers with The Prairie Enthusiasts in Minnesota--- David Novak is a private lands caregiver in Iowa---Duane Oakes and his crew in Minnesota represent a special breed of forester---Wayne Pauly depends on volunteers to help care for Dane County parks in Wisconsin---Young people take on tough jobs with The Minnesota Conservation Corps---Janet Huebner goes mostly native on 40 acres near Mineral Point in Wisconsin, and grows a bountiful vegetable garden to boot---Leslie Cummings ruffled a few feathers when she turned her front yard into a prairie in Wheaton, Ill.---Dan Bohlin tackles garlic mustard--- Gary Fernald crusades to save the pecan growing in the northern reaches of its range—Jennifer Hopwood tells why we should care about insects.

Special report: Banking on biomass. On-farm pelletizing plant replaces propane with homegrown fuel. Missouri co-op pelletizes biomass from a variety of sources. How biomass from grasslands could fuel power plants and clean up the waters of the Minnesota River Basin. Update on the Chariton Valley (Iowa) biomass project. Switchgrass as the poster grass in biomass fuels.

In other stories: All about the sycamore.---The art and legacy of South Dakota artist Harvey Dunn. His famous painting, The Prairie Is My Garden, appears in the center spread.---Large-lot development in a Twin City suburb promotes native plantings, not lawns.---Making sense of Lyme disease. A new diagnostic test and commonsense precautions take the fear and mystery out of this tick-born disease.--- Can Poetry Save the Earth? Alice D’Allesio reviews a new book of poems inspired by nature.---Bee amazed. Jennifer Hopwood explains the benefits of these super efficient pollinators, including the many species of wild bees.---Dan Bohlin tells how to fight bush honeysuckle, the non-native ornamental shrub that has developed into a serious invader of natural areas.---Naturalist’s Notebook features the opossum, sandpiper, blue flag iris, white-throated sparrows, kestrels and red foxes.

One woman’s battle against bittersweet---Carl Kurtz’s primer on prairie reconstruction---Vacation homeowners in Apple Canyon Lake save a natural area---Chris Kirkpatrick surveys the land for hidden native plant communities---Artist Bruce Morrison gave up an 8-to-5 job to survive on his art while living in the country he paints and photographs---Urban farmer Matthew Jose grows food on vacant lots in Indianapolis---Review of The Wild Garden, a new book by Peter Bundy about the realities of coping with nature in a Minnesota woodland---Naturalist’s Notebook features tundra swans, black willows, obedient plant, preying mantis, big-tooth aspen.

Marcies O’Connor “unfarms” an old dairy farm in Wisconsin---Lorrie Otto plans her green burial---The Byrnes family writes about raising the next generation of trees and kids--- The Burrises discover a savanna off Cranberry Road---Barbara Buss on “The Spirit of Interdependence.”---Horse-logging on Jerry O’Brien’s tree farm---Why Carol Rice is optimistic about the future of native landscaping in suburbia---About the close-up nature photography of Linda and Robert Scarth and their new book Deep Nature---Doug and Lorna Caulkins reflect on a fallen oak---Katrina Hays celebrates the return of trilliums and other wildflowers to her Kentucky woodland---Volunteers Gerry Clausen and Susan Kenney slay buckthorn and other invasive plants along the Wisconsin River---Wendy Kummerer explains why she needs a daily dose of the great outdoors in order to come to her senses---A shortgrass prairie in the front yard and solar panels out back add up to sustainable living for Ron and Marti Martin---Pat Henry ponders predator/prey relationships in the essay, "The Harvest"---Alice D’Alessio reviews Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy, the landmark book about gardening with native plants---Daylily is one plant you don’t want in your garden, says Invasive Plants Guy Dan Bohlin, who explains how control this aggressive invader that spreads in roadside ditches and other areas via thick, tuberous roots----The Parasitoids: Jennifer Hopwood, the Bug Lady, takes up a class of insects that feed on and kill other insects, and explains why they’re beneficial.

Reaching out through mentoring: 10 page special report on how people are helping each other do natural landscaping and practice sustainable forestry---The catalpa: tree of beauty and mystery---Centerpiece: a catalpa tree puts on a piece of performance art on the campus of Winona State University---Book review: Eaarth, by BillMcKibben---How Lucky Can You Get? Dick and Debby Baker share the challenges and delights of caring for their 125 mostly wooded acres near Iowa City---Insects in Art: Jennifer Hopwood takes up the aesthetic side of bugs---Living Art: 124 people went out on the ice on Iowa’s Lake Okoboji and formed a dragonfly---Conversation Pieces: Katie Van Blaricum’s artful use of exotic insects features three-dimensional wall hangings---Big Little Bugs: About David Rogers’ renown Big Bug exhibit that features a 20-foot praying mantis and ants that could step on people---Forever Amber: Artist Laura Anderson makes jewelry with settings of bits of prehistoric insects preserved in amber---Naturalist’s Notebook: oak savanna, bluejay’s bristles, click beetle’s defenses, black-crowned night heron.

Remembering Lorrie Otto, 1910-2010---The artful, natural yard of Blossom Shaw in Iowa City---Reviews of two new books on prairie management, The Ecology and Management of Prairies by Chris Helzer, and The Tallgrass Prairie Center Guide to Prairie Restoration by the staff of the Tallgrass Prairie Center, University of Northern Iowa---Guy Denney speaks up for prairies in the Tallgrass East---The Tree Guy discusses larch and tamarack---Tree farmer Jim Heerey’s experience with larch and tamarack---John Allen fights Japanese knotweed a.k.a. Killer Bamboo---Jonny Burkey, age 10, gets lost in a book on wildflowers---Naturalist’s Notebook: scarlet tanager, thunderstorm reflections, grey tree frog, wood-nymph moth, maidenhair fern.

Special report on land trusts and conservation easements---Landowners with easements: Jim and Rose Sime; David Jacobson; Dale and Judy Shriver; Leonard and Mildred Grimes---Tree Guy takes up boxelder, prickly ash, and other pesky natives---Yard lady introduces her Maggie-ometer in how to get off on the right foot in native landscaping---Kansas makes little bluestem the state grass---Carl Kurtz’s photos feature mare’s tails, swamp sparrow, downy gentian, artistic rime formations, reclusive badgers, and the elemental beauty of rocks washed up on a lake shore.

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Midwest Woodlands & Prairies is published four times a year by Wood River Communications.

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