The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will pay you $100 per bushel of red pine cones during the month of September.

LANSING, Mich. – Steps are being taken to protect Michigan’s pine trees from the mountain pine beetle. The mountain pine beetle is a destructive forest pest in North America. READ: More invasive species coverageWhat is a mountain pine beetle? Mountain pine beetles is an insect native to the forests of western North America and is also known as the Black Hills beetle or the Rocky Mountain pine beetle. Michigan’s pine resources are at risk of attack by MPB, including white pine, jack pine, red pine, Austrian pine, and Scots pine.

Sugar maples have dark gray bark with furrowed ridges, not as easily identifiable compared to other Michigan tree species. More on Sugar maples here from the Michigan DNRBeechIn southern Michigan, American beech trees grow in beech-maple forests. It is an ashy gray color and, compared to some Michigan species, is easier to identify due to its blocky bark. When comparing the white oak leaf to the red oak, it is easy to tell the difference because the red oak has pointed leaf tips. Jack pine needles are much shorter than red pine needles at a length of to 2 long.