Private Forestry News

Woodland Owners Group And MFL Keep Forests Growing

By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Outreach and Communications, Fitchburg Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov; 608-335-0167

Nancy Bozek (far right), executive director of the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association (WWOA), joins the Women of WWOA group for a photo after a guided tour of the International Crane Foundation outside of Baraboo.

Nancy Bozek (far right), executive director of the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association (WWOA), joins the Women of WWOA group for a photo after a guided tour of the International Crane Foundation outside of Baraboo. / Photo Credit: Contributed by Nancy Bozek

There are plenty of trees in Wisconsin forests that haven’t been around as long as the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association (WWOA).

In many cases, the 46-year-old WWOA has facilitated the information sharing, networking and hard work necessary to keep as many of those trees as possible, along with the older ones, of course, green and growing.

WWOA’s mission statement is one of those simple ideas that needs a lot of effort to become reality: “(T)o conserve and enhance the private woodlands of the state through the following actions:

  • Sustainably manage our woodlands with informed management plans that utilize best silviculture practices.
  • Assist private landowners in achieving their management goals by connecting them with natural resource professionals and fellow woodland owners.
  • Educate the public on the value of woodlands for economic, environmental, recreational and wildlife habitat purposes.”

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2025 Internal Audit Finds Sound Forestry And Room for Improvement

By Wisconsin DNR

Photo of a snowy trek through the woods at a Vilas County site of a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources internal audit site.

A snowy trek through the woods at a Vilas County audit site. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

The annual internal audit of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Managed Forest Law (MFL) Certified Group took place April 7-8 with visits to 40 certified MFL properties and completed timber harvests in north central Wisconsin – specifically, in Adams, Clark, Jackson, Lincoln, Marathon, Taylor, Oneida and Vilas counties.

An internal audit is required every year for both Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) and American Tree Farm System® (ATFS) standards, under which the MFL Certified Group is dually certified. The audit reviews a selection of MFL properties where timber harvesting was completed within the previous three years.

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Identify Water Resources With Surface Water Data Viewer

By Wisconsin DNR

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' online Surface Water Data Viewer layers panel.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ online Surface Water Data Viewer layers panel. / Graphic Credit: Wisconsin DNR

From recreation, to aesthetics, to ecosystem function and everything in between, there are many ways that water is an important aspect of owning and managing a property. It could be the showcase feature of a property such as lake frontage or a scenic river, or as subtle as a seasonal waterway or forested wetland.

Many landowners own woodlands because they want to enjoy the scenic beauty and protect nature and water. A first step toward achieving those goals is understanding what is present on the respective property. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has a useful tool called the Surface Water Data Viewer (SWDV) to help landowners and land managers identify water resources.

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Common HRD Treatment No Longer Available

A pine stump with a Heterobasidion root disease fruit body with old brown growth in the center and new, bright white growth along the edges.

A Heterobasidion root disease (HRD) fruit body with new white growth observed in the fall. Photo: Wisconsin DNR

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Forest Health Newsletter reports that the fungicide Rotstop® C is no longer available in North America.

Rostop® C is commonly used to protect against Heterobasidion root disease (HRD) during conifer timber harvests. It has been discontinued in the North American market. Cellu-Treat® is now the only registered and available to prevent HRD in Wisconsin. Check out the article from DNR Forest Health for more detail.

As always, remember to report your pesticide use when applying these or any other pesticides on property in the MFL Certified Group. You can use the online reporting form or send the required information to MFLForestCertification@wisconsin.gov.

New Forest Service Publication Translates Research For Landowners

The cover of a USDA Forest Service publication called "Managing Your Woodland: Forestry Research Translated for Landowners"

The cover of a U.S. Forest Service publication called “Managing Your Woodland: Forestry Research Translated for Landowners.” / Graphic Credit: USDA Forest Service

By Wisconsin DNR

Have you ever heard a forester talk about shelterwood or group selection and found yourself wondering what they are talking about?

Or maybe you read those terms in your forest management plan and aren’t entirely clear what they mean? If so, you might want to check out a new publication called Managing Your Woodland:
Forestry Research Translated for Landowners [PDF]
.

The U.S. Forest Service recently released the publication, which breaks down forest ecology, silviculture and various forest management systems for landowners and other non-forestry experts. Although the publication comes out of the Northeast United States, the tree species, forest types and forest management are not entirely different from the forests and forestry practices in Wisconsin.

MFL Certified Group Pesticides Update

Two forestry pesticides now have an Environmental and Social Risk Assessment (ESRA) available on the MFL Certified Group Pesticide Page courtesy of our colleagues at the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Tebufenozide is an insecticide that can be used to control spongy moth. Aminocyclopyrachlor is an herbicide used to control broadleaf plants.

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BMPs and MFL

Whether or not you are in the Managed Forest Law (MFL) Certified Group, we recommend adhering to all applicable Forestry Best Management Practices for Water Quality (BMPs) to protect the soil and water resources on your property. During forest management, there are measures we can take to minimize rutting, soil compaction and erosion and protect the value of any water features on the site. Familiarizing yourself with the water features on your property from the BMP perspective will help you ensure that when it comes time to harvest timber or put in a road, you take the necessary measures to protect what is important to you.

As described in Wisconsin’s BMP Field Manual, BMPs are a set of guidelines “intended to provide simple and cost-effective methods for protecting water quality in lakes, streams and wetlands… before, during and after forest management activities”. BMPs are designed to protect water quality, water temperature, nutrient balances, habitat diversity and hydrologic processes.

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Got Oak? Need Funding?

The American Bird Conservancy has teamed up with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to provide additional funding to help manage oak woods in Southeast Wisconsin. This Regional Conservation Partnership Program is designed to enhance oak ecosystem health while cultivating long-term benefits for Species of Greatest Conservation Need, such as the red-headed woodpecker and cerulean warbler, both commonly found in high-quality oak systems.

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Roger Pluedeman: A Longtime Logger With Long-Term Planning

By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Outreach and Communications, Fitchburg

Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov

For 48 years and counting, Roger Pluedeman has been a logger.

Photo Credit: Roger Pluedeman

And much more.

After starting his career in Rhinelander in 1977, Pluedeman moved to the Eagle River area in 1979 and established Pluedeman Logging. He has owned and operated that business ever since.

The basic roles of a logger have become second nature to Pluedeman: Forge contracts with landowners, make detailed plans, cut down trees and turn them into logs and remove the logs for transport to their destination.

But Pluedeman also excels at the people side of logging: Developing and growing long-term relationships, both with landowners and with the land itself.

“He’s not a ‘look what I did’ guy. He’s known as a guy who gets the work done and helps where he can,” said Henry Schienebeck of the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association, who has known Pluedeman for decades.

“Roger’s work includes a lot of long-term relationships, and that goes to show that whomever he’s working with, he’s treating them fairly.”

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Julie Church Joins the Tax Law Section

Photo Credit: Julie Church

Julie Church has joined the Tax Law Section as our Tax Law Operations Specialist. Julie oversees the Certified Plan Writer (CPW) program, assists with tax law policy and program management and helps manage the Wisconsin Forest Inventory and Reporting System (WisFIRS). She serves as a key liaison for various stakeholders, including Cooperating Foresters and CPWs. She started her new role in November 2024, and is stationed in Rhinelander at the Forestry Headquarters. Continue reading “Julie Church Joins the Tax Law Section”