County Forests Program History

Origin

The early origins of today's County Forests began with the heavy timber cutting that occurred in the late 1800's and early 1900's. In that era, the vision of northern Wisconsin was that it would be productive agricultural land… once those trees and stumps were removed! The timber exploitation that took place during that period was not a failed attempt at sustainable forestry, it was designed to clear the land for another use. The big trees, which seemed endless in supply, were merely an obstacle in developing the land for agriculture. As we now know however, much of the land had poor soil for farming and the climate was unfavorable as well. These factors, coupled with the depression years throughout the 1920's and 1930's, financially ruined many homesteaders and caused them to relocate. Local towns and counties were left with land that needed protection from fire, road access and other services. Tax delinquencies were widespread and counties and towns did not have the funding necessary to stay in existence. By 1927 over 4.5 million acres of northern Wisconsin had been tax delinquent at least once.

After much political debate, several new state laws were passed that promoted the conversion of much of this land to productive county forests. In 1927 the Forest Crop Law was passed, and in 1929 amended to allow counties to take ownership without paying the required taxes. The revamped taxing structure allowed trees to be grown as a crop of sorts. Responsibility for forest protection was placed on the State. The new laws also "authorized counties to engage in forestry and provided the necessary funds, and empowered counties to adopt zoning ordinances that would prohibit certain land uses in forested areas". The authority for the Counties to engage in forestry was laid. Langlade County became the first county to enter land into the program in 1929.

The Early Years

For the next thirty years, 26 additional counties established county forests. The bulk of these were established in the early 1930's. Over 1.7 million acres were entered during this time period. A number of laws and modifications to existing laws were passed that provided adequate compensation to the Towns, Counties and State for this public land. With the regeneration of the forests from the destructive cutting of the late 1800's and early 1900's, counties were also able to sustainably harvest some of this "second growth" timber. Income from timber sales on the county forests rose from $18,000 in 1940 to $6.4 million in 1960. The management of the forests was ensuring a future supply of forest land while also providing valuable revenue.

Onset of the Modern Era

Several major revisions were made to the County Forest Law in 1963. The most notable change was the creation of a permanent program of forests that would be managed in accordance with 10 year County Forest Plans developed by the counties, with assistance from the Department of Natural Resources. Today's version of our County Forests was born! The true partnership between the Counties and the State Department of Natural Resources was outlined in the statutes and remains the foundation for today's program.

In 1968 the Wisconsin County Forests Association (WCFA) was developed in an effort to provide a forum for consideration of issues and policy common to all of the county forest committees responsible for their respective County Forests. WCFA remains today, providing strong leadership and counsel to the County Forest committees and forest administrators. The organization meets regularly and has been effective in unifying the efforts of the individual County Forests and promoting sustainable forestry in general.

Present

The County Forest system today is comprised of 29 counties totaling 2.35 million acres primarily in the northern and west central portions of the state. Collectively the County Forests are the largest public landholder in Wisconsin totaling over 40 percent of all the public land. The largest is Douglas County at 269,642 acres and Vernon County the smallest at just 880 acres. In 1999 Vernon County became the latest addition to the County Forest program.

Benefits of the County Forests expand beyond the boundaries of the individual counties. Impacts on the tourism industry and wood-using industries are widespread. The public land base draws people from all over the nation to enjoy the forests, lakes and recreational opportunities they provide. Local economies benefit both directly and indirectly. Many of the counties also provide developed recreation such as camping, groomed skiing & snowmobiling, mountain biking, and even unique pursuits such as disc golf! Hunting, fishing and hiking remain tremendously popular, although less intensive recreational activities.

Timber revenues for the County Forest now total upwards of $17 million annually. This timber is a byproduct of the forester's efforts to keep our forests growing vigorous and healthy. It provides the raw materials for the forest products industry that leads the nation in paper production. One of every eight manufacturing jobs in Wisconsin is in the forest products industry. The County Forests are essential for this industry and for Wisconsin to meet its growing wood needs. Through the professional management of our County Forests we are able to provide for these wood needs while still ensuring that our forests will be available to our grandchildren. The County Forests continue to grow more wood than they harvest each year!

The Department of Natural Resources remains a committed partner in the management of the County Forests. DNR foresters are assigned responsibilities on each of the County Forests, working in concert with county-employed foresters. In addition to the technical expertise provided, the DNR provides aid payments and a number of grants and loans to the counties to assist them in the management of their forests. The County Forest Program remains one of the DNR's longest standing and most successful partnerships.

The County Forest program celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2004 and it remains a tribute to the vision of our predecessors and the merits of sound forestry management.