Wisconsin's Forest Legacy Program

2004 Project - Tomahawk Northwoods

Congressional Districts: 7^th District  and  8^th District

General Description
Vast industrial Forest Lands in the Northern Wisconsin. surrounded by National Forest, county and state holdings. Dotted with small inland lakes and streams with current public access. Home to both gray wolves and moose. Valued recreational property.

Public Value of Property:

• Continuation of public access for hunting, fishing, skiing, hiking, canoeing and other non-motorized recreation over most of the project land.
• Protection of rare communities and the species associated with these.
• Value as economic contributor to local economy and as a continued supply of wood products both locally and nationally.
• Protection and buffering of adjacent federal, state, county and tribal lands.
• Protection of lands that provide high quality habitat for deer, black bear, ruffed grouse, and brook trout.
• Protection of hundreds of acres of the rare hemlock forest type and associated plant and wildlife species.
• Protection of habitat for many interior-dwelling forest bird species.
• Protection of rare and threatened plant and animal species, including wolf, moose, and bald eagles.
• Direct protection water quality along of hundreds of miles of valuable stream, pond, and lakeside buffers.
• National historic and scenic Ice Age Trail traverses a portion of property. Buffering trail with Legacy easement protects this important trail.
• Snowmobiling currently allowed on select portions of the property - this would continue under easement.

Importance of Protection:

• 90% of State's industrial forests have changed ownership in the last 2 years. Key parcels within this project area are currently being sold.
• Northern Wisconsin forests are experiencing quickly escalating land values making selling for development the only practical way of selling these properties. It takes them out of the Managed Forest Law protection and closed to public access.
• Public access for land recreation and to streams would be lost if sold for development.
• Working forest contribution to economy would be lost.
• Habitat for large mammal populations (wolf and moose) would be severely compromised if this property were developed.


Tomahawk Northlands landscape

• Habitat of rare and endangered interior forest bird species like the Cerulean Warbler would be lost if fragmented.
• Scenic values along waterways and recreational trails would be lost or compromised if fragmented and sold.
• Parcellization would add significantly to the development of new roads and other infrastructure which would impact water drainage, water quality and wetland functioning.

How the property meets program criteria:

• Adds another 8,466 acres of protection to the Willow Flowage scenic waters areas, protecting water quality, scenic values, wildlife values and recreational values,
• Connects and augments numerous existing state, county and federal ownerships including: Chequamegon National Forest, Lac Du Flambeau Indian Reservation, Northern Highlands and the American Legion State Forests, the Turtle Flambeau Scenic Waters, Hoffman Lake Wildlife Area, Moose Lake Natural Area, Underwood Wildlife Area, and other public properties.
• Supports the Governor's Council on Forestry strategic plan for protecting Wisconsin's working forests.
• Buffers National Scenic Ice Age Trail, a cooperative project between the U.S. National Park Service, the Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation and its various volunteer groups around the State, and the counties through which the trail passes. The trail is one of only eight national scenic trails in the United States.