Private Forestry

Wisconsin's 16 million acres of forestland cover nearly half of the state. You might be surprised to learn that individuals and families hold the largest portion (57%). About 360,000 private, non-industrial landowners care for 10.4 million acres of woodland in Wisconsin.

Privately owned forests enrich all of our lives:

• Environmentally, they provide clean water, clean air, erosion control, wildlife habitat, and sanctuaries for hundreds of species of rare plants and animals and natural communities.
• Socially, they provide places for work, recreation, scenic beauty and solitude.
• Economically, they provide the raw materials for homes, offices, furniture, paper, medicines, paints, plastics and many products you might not realize come from trees. In Wisconsin, more than 1,850 wood using companies produce nearly $20 billion of forest products every year. Over 64% of their raw material needs are supplied from private land. Over 300,000 people's jobs in the state rely on the forest products industry.
• More on the benefits of managing your private lands [PDF, 3.7MB]
  

While private landowners are primarily responsible for the management of their land, help is available from the DNR and other public and private sources. DNR foresters work with about 9,000 landowners every year, providing personalized, on-site service. They administer a number of planning, management, property tax incentive and cost-sharing programs. Guidance for private landowners is available from private Cooperating Foresters. Other partners also offer informational bulletins, conferences about forestry and help organizing local forestry associations. Where to find assistance