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Buy firewood locally: New firewood restrictions for Wisconsin state properties

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This release was initially issued Aug. 8, 2008, and is reprinted here to stress firewood regulations important to controlling the spread of an invasive forest pest, emerald ash borer.]

MADISON – Now that a emerald ash borer (EAB) has been found in Wisconsin, visitors to state parks, forests and other state properties should expect additional firewood restrictions to help fight the damaging pests.

“The very best thing to do is to buy firewood locally, and use it all up during your camping trip,” says Andrea Diss-Torrance, a forest health specialist with the Department of Natural Resources.

Previous firewood rules remain in effect in Wisconsin: Firewood cannot enter any property managed by the DNR, including state park and forest campgrounds, if it was purchased or harvested outside of Wisconsin or farther than 50 miles from the property.

However, additional firewood restrictions have been put in place for quarantined counties: Firewood purchased, stored, harvested in, or that has in any way entered Ozaukee, Washington, Sheboygan, or Fond du Lac counties -- even if just driving through on the highway -- cannot be taken out of that county. Moving firewood from these counties to a DNR-managed property outside of these counties is a violation of state law, regardless of whether it is within 50 miles. Such firewood will be confiscated at the property.

“We know at least seven damaging pests and diseases in Wisconsin or nearby states that spread slowly on their own. It is only when we inadvertently move them in infested firewood, nursery stock, or other infested items that they can move long distances, from town to town or state to state,” says Diss-Torrance.

Quarantines of firewood and other products that can carry pests and diseases significantly slow the spread of these pests and the damage that they do. “They protect uninfested areas like our state parks and forests, by keeping the threat out,” says Diss-Torrance.

Many people do not realize that the entire eastern half of Wisconsin is also quarantined for the forest pest gypsy moth. Firewood may not leave that half of the state to be taken west. Like the emerald ash borer quarantines, this rule supersedes the 50-mile rule for DNR managed properties and campgrounds.

More information about Wisconsin’s firewood restrictions is available on the DNR Web site or by calling the Firewood Information Line at 1-877-303-WOOD.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrea Diss-Torrance (608) 264-9247.

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Green Bay museum hosts conservation stamp design contest

Winning stamp design to grace 2009 waterfowl and pheasant licenses

GREEN BAY – The annual Department of Natural Resources Waterfowl and Pheasant Stamp design contests will be hosted this year by the Neville Public Museum in downtown Green Bay on Saturday, Aug. 16.

“We are excited to share this year’s waterfowl and pheasant entries with the public in partnership with the Neville Museum,” said DNR Assistant Wetland Habitat Specialist Michele Cipiti. “It is an opportunity to showcase art that celebrates the beauty of nature and enhances the wild landscape in Wisconsin.”

About 40 entries will be considered for selection as state stamps by a panel of judges. Following the judging, the exhibit will open to the public at 2 p.m., at which time contest winners will be announced in the museum auditorium.

The announcement of the winning stamp will be followed with a presentation by DNR Wetland Habitat Specialist Ricky Lien about the history and accomplishments of hunting stamps for wildlife conservation.

Through the stamp design contests, wildlife artists have made a tremendous contribution to habitat conservation across Wisconsin, Cipiti said. Hunters and anglers support multiple stamp programs. These programs require the purchase of an annual stamp in addition to a license to pursue certain fish and game. The revenue generated by the stamp sales is dedicated specifically to improving habitat for the benefit of the fish and wildlife celebrated on the stamps.

The stamp entries will remain on display through the following week, leading up to the Neville Public Museum’s opening of the international “Art and the Animal” exhibit on Aug. 30.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Michele Cipiti (608) 266-7408

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Register now for fall hunter education course

MADISON – Wisconsin hunters planning for the late-year seasons should register now for required hunter education certificate courses to avoid being sidelined due to lack of planning.

“Nearly all of the volunteer hunter education instructors are hunters themselves and enjoy hunting in the fall,” says Conservation Warden Tim Lawhern, who also serves as the state’s hunting education administrator. “The hunter education program offers about 1,200 courses every year, but very few of them are offered from October through December.”

Every year Lawhern fields calls two weeks before the gun-deer season with hunter-hopefuls looking to fulfill the mandatory hunter education course. “More than 99 percent of our courses have already been offered well before the gun-deer season,” he says.

Anyone born on or after Jan.1, 1973, must have completed a hunter education course and show the certificate to purchase any hunting license in Wisconsin.

To find a course, visit the Department of Natural Resources Web site. Look under the heading of Recreational Safety Course – Upcoming Classes. If unsuccessful, check back as courses are added to the listing as instructors alert the DNR.

“In Wisconsin, we’ve reduced hunting accidents by 90 percent since the program began,” Lawhern says. “Hunting is safe -- and getting safer -- because of the volunteer instructors who teach hunter education and the number of our hunters who have now graduated from our courses. Sign up now while courses are being offered in your area.

“Remember, safe hunting is no accident,” he says.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Lawhern (608) 266-1317

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Oshkosh family headed for National Tree Farm competition

WAUSAU – The Koerner family of Oshkosh – John and Diane and their sons, Scott and Jeff – recently won the 2008 Regional Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year award for the north central region of the American Tree Farm System.

This region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin. The Koerners were entered in the regional competition after being named Wisconsin Tree Farmer of the year in 2006.

They now move on to the national competition, vying against winners from the three other regions. The Koerners will attend the National Tree Farmer convention in Portland, Oregon, Oct. 16-18, when the National Tree Farmer of the Year will be named.

Wisconsin tree farmers have a tradition of competing at the national level, taking the top honor in both 1996 and 2004. Wisconsin more recently has had a regional winner two years in a row, with Nancy Livingston in 2007 and the Koerners this year.

The Koerners manage 1,729 acres of land in three towns in Portage County. John and Diane first purchased 80 acres in 1967 and have been increasing their acreage ever since. That first purchase was a failed farm. The Koerners discovered that its sandy soils, called “blow sand” because they so easily erode, were some of the poorest in the state. After consulting a forester to determine the best species for their site, they started planting trees and they’ve been planting ever since.

“It wouldn’t feel like spring if we weren’t planting trees,” John Koerner is fond of saying.

Red pine grows well in their sandy soil and it’s the primary species on their land. Others include oak and aspen. The land also supports brush, wetlands and grassland.

The Koerners have removed acres of invasive species such as black locust and more than 60 acres of Austrian and Scotch pines, replanting these areas with higher quality red pine.

“John has always wanted to do what is best for the property,” says recently retired DNR forester Paul Lochner. “His philosophy remains the same today as it was when he first purchased the land. He tells wood lot owners to seek the advice of a professional forester and to follow that advice.”

“The Koerners set an example for other landowners. They use their property continually to show others their successes as well as their failures. They help others get started and counsel them against becoming discouraged,” Lochner says.

Scott Koerner serves on a number of statewide committees including the Governor’s Council on Forestry and the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association. He works with school groups and other youths to spread the gospel of sound forestry and conservation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Shirley Bargander, DNR forest team leader, (715) 359-3819

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Marathon County couple named 2008 Tree Farmers of the Year

WAUSAU – City dwellers Jim and Diane Mroczenski never intended to own 130 acres of forested land. It was more than the Marathon couple could easily afford. Their plan was to sell off 40 acres, pay off some debt. But in the end, they just couldn’t bear to let it go.

“Thank goodness,” says Shirley Bargander, a forestry team leader for the state Department of Natural Resources.

Bargander has seen the Mroczenskis nurture what was once a pair of heavily logged properties into a beautiful, diverse and productive woods, rich with wildlife.

So it is Bargander’s pleasant duty to announce that Jim and Diane Mroczenski have been named the 2008 Wisconsin Tree Farmers of the Year. The award is given by the Wisconsin Tree Farm Committee and sponsored by the American Forest Foundation, based in Washington, D.C.

“Jim and Diane earned this recognition,” Bargander says. “They work hard on their tree farm as well as working hard to encourage others to do the same. They are not afraid of taking on tasks to help others. They are excellent ambassadors for forestry.”

The Mroczenskis purchased 49 acres of woodland in 1990 for themselves and their three sons. It was a place to hunt and hike, to photograph, and to explore on snowshoes in the winter.

The property, located in the Town of Hamburg, was previously owned by the Fromm Corporation, a silver fox, mink and ginseng dynasty. It was logged heavily in 1976 and was growing unmanaged. In 1997, an adjoining 80 acres was harvested solely for saw logs, leaving slash behind. The Mroczenskis tried without success to purchase a portion of this 80. The seller would not split the property. In 1998 Jim and Diane purchased all 80 acres with the intention of selling off 40 acres.

“After they owned it they couldn’t do it,” Bargander says.

The Mroczenskis developed a written management plan with help from a private consultant and DNR foresters. Their goal is to generate income, increase productivity and enhance forest diversity while creating a bounty of wildlife habitat.

“Twelve years later you go out there and the regeneration is prolific,” Bargander says. “It came back beautifully.”

The couple added culverts, seeded ditches and hand placed rocks and mesh for erosion control. They converted logging roads into hiking trails. They tested soils. They planted 14 acres of red and white pine as well as some red oak. They are re-establishing white oak in the woods and have protected seedlings from deer with tubes and cages. They installed bluebird houses, constructed brush piles for wildlife and removed debris, old tree stands and trees with nails. Deadfalls are left for grouse.

“Their enthusiasm and admiration for their tree farm is evident in their willingness to open their woodland for field days and site visits,” Bargander says.

They have been members of Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association (WWOA) since 2001 and in 2007, hosted the chapter’s field day on their property. They served on the 2007 National Tree Farmer Convention planning committee and managed “The Store” during the convention, selling Tree Farm shirts and caps. At the 2008 north central chapter winter conference, Jim and Diane teamed up to make a presentation to the group about the management of their tree farm. They are members of the 2008 WWOA state conference planning committee and will host the Sunday field portion of that conference in September.

On Arbor Day 2008 they planned an educational tree planting event for children from St. Mary’s School in Marathon. When the weather did not cooperate, the Mroczenskis put a power point presentation together and took their program to the school.

“Managing their woods as well as they do is just one of the ways Jim and Diane are investing in the future,” Bargander said.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Shirley Bargander (715) 359-3819

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Trapper education workshop offered at Sandhill

BABCOCK - First-time trappers are required to attend a trapper education course offered by the Department of Natural Resources and the Wisconsin Trappers Association. They have the chance to attend one as soon as next month.

The Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center near Babcock, Wisconsin, will offer a trapper workshop on Sept. 13-14 from 9 a.m. Saturday to 2 p.m. Sunday.

The course is open to anyone 12 years old and older interested in acquiring safe and humane trapping skills. People successfully completing the course will receive WTA-DNR trapper education graduation cards and free trapping privileges for the year.

Students should provide their own sleeping bag, a bag lunch on Saturday, and appropriate clothing for working outdoors. They also will have to make their own arrangements for transportation to and from Sandhill.

A registration fee of $25 is required, which includes the Wisconsin Trappers Association education manual, three meals, refreshments, and overnight stay in the dormitory. Registration is limited to 25 people on a first-come, first-served basis.

Checks should be made out to DNR-Skills Center. Include the name of each participant, and the address and daytime phone number of one person in each party. Send your registration fee to: Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center, P.O. Box 156, Babcock, WI 54413. Inquiries on the status of registrations may be sent via e-mail to: Richard.Thiel@wisconsin.gov.

The Sandhill Outdoor Skills Center is located 20 miles west of Wisconsin Rapids on County Highway X, 1 mile north of Highway 80 near Babcock, Wisconsin on the 9,000 acre DNR Sandhill Wildlife Area.

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High school stormwater project may result in incidental take of rare snake

EDITOR’S NOTE: Wisconsin’s endangered species law (s. 29.604, Wis. Stats.) requires the Department of Natural Resources to notify the public when it proposes to authorize the incidental taking of a state endangered or threatened species.

MADISON - The Department of Natural Resources proposes to authorize the "incidental taking" of the state threatened Butler’s garter snake (Thamnophis butleri) resulting from a Brookfield Academy High School Project in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Incidental take refers to the unintentional loss of individual endangered or threatened animals or plants that does not put the overall population of the species at risk.

Brookfield Academy High School will be constructing two stormwater ponds in suitable Butler’s garter snake habitat that is part of a significant conservation (Tier 3) site. This project has the potential to cause incidental take of the Butler’s garter snake, although snake removal efforts will be conducted this summer and fall to minimize the number of snakes killed. An approved conservation plan for the project is also required.

The presence of the state-threatened Butler’s garter snake has been confirmed in the vicinity of the project site. DNR has determined that the species is likely present due to the presence of suitable habitat and that the proposed project may result in killing some snakes. However, the DNR has concluded that the proposed project will minimize the impacts to the snake by adhering to conservation measures; is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence and recovery of the state population of these snakes or the whole plant-animal community of which they are a part; and has benefit to the public health, safety or welfare that justifies the action.

The conservation measures to minimize effects on the threatened species will be incorporated into the proposed Incidental Take Authorization. Copies of the conservation measures, background information on the Butler’s garter snake, and the jeopardy assessment are available upon request from Rori Paloski, Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources, 101 South Webster, Madison, WI 53707, 608-264-6040. Public comments will be taken through Sept. 12, 2008, and should be sent to Ms. Paloski at the above address.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Rori Paloski (608) 264-6040