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Inventory finds 46 percent of Wisconsin land area covered by forests

MADISON – Wisconsin currently has 16 million acres of public and private forests, accounting for 46 percent of the state’s land area, according to a recently finalized inventory of the make-up, productivity and health of Wisconsin’s entire forest resource.

“These numbers, which have held steady since the last survey in 1996, indicate the state now has more forestland than at any time since the first forest inventory in 1936,” says Paul DeLong, Wisconsin’s chief forester and head of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry. In addition, he notes, the inventory found tree growth continues to outpace removals due to harvests.

This is just the sixth time in state history that federal and state foresters have completed a full census of both public and private forests, which is known as the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA).

“We’re gratified to see these latest data because they indicate the commitment to sustainable forestry, which provides environmental, economic and social benefits to us all,” DeLong says. “There are many challenges facing our forests, including invasive plants and pests, fragmentation and parcelization, development in fire-prone areas, recreational demands, challenges regenerating some species, and increasing globalization to name just a few.

“Given the importance of forests to our Wisconsin economy, environment and quality of life, it is imperative that we take stock of their condition and work collectively to ensure the ability of our forests to continue to provide an array of benefits for future generations.”

Because just 7 percent of Wisconsin’s forests are owned and managed by the DNR, DeLong says it is critical that other public and private landowners share the commitment to protect and sustainably manage their forests. In fact, the vast majority, nearly 70 percent, are under private ownership, mostly by individuals and families. Most of the timber harvested in Wisconsin also comes from these private forest lands.

The survey also reveals that Wisconsin’s forests continue to be dominated by hardwoods, with the maple/birch/beech, oak/hickory and aspen/birch forest types together making up approximately 70 percent of total forestlands. FIA data also show that state forests are increasing in average girth, with the acreage of the seedling-sapling size class having decreased, while acres of larger saw timber have increased.

Conducted jointly in Wisconsin by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the DNR Division of Forestry as part of a national program, the FIA is the state’s main source of scientifically credible information on forests statewide, including how much exists, how it is changing, who owns it, and how quickly trees are growing, dying and being harvested. The FIA program also monitors several indicators of forest health, including leaf damage from air pollution, tree crown density and vigor, plant diversity, and infestation by exotic, invasive species.

The data are used by DNR and Forest Service officials, private consulting foresters, environmental groups, the forest industry and others, to craft sound forest policy and management plans, conduct scientific studies, and assess the sustainability of past forestry practices among other activities.

Since the program began in 1930, Wisconsin’s forests have been entirely assessed six times. Data are collected in designated field plots distributed randomly across the state at a density of one plot for every 3,000 acres. Field measurements for the sixth survey began in 2000 and finished in 2004. The field work phase was then followed by nearly two years of intensive data analysis by Forest Service statisticians.

The forests in the Midwestern states were originally inventoried one state at a time on a rotating basis. In 2000—the same year Wisconsin’s latest inventory began—the FIA program switched from these periodic surveys to annual surveys. Now, 20 percent of the FIA field plots in Wisconsin are measured every year, with a full inventory taking five years to complete. Now that all of Wisconsin’s plots have been measured once under the new system, foresters will revisit them on a five-year rotation. For example, plots that were measured in 2000 were inventoried again in 2005.

More information about the Forest Inventory and Analysis and additional results from the most recent inventory is available on the DNR Web site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Vern Everson, Forest Resource Analyst, (608) 266-2196

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Boater surveys show progress on invasive species front

More boaters taking prevention steps

MADISON - State and volunteer efforts to prevent the spread of invasive aquatic species in Wisconsin waters are making progress, according to four years of surveys at boat landings that show more people cleaning their boats and other equipment to avoid accidentally spreading Eurasian water-milfoil and other invaders that can displace native species, disrupt ecosystems and hamper recreation.

The surveys of more than 143,000 boaters and inspections of 67,000 boats at landings statewide since summer 2003 reveal that 72 percent of boat owners said they took steps to clean their boats and prevent spreading invasive species, and that about 5 percent of boats were arriving at the landings with plants attached.

“The numbers show that most boaters are aware of the threat and taking the prevention steps on a fairly regular basis,” says Ron Martin, who coordinates invasive species efforts for the Department of Natural Resources. “That’s important progress since the early 1990s, before Wisconsin really had an aquatic invasive species program. Boater survey results from a 1994 study showed only 39 percent of boaters said they took steps to avoid spreading invasive species.”

Aquatic invasive species spread when they cling to a boat or trailer or a plant attached to either, or are transported in bilge water or a bait pail, from boaters leaving a water infested with invaders. A 5-year-old state law makes it illegal for people to launch a boat or boating equipment with an aquatic plant attached.

Aquatic invasive species such as zebra mussels and Eurasian water-milfoil, two of the most common and problematic in Wisconsin, can displace native species, reduce the food supply for fish, set the stage for excessive growth of blue-green algae and other aquatic plants, and hamper recreation. The degree to which these impacts occur, and to which the aquatic invasive species takes over a lake, can vary significantly by waterbody, however.

Starting in 2000, Wisconsin lawmakers allocated more money and staff to address invasive species. Gov. Jim Doyle created the Wisconsin Council on Invasive Species to better coordinate efforts aimed at invasive species across the board, not just aquatic species.

DNR has increased information and education efforts, hired a small staff of watercraft inspectors, and started a program that has grown to provide more than $1.5 million a year in grants to communities to prevent and control the spread of invasive aquatic species. The department has joined with University of Wisconsin-Extension and the Wisconsin Association of Lakes to offer the Clean Boats, Clean Waters program [exit DNR] to train volunteers that educate boaters at landings about invasive species and the steps boaters need to take to clean their boats and equipment.

Volunteers conduct 75 percent of all statewide watercraft inspection efforts, with hundreds of them spending many of their spring, summer and fall weekends inspecting boats and educating boat owners about invasive species.

Boater surveys conducted by the volunteers and a small corps of DNR watercraft inspectors also showed that 70 percent of boaters contacted at the launches were aware of the law prohibiting launching a boat with plants attached. While 17 percent of the boats leaving a launch had plants attached, 5 percent of boats arriving at a launch had plants attached, the most important concern.

“Those figures show there is still room for improvement,” Martin says. “Ideally, we’d like to see a zero for the number of boats arriving at launches with plants attached.”

He is encouraged, however, that survey results seem to indicate that even if people leave a launch site with plants attached to their boat, many of them are cleaning off their boats before they launch again, following the prevention steps.

“We want all boaters to clean their boat off every time, regardless of where they are boating and whether they are on a waterbody that is already infested with an invasive species,” he says. “With 37 percent of all launching boats arriving from an infested waterbody, it just makes sense to take the time to clean your boat. It’s the best way to protect your favorite lake.”

Laura Felda-Marquardt, who coordinates the Clean Boats, Clean Waters Program, says the information from the surveys will help shape and drive invasive species education in the future. Here’s more of the survey results:

• Boaters from Wisconsin - 86 percent
• Most frequent recreation, fishing - 68 percent
• Percentage of boat motors above 50-horse power - 63 percent
• Boats entering landing with weeds - 5 percent
• Boats leaving landing with weeds - 17 percent
• Boats arriving from infested water bodies - 37 percent
• Boats moving within five days (lake jumping) - 43 percent
• Boaters taking preventions steps (clean boats and equipment) 72 - percent
• Boaters aware of the illegal to launch law - 70 percent

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Ron Martin - (608) 266-9270 or Laura Felda-Marquardt – (715) 365-2659

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Drinking water deadline for radium approaches

Some public system may face additional sanctions

MADISON – More than 40 public water systems that have historically produced drinking water with high radium levels have until Dec. 8 to meet the deadline for fixing their problem.

Operators of 12 public systems will meet the December deadline and conditions of their orders while 29 will be receiving letters from state environmental enforcement officials requesting they explain where they are in addressing radium levels in drinking water that in some cases have been three times as high as the levels set federally to protect public health.

All the systems entered into such “consent agreements” with the agency in 2003 after DNR officials negotiated a three-year extension from the federal government to allow Wisconsin public water systems more time to find the most cost-effective solution to their radium problems, according to Lee Boushon, who leads the DNR public water supply section.

Drinking water officials will evaluate the status reports on a case-by-case basis over the next month and notify public water systems in January if they will be referred for further enforcement action, Boushon says.

“This is about DNR assuring public health and safety. We are placing a high priority on ensuring that all Wisconsin residents receive drinking water that meets radium standards as quickly as possible,” he says.

“We want to make sure we provide individual systems with a clear understanding of the consequences for failing to meet the radium standard. But our real goal is safe drinking water, not enforcement referrals.”

Nearly 10 percent of Wisconsin residents who rely on public water systems are served by systems that in 2005 failed to meet standards for radium, a naturally occurring contaminant that can cause bone cancer.

All the systems have taken some steps to comply, and in some cases, are able to serve their customers, or a portion of their customers, water that complies with the radium standard, Boushon says. Some are in the final stages of completing system-wide solutions, but others have not made much progress. DNR has provided technical help and more than $16 million in low-interest loans so far to help communities find solutions to their radium problems.

The systems for which the DNR has completed review of the consent agreements and found them to be in compliance with the December deadline for radium standard are: Lake Lore Water Trust, Allenton, Ashwaubenon, Birch Creek, Edison Estates, Green Bay, Gresham, Harbor Lights, Kaukauna, Town of Lawrence, Richmond Estates, Village of Dalton. The agency is in the process of reviewing documentation for additional systems.

Communities have known about their elevated radium levels and the compliance needs since the early 1980s, when they were first required to start monitoring for it and to notify consumers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency originally set the health-based standard for radium level at 5 picocuries per liter of water in 1976. That federal agency re-evaluated the information and concluded in 2000 that radium was a bigger health risk than first thought. But it reaffirmed the standard at 5 picocuries was still protective of public health and easier and less expensive for the public water systems to meet.

Public water supplies across the nation were given until December 2003 to meet the radium standard; DNR received an extension to December 2006 to give Wisconsin communities more time to find the most cost-effective solutions. Affected systems were required to enter into the consent agreements outlining the steps they would take to come into compliance, and were required to continue notifying customers of the radium levels and risks so that their customers could make an informed choice.

Wisconsin has more public water systems with high levels of radium than most states. This prevalence reflects high radium levels in the bedrock formations storing groundwater in southeastern and north central Wisconsin and in the fact that 99 percent of public water systems get their water from underground aquifers instead of from lakes or rivers.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Lee Boushon (608) 266-0857

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Winterize private wells to assure drinking water safety

MADISON – Late fall’s cold temperatures and increased precipitation can increase the threat of well contamination for people who rely on private drinking water wells, but well owners can take winterization steps to assure the safety of their drinking water, state drinking water officials say.

“Most private wells provide safe drinking water, but we tend to see an increase in well contamination problems in late fall and after spring thaw,” says Mark Putra, who leads the Department of Natural Resources private water supply section. “It’s important for well-owners to take action now to make sure their drinking water is safe for the winter.”

Important steps include making sure the well has a vermin-proof cap and keeping the area around the well cap and pump clean and free from debris to prevent infestation by insects or vermin, Putra says. Getting well water tested is another important step to take to prevent these seasonally occurring problems.

Wisconsin has 800,000 to 1 million private residential wells, and a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that about one-quarter of them could test high for total coliform bacteria, an indicator that illness-producing viruses, bacteria and other pathogens might be present.

Insects and spiders may enter wells through loose, broken or poorly installed well caps, nest on the cap’s underside and eventually drop off and enter the well, contaminating it with bacteria. Vermin-proof caps have been required on new wells since Feb. 1, 1991, and well drillers who replace caps on older wells after that date are also required to install a vermin-proof cap. Owners of older wells should have a private well driller or pump installer inspect the cap to see whether it is vermin proof, and if it isn’t, install one, Putra says.

Late fall and early winter rains may wash more contaminants into the ground and into poorly constructed wells and unsealed wells, she says. Well owners should test their well water at least once a year, test it after flooding, and test it if they notice a change in the water’s taste, smell or appearance.

Private well water quality is not regulated by the state, so responsibility for making sure water is healthy through testing and addressing any problems rests with the well owner. Putra advises private well owners to call a certified laboratory to get a water sampling kit and arrange for testing. Tests for bacterial contamination and for nitrates are the most important.

Online lists of laboratories certified to test drinking water for bacteria and for chemical contaminants can be found on the Drinking and Groundwater page of the DNR Web site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Putra (608) 267-7649; Tom Riewe (608) 266-8697

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2007 state park/forest admission stickers and trail passes on sale

Give the gift of Wisconsin’s great outdoors with a park sticker or trail pass

MADISON – Looking for a subtle way this holiday season of telling “Uncle Ernie” or “Aunt Bea” to “go take a hike”? How about giving him or her access to more than 7,200 miles of scenic trails in the Wisconsin State Park and Forest system?

The 2007 admission sticker to Wisconsin State Parks and Forests and the 2007 Wisconsin State Trail Pass are on sale now at park and forest offices and Department of Natural Resources service centers, and they make excellent holiday gifts for those active outdoors lovers on holiday gift lists.

“Giving a gift of a Wisconsin State Park Admission Sticker provides family and friends with membership in Wisconsin's most unique health club -- the Great Outdoors,” says Kimberly Currie, acting director of the DNR Bureau of Parks and Recreation.

More than 85 percent of Wisconsinities enjoy walking outdoors, according to the recently completed 2005-2010 Wisconsin Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, which tracks outdoor recreational participation in the state.

“With thousands of miles of trails, hundreds of nature hike opportunities, and dozens of beaches, Wisconsin’s outdoors is the perfect gift for fun, social gatherings, healthy experiences, or for just absorbing simple solitude,” Currie says.

The sticker provides vehicle admission to 60 state parks and forests across Wisconsin. The cost is $25 for Wisconsin residents or $35 for nonresidents. A family with more than one vehicle registered to the same household may purchase a second state park sticker at half price. A senior citizen annual sticker for $10 is available for Wisconsin Residents 65 years of age and older. The stickers are valid from the date of sale through December 31, 2007.

The 2007 park and forest admission sticker features an illustration of sandhill cranes in flight by Courtney Olshefski, a junior from Waukesha South High School in Waukesha, whose design was selected from 345 entries through an annual design contest.

2007 annual Wisconsin state trail passes provide access to 42 state trails offering more than 1,650 miles of linear bicycle trails, horse trails, and groomed cross-country ski trails in Wisconsin. A trail pass is required for all people age 16 or older biking, in-line skating, horseback riding or cross-country skiing on certain designated trails. A trail pass is not required for walking or hiking. Trail passes are available at businesses near state trails as well as at trail park and forest offices and DNR service centers. The annual passes are $15 for residents and non-residents. Daily trail passes are $4.

In addition to park and forest offices and DNR Service Centers, stickers may be purchased by phone (608) 266-2181 between 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday using a MasterCard or Visa, or by sending a check or money order (payable to Wisconsin DNR) to DNR Parks and Recreation, PO Box 7921, Madison WI 53707-7921. People ordering by phone or mail should allow seven to nine days for the order to be processed and delivered.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Wisconsin State Parks - (608) 266-2181

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How to “Deck the Halls” with less

• Use reusable plates, cups, silverware and napkins instead of disposables.
• Choose durable home decorations and use them year after year.
• Save paper wrapping for reuse next year. Save cardboard boxes for other purposes or include with your recyclables.
• Look for items made with recycled content. Many holiday greeting cards are available with a high percentage of recycled content. When you are through with the holiday greeting cards you receive, they may be recycled with your regular paper recyclables. Holiday cards can also be reused next year for gift tags.
• Look for gifts or treats with little or no packaging.
• Don’t take a new store bag if there’s room in one you’re already carrying.
• Reuse ribbons, bows and decorative wrappings from the gifts you receive.
• Tie up the perfect present with raffia, a dried sea grass, instead of foil or plastic ribbons and bows.
• Make the wrapping part of the gift. For example, wrap a kitchen gift in a colorful holiday hand towel or place a set of earrings in a new pair of gloves.
• Make your own wrapping paper starting with recycled butcher paper or handmade paper. Carve patterns such as trees or stars onto the flat side of a potato sliced in half. Dip this potato stamp into a dish of paint or simply brush paint onto the potato and print on the paper. This works nicely for handmade cards too!
• When buying electronic toys and other portable items that are used regularly, purchase rechargeable batteries to go with them.
• Buy a "live" holiday tree that can be planted in the yard in the spring.
• Plan meal portions wisely to reduce food waste and expense. Put leftovers in reusable containers to send home with guests or save for later.

• Holiday Ways to Save Money and Reduce Trash;
• Holiday Reduction & Recycling Tips; and
• Earth 911.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Moore, (608) 267-7550

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Dec. 7 workshop on wastewater discharge limits

Proposal seeks to strengthen limits on 16 toxic chemicals

MADISON - Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant operators, environmental consultants, advocacy group members and other interested citizens are encouraged to attend a workshop in Stevens Point this Thursday, Dec. 7, to discuss a proposal to strengthen limits on 17 toxic chemicals allowed in wastewater discharges entering lakes, streams and rivers.

The workshop is free and runs from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the Stevens Point Public Library at 1001 Main St. in Stevens Point.

The toxic substances are currently regulated by the Department of Natural Resources, and the state must update the limits to be consistent with changes in federal regulations aimed at better protecting fish and other aquatic life and public health.

The limits, known as surface water quality criteria, are found in Chapter NR 105 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, and they set acceptable levels of substances allowed to enter lakes, rivers and streams receiving wastewater discharges, according to Jim Schmidt, DNR water quality-based effluent limits coordinator.

Under state and federal law, substances may not be present in surface waters at concentrations which harm public health or welfare, present or prospective uses of surface waters for public or private water supplies, or the protection or propagation of fish or other aquatic life or wild or domestic animals.

Chapter NR 105 currently lists fish and aquatic life criteria for 20 toxic substances, and human health criteria for 75 toxic substances. Pollutants for which fish and aquatic life criteria will be updated include copper, endrin, nickel, and selenium. Pollutants for which human health criteria will be updated include 1,2-dichlorobenzene, 1,3-dichloropropene, 3,3-dichlorobenzidine, antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chlorobenzene, chromium(III), chromium(VI), cyanide, ethylbenzene, hexachlorocyclopentadiene, and toluene.

The workshop is a prelude to DNR requesting permission from its Natural Resources Board to conduct formal public hearings on the proposal. At the workshop, DNR staff will present information on the proposal, and provide attendees an opportunity to discuss the potential ramifications of these changes.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Schmidt (608) 267-7658; Elisabeth Harrahy (608) 264-6260