As forestry educators, we often focus on timber sales (we want them to go well after all), but there are many more goods that can be harvested from woodlands for recreational or financial reasons. These goods are usually called non-timber forest products (NTFPs), which although states what they aren’t, does a good job of indicating […]
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Wildfire and your Woodland
There are a number of simple things that any landowner can do to protect their home and property from damage from wildfires. My wife and I bought a home north of Rhinelander on a pretty dry parcel of land. To say that it is sandy is a bit of an understatement. The description in the […]
Getting the most out of your forest trail
The keys to developing a trail and road network that meets your needs now and into the future. My wife’s grandfather is a retired farmer in the Tomah area with a small woodlot that he has been extracting firewood from over the past seven decades. For much of that time, he has used his trusty […]
What Can a Forester do for You?
Forestry has changed little since this brochure was published in the 1960’s, but the role of a forester and what they can do for you, if anything, has broadened. It is important to consider a forester for any activities you want to partake in on your property. A good forester is trained in the art […]
Resources for Woodland Owners
Over 57% of Wisconsin forests are owned by families, rather than public entities (federal, state, counties), tribes, and industry. This amounts to somewhere around 270,000 family woodlots in the state. The unfortunate part of this story is that only about 10% of landowners have a written management plan for their forests. Management plans are important […]
Splitting Wood for Firewood Safely and Efficiently
Splitting wood by hand with a maul is one of the few tasks I look forward to and undertake with a great deal of satisfaction. Whether you are an old hand at splitting wood or not, there are a few simple techniques worth sharing that will make your work safe and efficient. A good place […]
To Cut Or Not To Cut
Deciding which trees to harvest and when is an important part of getting what you want from your forest. Following the right guidelines will ensure that you will get what you want now and well into the future. When my sister and her husband purchased some wooded property in Vernon County a few years ago, […]
A Healthy Forest is a Happy Forest
The three things any landowner can do to have a healthy forest are to monitor for problems, diversify the kinds of trees growing, and promote vigorous growth. On a recent visit to property of a landowner (let’s call her Shelly), I was asked a number of times about the health of certain trees. Now, this […]