Forest Planning for Wisconsin

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Forest Planning for Wisconsins Future
November 16th, 2004 Governors High School
Conference on the Environment Bobbie Webster
Project Coordinator

• Center for Land Use Education
• University of Wisconsin Extension
• and
• UWSP College of Natural Resources

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Welcome! Today we will

• Learn the latest on the status of WI forests
• Look at a new educational website
• Consider how forests can be addressed in your
  community
• Discuss how you can get involved in planning
  processes

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What do you value about forests?

• Your thoughts

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Status of Wisconsins Forests

• Acreage is increasing
• Fragmentation is increasing
• Population and housing development are
  increasing
• More people are buying smaller parcels of
  forestland

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What is Forest Fragmentation?

• Parcelization
• Fragmentation Conversion to other land uses

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Parcelization
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Conversion to other land uses

• Fragmenting forest uses by converting pieces of
  land to other uses
• Roads
• Driveways
• Housing
• Commercial industrial development
• Parking lots

Photo courtesy of Landslides Aerial Photography
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Housing density is increasing
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So What?Impacts of Fragmentation

• Patch size effects
• Habitat isolation
• Edge effects
• Just to name a few

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Smaller Patch Size
Results in smaller populations and less diversity
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Edge Effects

• Larger patches have more core habitat
• Round and square shapes have more core area than
  rectangles or irregular shapes of the same area.

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Edge changes

• Increased sunlight, temperature, wind,
  dessication and buffering
• Increased tree death and damage within 300 feet
  of forest edges.
• Increased new trees tree species within 300
  feet of edges

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Edge changes

• More edge species
• White-tail deer
• Raccoon
• Skunk
• Fewer interior species
• Wolves
• Fishers
• Red-shouldered hawk
• Neotropical songbirds

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• Snapshot of website

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Implementation Tools for forest planning

• County Forests
• Conservation Easements (including Working
  Forests)
• Purchase of Development Rights
• Forestry or Agricultural Zoning Districts
• County Stewardship Fund
• Outright (or fee simple) Purchase

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Forest Planning Exercise
15 20 minutes

• Form small groups
• Use the website on the laptops to answer the
  questions on your worksheet
• Discuss the questions with your group

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In summary

• Wisconsin forests are being parcelized
  fragmented
• Community forest plans can be used to protect and
  conserve key forest areas
• Community forest plans can preserve the concept
  of working forests
• A number of Wisconsin communities have taken
  steps to maintain local forests
• What about your community? See our website to get
  involved!

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What you can do

• Keep learning about what is happening with
  forests.
• Participate in planning processes in your
  community and state.
• Be creative. Try to take action in other ways
  you think would help Wisconsin forests.
• Log on to the Conference website at
  http//www.uwsp.edu/cnr/wcee/youthconference/ for
  ideas for more in depth learning about forest
  planning and what is happening in your community.
• Thank you for attending today