Wisconsin private landowners care for over 10 million acres of woodlands that are critical to protecting watersheds across the state. Do you know what watershed your land is in? If not, SEE HERE. A watershed is an area of land that drains rainfall to a common outlet. In Wisconsin, the common outlet we all share […]
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Windbreaks – Agroforestry for any property
I regularly talk with foresters, farmers and woodland owners who have not thought twice about agroforestry. I get it. Some people have never heard of it, and others think I’m talking about putting cows in the woods. However, agroforestry consists of five very different primary practices (outlined here) that are applicable to to a variety […]
Make sure your planted trees survive and thrive
If you haven’t yet, check out the first two parts of this tree planting series here and here. I returned to Julie’s property some weeks after they had completed their tree planting to see how things looked. Julie greeted me with a smile as she proudly led me through their brand-new forest. And she had […]
Tree planting – It’s all in the details
A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a landowner named Julie about some tree planting her family was planning for this spring. We talked about making a plan for where and how to plant the trees they purchased (see that conversation here) and reaching out to her local DNR forester for some advice. […]
Do I really need a plan for where and how I plant my trees?
I was talking with a landowner (Julie) recently about the tree planting her and her family were doing this spring, and she seemed a bit apprehensive about the whole thing. It turns out they have planted a few trees here and there in the past, but nothing compared to the scale they had in mind […]
Myths surrounding the Managed Forest Law Program
I have talked with many woodland owners about the financial programs available to them, and I learned that there are many misconceptions surrounding the DNR Forestry’s Managed Forest Law (MFL) Program. There is so much fear and misinformation surrounding MFL that, at times, I feel like I am defending it rather than touting its benefits. […]
Thinking back and looking forward
December tends to be a time for reflection for me. It is a time of cold weather, hot tea, and sitting in my favorite chair thinking about the past year. This year I have been reflecting on what I have accomplished and trying to not compare that list to “before 2020”. This year I didn’t […]
Leaving wood for wildlife
If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is there to see it, does it make a mess? On a recent trip to my in-laws, I took a walk with my dog in their woodlot. It was a crisp fall day and the wind whistled through the open under-story. Most of the leaves had […]
A woodland owner’s journey through the bureaucracy
‘Conservation is seldom convenient’ – Randy Newberg I often think about this quote when talking with landowners looking for help with their woods. Whether help is answering a question about a tree, putting together a Forest Management Plan, or executing that plan, there are many different people, programs, and sources of information to consider. In extension forestry, our first recommendation is usually […]