State Stewardship Fund purchase
includes 18,000 acres in Forest Country

More than 21,000 acres of new land across the state — including about 18,000 acres in Forest County — will be protected for public use through the state’s Stewardship Fund, Gov. Jim Doyle announced last week.

“These are incredible additions to public lands in Wisconsin that will now be preserved and enjoyed for generations to come,” Doyle said. “Our natural resources are one of the main reasons why people want to live, vacation and move here.”

At events around the state last Thursday, Doyle announced purchases in Waukesha, Wausau, Forest County, and Washburn and Douglas counties.

Since taking office, Doyle has protected more than 275,000 acres of land across Wisconsin through the Stewardship program and reauthorized the program through 2019. Since 1990, the Stewardship Fund has preserved more than 580,000 acres of public land.

Concerning the Forest County purchase, the state reached agreement with Wisconsin Timber Associates to secure state forest legacy easements on 18,438 acres of high-quality hemlock-hardwood forestland in Forest County.

Combined with adjoining national forests and county forestland, this easement contributes to several hundred thousand acres of intact forest containing Wisconsin’s two highest-ranked wild lakes (Wabikon and Riley) and headwaters to Green Bay on Lake Michigan.

“This purchase combines the best of environmental protection and economic development,” said Doyle. “The public will have access to more than 18,000 acres and the land will continue to be a working, sustainably managed forest that provides family-supporting jobs.”

The easement requires future sustainable management of an uneven-age forest, ideal for wildlife habitat benefits. All nature-based outdoor recreation activities are provided for the public under the easement terms.

The transaction is complemented by The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service National Forest System’s concurrent acquisition of the company’s land on Wabikon and Riley lakes for addition to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.