Public comment period opens for two interim forest management plans
MADISON — (RealEstateRama) — Interim plans guiding the management of forest resources on two state-owned properties are now available for review and comment through August 24, 2016. The interim plans will guide forest management on the properties until formal master plans are completed.
The Interim Forest Management Plans are important because they will allow timber taken off these lands to continue to be certified as sustainably managed, a “seal of approval” that gives the public confidence these properties are well managed. Such plans also will benefit sawmills and other companies using timber from those properties, according to Shelley Warwick, property planner with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Facilities and Lands in Madison.
The properties with interim forest management plans include the Fenley State Recreation Area Area in Grant County and the Tamarack Creek Wildlife Area in Trempealeau County.
“These interim plans are very important for forest certification, which in turn is very important for business,” Warwick says. “People want to know we are managing their lands well, and consumers increasingly prefer products from sustainably managed forests. A guaranteed stream of certified wood means sawmills and other forest products companies will have the competitive edge they need to do well in domestic and global markets.”
Forest certification is a process that assures consumers that timber (and products made from certified wood) has been grown and harvested in a way that meets strict environmental and social standards. The Wisconsin forest products industry is a $22.9 billion per year business that directly supports nearly 62,000 jobs.
A complete list of properties and the interim plans for these properties, as well as directions on how to submit comments, can be found online on the DNR websitednr.wi.gov by searching keyword “IFMP.”
People can fill out an electronic survey to submit comments, or can download the form and mail it in. Comments, either electronic or written, are due by 4:30 p.m. August 24, 2016.
Contact(s): Shelley Warwick, Property Planner, shelley.warwick (at) wisconsin (dot) gov or 608-266-2698
