Forest Stewardship Plan
Effective plan date: June 1, 2002
Forestry is the art and science of
managing forest lands and their
related resources, including trees
and other plants, animals, soil,
water, and air. This management
is based on the goals identified by
the property’s owner(s).
Your forestland can be many
things to you, including a source of
personal enjoyment, an
investment, and/or a legacy for
future generations. Having and
following a management plan is
the first step toward meeting your
objectives for your land.
The following pages include
descriptions of related vegetative
or physical areas called “stands.”
Recommended forestry practices
are listed. Landowners are
encouraged to actively complete
the practices recommended.
Prepared for:
Sam and Sally Sportsman
N2756 Maple Lane
Pine Junction, WI 50212
County: Forest
Town Name: Cedar Creek
Legal Description: Section 10 Township 31N
Range 14E
Total Plan Acreage: 60
Attached maps show the location of stewardship
forestlands.
Landowner Objectives:
The landowners have identified the following objectives
for their property:
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Improve the forest’s health
Provide periodic income
Establish white pine under the hardwood trees
Regenerate aspen to maintain wildlife habitat
Minimize the visual impact of harvest operation
through modified silvicultural practices and
intensive slash management
Protect and enhance Cedar Creek
Improve and extend the trail network on the
property for recreational use and future
thinning/harvesting operations
Maintain the large white pine as long as possible
for aesthetic reasons.
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Stand #1
Acreage: 24 acres
General Description: This stand has a high density of pole-sized (5-11
inch dbh) northern hardwoods and a low density of small sawlog (11-15
inch dbh) northern hardwoods. Maple is a major species. This stand was
thinned five years ago by salvaging the dying white birch, removing the
mature aspen and thinning the mixed hardwood areas. There are now
some areas of dense aspen saplings. The soil is a rolling sandy loam and
silt loam. There are scattered large white pine trees and a few white pine
saplings less than 15 feet tall.
Objective: Maintain this area for long-lived, healthy trees for periodic
income from the timber. Aesthetic considerations during a harvest are
important along the trail and near the house. It is desired to keep the area
near the house in an open, park-like condition but with a visual screening
between the house and Maple Lane.
Recommended Practices: Thin by the years 2006 and 2020.
To maintain the growth and health of the residual trees, it will be
necessary to do a selective removal of trees that are competing with the
desirable trees in 2006 and again by 2020. The selective thinning will
yield sufficient board feet and cordage to be a commercial harvest. The
best quality trees should be retained to grow to a larger size. Trees with
poor form or obvious defects should be marked for removal. Where an
oak seedling or sapling exists, it should be released from competing trees.
This will improve the vigor of the oaks resulting in an increased growth
rate and acorn production for many wildlife species.
Near the house, the thinning should remove fewer trees to keep a dense
tree canopy so that ground plants will be shaded out or remain small.
Between the house and Maple Lane a greater number of trees should be
removed so that a dense understory of trees and shrubs develop for a sight
and sound buffer zone. Shade tolerant trees such as hemlock could be
planted to enhance the buffer zone.
The thinnings should reduce the Basal Area down to 85 ft2/ac (or crown
closure to about 70 percent). During the first thinning, an attempt should
be made to regenerate white pine. All scattered large white pine should be
retained, even if defective, to provide a seed source. Since white pine can
regenerate under partial shade, the residual stocking level should allow
sufficient light to reach the forest floor to stimulate pine regeneration.
Mineral soil should be exposed around these pines where practical and
where residual damage to the hardwoods can be minimized.
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Stand #2
Acreage: 10 acres
General Description: This stand is a red pine plantation that was planted
in 1980. There is a high density of pole-sized trees that have shaded out
the grass and other understory plants, so the cover for wildlife is declining.
The soils are sandy.
Objective: The owners wish to maintain the plantation in a healthy
condition to provide red pine sawlogs, a variety of cover, and visual
enjoyment of the property.
Recommended Practices: Thin by the years 2004, 2014, and 2024.
The first thinning should remove every third row and selectively remove
trees in the other two rows with poor form (crooked or forked boles). The
rows to be removed could be staggered so that a clear line of sight is not
present from the road. Future thinnings should selectively reduce Basal
area according to recommendations (i.e. to 120 ft2/ac when the stand
diameter averages 9-15” and to 140 ft2/ac for stands averaging more than
15” in diameter).
Following the first thinning, up to 100 trees per acre could be pruned up to
a maximum of half the tree’s height (not to exceed 17 feet). Cost-share
funds may be available for the pruning of the lower limbs and the thinning
if it is not a commercial operation. Thinning would increase the amount
of sunlight reaching the ground and stimulate the natural regeneration of
hardwood trees, including ash, maple, and oak. This method will also
increase the ground vegetation as the regeneration develops, providing
additional browse and cover.
Stand #3
Acreage: 10 acres
General Description: This stand is an area of low ground with a mixture
of pole-sized black ash, soft maple, cedar, hemlock, and scattered white
pine. The soil type is muck over sandy loam. It is a wet site with several
springs that drain into Cedar Creek.
Objective: The objective is for wildlife cover and to protect the water
quality.
Recommended Practices: A light selective thinning should be completed
by 2004 and again by 2017.
The trees to favor would be the longer-lived species such as cedar,
hemlock, pine, oak, and maple. Trees to remove would include aspen,
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white birch, and defective black ash. Thinning around the evergreen trees
will result in denser foliage, improving the thermal cover for wildlife in
the winter. Due to the wet site and low quality of volume of trees to be
removed, this will likely be a non-commercial activity. Cost-share funds
may be available to accomplish this.
To maintain the water quality, any equipment operation should be limited
to when the soil is frozen. The non-commercial trees that are removed
could be piled to create a variety of ground cover.
To improve the quality and amount of habitat for fish in the creek, the
recommended practice is to narrow and deepen the moving water. This
can be done in several ways, including rock placement or by using what
are called “brush bundles.” The brush bundles are constructed by cutting
the brush along the stream and piling it criss-cross on the bank. As the
stream floods, sediment will collect on the brush bundles. Grasses
naturally seed in on the bundles and narrow the streambed, resulting in
deeper and faster water. A more specific description of this practice is
available from the local Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) fish biologist.
Stand #4
Acreage: 10 acres
General Description: This is a mature, highly stocked, pole timber (5-11
inch diameter, aspen stand. The trees in this stand are 55 years old on a
sandy mixed soil type.
Objective: The owners wish to grow aspen using even-aged management
with a clearcut harvest at economic maturity. This will encourage new
aspen suckering (sprouting) from the well-established root system. The
purpose for this objective is to improve the diversity of habitat for
whitetail deer and ruffed grouse.
Recommended Practices: A partial regeneration harvest (clearcut) of
this stand should be conducted by 2004 and the balance cut in 2014.
Cut all trees 2 inches and diameter and larger, leaving any oak or pine
trees. The area should be harvested in two portions so a diversity of age
will develop and to reduce temporary negative aesthetic impacts following
the harvest. Area 4a should be clearcut first and 4b regenerated in the
second cutting. By the time of the second harvest, the quality and volume
of aspen will be diminished, but the stand should still be able to
successfully regenerate via root suckering. Future management will be to
grow recurring crops of aspen trees, with associated wildlife benefits.
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Stand #5
Acreage: 6 acres
General Description: This is an open field. The former hay field is a
mixture of vegetation, generally foxtail and quack grass and other highground broadleaf weeds.
Objective: The owners’ objective is to utilize this field for wildlife
habitat and tree growth for future generations.
Recommended Practices: Any combination of the following
recommendations may be used.
• Plant areas of prairie grasses and/or wildflowers
• Mow small patches and trails leaving the rest in natural grasses
• Construct and set out a variety of bird houses
• Plant scattered clumps of evergreens for cover and nesting sites
• Plant some of the area into a mixture of hardwood and/or conifer
trees
Summary of
Recommended
Practices
Wildlife
Recommendations
2004
Thin stand #2, selectively thin stand #3, and clearcut stand
#4a. Because these are small harvests, they should be
combined and advertised as one timber sale. By combining
these separate activities into one timber sale, the landowner
would attract more interest from loggers. Again, Best
Management Practices for Water Quality should be
implemented.
2006
2014
2017
2020
2024
Thin stand #1.
Thin stand #2, and clearcut stand #4b.
Thin stand #3
Thin stand #1
Thin stand #2
When the harvest of an area is completed, the skidding trails and roads
could be seeded with a mixture of Kentucky bluegrass and white
Dutch clover. Rabbits will inhabit these areas of dense cover and
clover. Deer and grouse will also feed on the clover. Where there are
rabbits and grouse populations, fox and owls will follow. To
discourage the beaver, the aspen near the creek should not be
regenerated. By selectively thinning Stand #3, the aspen will not grow
back due to the lack of full sunlight.
Two to four dead snags and den type trees per acre should be left
throughout the woodland for use by wildlife. Existing log-sized
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woody debris on the ground could be retained for wildlife to use as
nesting, shelter, food storage, drumming, sunning, and preening sites.
Small diameter woody debris could be constructed into brush piles for
use as shelter by wildlife, after periodic harvests.
The dense brush areas provide excellent escape cover for many
wildlife species, including deer and grouse. As the alder and willow
brush mature, it would be desirable to cut them before they die. The
root systems will sprout and again create a dense cover area.
Trails System
An overall objective of the owners is to extend the trail network
throughout the property. The approximate recommended locations are
shown on the map.
These are general rather than exact locations. All trail construction
and location should follow the Best Management Practices for Water
Quality field manual as published by the DNR. If the Cedar Creek is
to be crossed, a simple alternative to a permanent culvert may be a
stone ford.
Threatened or
Endangered
Species
To my knowledge there are no threatened or endangered species
present and no species have been reported or are on record with the
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. If at any time such
species are noted, high priority should be given to their protection and
benefit.
In 1992, a bald eagle nesting site was recorded with the DNR as being
located ½ mile to the north and east of the property. It would be
desirable to retain several large white pine trees as possible nesting
sites. It is recommended that no harvesting take place within ¼ mile
of an eagle’s nest. Bald Eagle management guidelines are available
from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
During my inspection of the property no archeological, cultural, or
historical sites were noticed.
Name, address, and telephone number of the preparer of this plan:
Art Forester, ACF Consulting Forester
N5129 Walnut Rd.
Northwoods, WI 51621
(715) 555-1234
artforester@northwoods.net
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The owner agrees to this forest stewardship plan. The landowner further agrees to
proceed diligently to accomplish his/her stated objectives.
To be signed by the President and Secretary of a corporation or by the individual
landowners (or legal agent, if any) as listed on the deed or other instrument of title.
5/25/02
Signature of landowner
Date
Signature of landowner
5/25/02
Date
5/24/02
Signature of forester preparing plan
Date
5/29/02
Signature of DNR forester
Date
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