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WI NRCS Forest Wildlife Specialist Private Lands Program (Wisconsin)

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Agreement Narrative: WI NRCS Forest Wildlife Specialist Private Lands Program

Primary Funder: Natural Resources Conservation Service 

Location: Northern, Central, and Driftless Forest Priority Regions of WI 

Innovation: With 58% of forest lands in Wisconsin being privately owned, engaging private non-industrial forest landowners in active management as part of a broad conservation strategy is an absolute necessity. Gathered across ownerships in Wisconsin, Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) data shows that over the past 40 years, the largest loss of young forest habitat in aspen, oak, and hardwood forests inhabited by ruffed grouse and American woodcock has happened on privately held forest lands. Forests on private lands are simply aging faster than public lands and we simply won’t make headway towards measurable habitat conservation goals without incorporating private lands habitat work into RGS & AWS’s conservation strategy. 

Identifying this need for targeted efforts on private lands, RGS & AWS have employed private lands Forest Wildlife Specialists (FWS) in Wisconsin since 2016. These FWS’s work directly with private non-industrial forest landowners, consulting foresters, logging professionals, WI Department of Natural Resources professionals, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to primarily provide technical expertise, plan forestry/wildlife habitat management activities, and provide funding assistance to complete projects. RGS & AWS started with our first FWS in northwestern WI, expanding our mission to a second position that covers northeast WI in 2018 (both territories covering the northern ruffed grouse priority region identified in WI Ruffed Grouse Management Plan). A third position was added in 2022 in Trempealeau County to cover portions of the Driftless and Central Forest Priority Regions. 

The purpose of this agreement is to increase the number and quality of NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) applications, with a focus on projects that better meet the needs of forest wildlife and the forest products industry. In addition, staff facilitate the drafting of CSP, Managed Forest Law (MFL), and Forest Stewardship management plans for private landowners. Other duties include conducting outreach with private landowners, acting as technical resources for NRCS, WI DNR, and other partner organization staff. 

Impact: Program deliverable targets are open ended but founded in a mutual interest in accelerating implementation of USDA- NRCS Farm Bill Conservation Programs. As such, the following have been completed to date: 

Completed To-Date (1/1/18 to 1/1/24): 

  • FWS team has contacted over 3,030 landowners  

  • contributed to over 126 outreach deliverables (including: workshops, trainings, conferences, conventions, banquets, podcasts, online content, and magazine/newspaper articles) 

  • helped allocate over $3.568 million in federal funding towards 7,031 acres of forestry and wildlife projects 

  • enrolled over 7,502 acres of forest land into long-term stewardship planning programs 

  • completed 5,580 acres of forestry and wildlife habitat projects across WI 

  • This has included patch cutting, timber marking, prescribed burning, invasive species control, oak restoration, tree planting, pollinator planting, and alder shearing among other projects. 

 

Partners: Primarily partnering with USDA- NRCS. WIDNR is also loosely a partner. No funding is being provided by DNR. 

Special Notes: 

NRCS Project Highlight: Lincoln County, WI landowner – Jacob Armstrong – by Stefan Nelson 

Jacob Armstrong is a landowner in Lincoln County, WI owning about 64 ac. of which 53 ac. is wooded and 9 ac. is open/ fallow /a utility line. Working with Stefan Nelson, he applied for and was awarded a contract through the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to provide financial assistance for several projects across the property. In spring of 2023, he had 14 ac. of hardwoods marked for thinning and five 0.5-ac. areas marked for patch clearcuts. These areas were harvested in mid-summer 2023 while it was especially dry with good ground conditions. While the loggers were on site they also coppice harvested 3.6 ac. aspen stand which likely would not have been attractive enough for a logger to harvest in winter. Throughout summer and fall 2023 he also completed his first of three years of treatment of a severe invasive bush honeysuckle infestation via a mix of mechanical and chemical treatment on 40 ac., which was done by foliar spraying, cut-stump spraying, and forestry mulching/mowing. Lastly, he performed site preparation by mowing and broadcast spraying on 3.4 ac. which he plans to plant trees and shrubs in during spring 2024. The combination of projects Mr. Armstrong has done are anticipated to greatly improve the habitat value to grouse, deer, and a variety of other wildlife. See below for some photos of completed activities. 

View of a forestry-mulched area as a part of the 40 ac. treatment of dense invasive honeysuckle infestation. This area was followed up by foliar spraying resprouts.
View of dead and dying cut-stump sprayed honeysuckle plants with yellowing and brown leaves.
View of one of the completed 0.5-ac. patch clearcuts.
View of the completed 3.6-ac. aspen coppice area.
Partial view of 3.4-ac. area site prepped prior to tree planting. A mix of jack pine, red pine, bur oak, and beaked hazelnut will be planted throughout this 3.4-ac area for cover and a hard mast source for grouse, deer, and other wildlife.

Older Project Highlights: 

CSP Project 2023 

This CSP project was felling 1 acre of aspen that had been skipped in the commercial logging 2 years previous.  At the time when the logging contractor was there, the aspen market was low and was not worth selling. The landowner coppiced the entire acre as part of his CSP and was able to use the 666k enhancement for patch opening for structural diversity.     

CSP Project 2023 (2) 

This CSP project was to help diversify the stand structure and increase wildlife holding compacity.  The landowner had stopped a timber harvest 20 years previous because of high grading.  Due to his distrust of loggers, he never pursued a harvest again.  The stand was primarily oak, but several over mature aspen clones were located throughout.  For the CSP he chose to do 2 acres of patch clear cuts to help diversify the age structure and provide dense cover for wildlife. The project was labeled an aspen coppice with oak reserves.  There were several quality white oaks in the footprint of the project and those were left to provide mast 

EQIP Project 2023 

This EQIP project involved cutting and stump treating all boxelder and buckthorn in advance of an oak clear cut.  The clear cut had a 20.5 acre foot print and was located on the top of a bluff in full sun.  Removing and treating all the buckthorn, boxelder and other non-commercial trees will allow for the best opportunity for oak regen to get above the invasives. 

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