Giant tree drop is a gift to High Falls Flowage
| PESHTIGO - An unfortunate infection of oak trees was turned into something positive when a utility and several area business owners joined a fisheries biologist to create fabulous shoreline habitat for fish and wildlife. The project, on the High Falls Flowage, involved a large-scale "tree drop" along Peshtigo River State Forest property on the north shore of the cove leading to Popp's Resort on County X in the Town of Stephenson in Marinette County. The work was completed in February and March when the icy cap on the flowage allowed precise placement of the 41 oak trees, donated to the Department of Natural Resources by Frank's Logging of Peshtigo. The trees, removed from Wisconsin Public Service property adjacent to the flowage, had a commercial value of about $600. Franks Logging had been contracted by WPS to log all oak trees off a tract of land because most were infected by oak wilt, a tree-killing disease that spreads through root systems. Dead trees are of little value as aquatic habitat, in part because dead wood floats. But some of the trees were living and provided the solid green hardwood that works well for near shore habitat. Ken Mervyn, of PM Concrete in Laona, and Leon Popp, of Popp's Resort, joined DNR staff and a crew from WPS in placing the trees in 18 clusters off the north shore of the picturesque cove. This shoreline is ideal, said DNR fisheries biologist Chip Long, because it is protected from potential ice shoves and is close to where the trees were being removed. All of the trees will be anchored to the substrate to prevent them from drifting away into open water. Woody debris in the form of tree drops create great shoreline habitat for fish and wildlife. It occurs naturally when shoreline trees fall into water bodies but is often lacking in northern Wisconsin lakes due to changes in land management or because shoreline trees have been removed as part of residential development. Adding woody debris benefits a multitude of fish species by providing refuge, foraging and spawning habitat. Submerged tree tops also provide a substrate for algal growth which is an important food source for aquatic invertebrates which in turn are food for small, juvenile fish. "This is just one example of a public-private partnerships that allows the DNR to complete an important habitat project without taxpayers getting the bill," Long said. The High Falls Flowage, one of six flowages along the 136-mile Peshtigo River, is home to a diverse fishery of bass, panfish, northern pike and muskie and is well stocked with walleye. |
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