Proposal would increase timber harvest on Brule River State Forest
BRULE, Wis. - An amendment to the Brule River State Forest master plan would adjust the annual allowable timber harvest limit to account for the acquisition of 6,505 acres to the forest since the master plan was approved in 2002, under a proposal by the Department of Natural Resources that is currently open for public comments.
In addition, an updated forest inventory that provided more accurate information on the forest resources found a nearly 2,000 acre backlog of forest management practices including pine plantation thinning, and the thinning of jack pine, aspen, birch, scrub oak, fir, spruce and northern hardwood forests needed to ensure regeneration of those forests.
The 47,000-acre Brule River State Forest is located in eastern Douglas County in northwestern Wisconsin. The forest contains all 44 miles of the Bois Brule River, one of the best known rivers east of the Mississippi and known for more than 100 years as an exceptional trout stream.
Management activities are omitted from the river valley and from other unique areas that make land management inappropriate for reasons such as aesthetics, erosion control, or threatened and endangered species habitat.
"The annual allowable harvest is an acreage amount of the forest that is scheduled to be managed to meet specific objectives," said Dave Schulz, Brule River State Forest superintendent. "Forest inventory data is collected for each stand within the state forest and the allowable harvest is calculated by thinning cycles or desired rotation ages for specific forest types and management objectives. For example, to maintain a healthy aspen forest on the Brule the average stand is typically regenerated through a harvest at 55 years old."
The current master plan set the annual allowable harvest level at 600 acres, which the proposed amendment would eliminate. The goal is to expedite harvest to eliminate the backlog and maintain a healthy sustainable forest and eventually reach an annual harvest of just under 1,000 acres annually on the existing and newer acquired properties. The department will accept public comments regarding the proposed amendment through Nov. 30, 2014.
"The amendment does not change the land management classifications, management areas or area objectives of the current master plan, it simply allows adjustments to the number of acres that can be managed in order to meet the plan objectives and ensure sustainable regeneration of forest resources," Schulz said.
Additional information, including the public involvement plan, draft plan amendment and associated background and analysis can be found on by searching the DNR website, dnr.wi.gov for keywords "Brule River" and then clicking on the tab for "management and business."