Wisconsin’s Greenfire: Voices for Conservation
During the last century, following the devastation of “The Great Cutover,” Wisconsin became a national leader in forest conservation. Forests now cover over half the land in Wisconsin (over 17.5 million acres). But, we cannot take our forests for granted. Our forests and forest-based economy are already changing in the face of the ongoing threats and risks facing our forests today. It is time to renew our leadership and plan for the next century of forest conservation, and Wisconsin’s Greenfire wants you to be a part of those conversations.
The newest paper in Wisconsin’s Greenfire ‘Opportunities Now’ series, “Wisconsin’s Forests at Risk: Engaging Wisconsinites in Another Century of Forest Conservation”, addresses the threats that our forests are facing today. These threats affect our forests’ productivity and prevent them from serving as much-needed sources of clean air, clean water, wildlife, and the many other values that forests have long provided. Their paper represents the collective efforts of a team of experts. Contributors to the paper are forest and conservation professionals from diverse backgrounds who all brought unique perspectives forth for this effort. Reviewers from many additional organizations and sectors helped strengthen the paper even more.
This science-based report, aims to inform all who care about the futures of our forests and spark public conversations to address these key challenges:
- declines in forest productivity and forest health
- changes in the economics of forest management
- changes in forest ownership and owner objectives
Together, these trends will threaten our forests as well as the forest-based economy and the many benefits of forests and forest recreation enjoyed by all forest users.
The goal of Wisconsin’s Greenfire is to help spark a statewide conversation about forests and their future in Wisconsin. They believe the entire forest community needs to be at the table to help address the issues that we all face together.
One upcoming opportunity to partner with them and make progress on a second century of forest conservation in Wisconsin is the Webinar that they are hosting on January 15, 2025 from 12:00-1:00pm CT.
If you would like to get involved, you can contact Wisconsin’s Greenfire at info@wigreenfire.org with any questions, comments, or ideas for the future of forest conservation in Wisconsin.