Annual Meeting

On Thursday, September 26, the WWOA Board of Directors will hold their quarterly meeting at the Hotel.

Thursday, we are offering two fun and interesting tours.
The first Thursday tour , you will drive to Wausau to tour the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s 49^th year of the Birds in Art exhibit. This juried annual art exhibit includes over 100 pieces of the very best contemporary artistic interpretations of birds and related subject matter including two- and three-dimensional artworks in all media other than crafts and photography. We will have lunch at Monk Botanical Gardensand then take a stroll through the gardens. This 30-acre property offers a diversity of garden types and seeks to promote understanding of the aesthetic, economic, and ecological role of plants. One of WWOA’s previous AmeriCorps members, Elise Schuler, is their program director.

The second tour called a Splash of Red Cranberrywill be held in Pittsville and be hosted by Pittsville High School students. Tour a cranberry marsh, see a harvesting demonstration, learn about testing and freezing of the cranberries followed by lunch including a cranberry dessert. After lunch visit the Pittsville Area Historical Society Museum complex where their motto is little buildings housing a lot of history. The complex has 7 buildings on their grounds, providing visitors an amazing variety of authentic, historically accurate exhibits and displays of Pittsville area past. Buildings include a museum, one room school house, a barn reproduction, farm shed with early tools and farming equipment and an historical PowWow ticket booth.

Thursday evening will host our Sharing Experiences session where selected members share their experiences with managing and caring for their woodlands.

• Local Impact: How to Get Involved Addressing Invasive Species with Ben Peterson of Aniwa — Ben will share his experiences volunteering with a local conservation group to address invasive species on his own property, locally, on the county level, and at a state park.
• Black Locust—Truly an Amazing Tree with Ken Kempfert of Belleville — Ken will share his amazement at the benefits and unique properties of this woodland species. Learn about the history of this species and why they call it the tree that “Saved the USA.”
• Storm clean up and beyond with Kurt & Jake Schuh of Amberg and Seymour — Drone footage of before and after tornado damage and the progression as the storm cleanup occurs. Learn what comes next in rejuvenation and plans for the coming years.

Friday, Sept 27

Here are the 4 tours offered on Friday.

Tour #1 – Heil Ginseng Enterprises & Mead Wildlife Area Tour with lunch – This tour is the only bus tour offered. Learn more about commercial ginseng production along with information about ginseng on private lands. We hope to tour Heil Ginseng Enterprises in Edgar, a commercial operation. The Heils have been growing ginseng for more than 30 years. Ginseng is an ancient medicinal root native to eastern North American. Wisconsin produces 95 percent of the nation’s ginseng, and Marathon County produces about 85 percent of that. Wisconsin ginseng is considered the best cultivated ginseng in the world by Asian buyers. Then the group will have lunch at the Mead Wildlife Area followed by a tour of multiple prescribed burn units to look at the benefits of burning and see their pond structure.

Tour #2 – Where have All the Flowers Gone? Recognizing Diversity & Change in Wisconsin’s Plant Life Tour with lunch.
Plant life in Wisconsin is complex, since our state is a convergence point for six regional floras with overlapping distribution and outstanding diversity. Woodland owners witness a variety of plants on their property as the floral landscape both remains constant and yet changes over time.

The purpose is to involve the woodland owner in recognizing and understanding the floristic elements—plants of all sizes and shapes—on their property. Participants will learn skills to locate interesting plant life, use tools, printed and online, to identify, collect, preserve and define flora, and be introduced to programs in Wisconsin aimed at locating and preserving endangered plant species. There will be several brief sessions, alternating between discussions, hands-on practice and actual field explorations at a regional park or preserve, over the course of the day.

The sessions will be led by:
Jessica Ross, a Conservation Biologist with the DNR’s Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation and a scientist involved in Wisconsin’s Rare Plant Monitoring Program and an expert on Wisconsin’s plant-life.
Dr. Michael Nee, a professional botanist and plant taxonomist, a woodland owner and WWOA member has for decades identified and studied plants worldwide, is an associate with the Wisconsin State Herbarium and an expert on flora of Wisconsin.
Mike Roy, a woodland owner, WWOA member and biologist, will organize, coordinate and facilitate this

Tour #3 – Tree Planting Extravaganza Tour with lunch. Spend the day at the DMC Tree Farm near Pittsville where hosts Dick & Mary Czaja along with the experts they have assembled will focus on all aspects of tree planting including soils, vegetation management, seedling selection and care, planting techniques and various equipment options. What should you consider before ordering seedlings, how to care for the seedlings once you pick them up from the nursery, and what are your options for getting them in the ground and off to a good start? The Czajas were recognized as the 2016 Wisconsin Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year by the Wisconsin Tree Farm Program. They purchased this 38-acre woodland in 1992. Since then, they spend almost every day in the woods doing the management work with the help of family and friends. The Czajas, WDNR & NRCS staff along with Brian Borreson will share their experiences and expertise to help you be successful at tree planting. Help your seedlings get off to a good start!

Tour #4 – G & D Wood Products & Auburndale School Forest Tour with lunch. Tour G & D Wood Products to learn more about their custom hardwood molding shop specializing in architectural window lite molding, applied moldings and louvers. Stop at Pizza Ranch for their lunch buffet. Then it is onto the Auburndale School Forest for a walking tour and interaction with students and a presentation on maple syrup.

Saturday, September 28, starts bright and early with the opening of the exhibit hall with (of course) exhibits, silent auction, fundraising and basket raffle tickets, and coffee. Don’t forget to pre-register for your Sunday field stations too.

After a short welcome, Keynote speaker, Dan Blake, co-founder and partner of Forest Data Network will present Timber Trends: How are stumpage prices reacting to volatile Great Lakes markets? The Keynote will cover Wisconsin’s current timber markets and trends, based on recent harvest data provided by Forest Data Network, a price index service. He will present a look at how recent timber pricing has responded to an era that has included macro, geographic, economic, and other changes, including some wood market innovations under consideration that could impact markets.

WWOA’s 45th Year Annual Business Meeting will be chaired by President Don Hoffman.  It will highlight WWOA’s achievements for 2023-24 and some of our goals for 2024-25. We will recognize retiring WWOA Board members and present Memorial plaques to families that have chosen to donate to WWOA in their loved one’s name.

Saturday evening’s Awards Banquet kicks off with a cash bar, delicious dinner, and time to discuss the day’s presentations with friends.  After dinner, tickets will be drawn for the Annual Fundraiser prizes and the Chapter Basket Raffle. Then help us recognize the WWOA’s Forestry Leader Scholarship recipient, Wisconsin Tree Farm Committee award winners, and fellow WWOA members (submit your nomination) who have given so much of their time and energy to WWOA and our mission.