Today, the Governor’s office announced that he had signed AB 909 (now Act 230) with changes to the Managed Forest Law program.  Act 230, makes a number of changes to the Managed Forest Land (MFL) program, including modifying the 20-acre eligibility threshold by allowing two noncontiguous 10-acre parcels to qualify for enrollment into the program, creating an exception to the prohibition on buildings and improvements on MFL parcels, and requiring the DNR to promulgate separate rules specifically for property owners with more than 1,000 acres enrolled in the MFL program.  The WI Legislative Council’s Amendment memo describes the change made to the bill before passage.

The WWOA Board of Directors has submitted testimony for the Assembly Committee on Forestry on Forestry, Parks and Outdoor Recreation Public Hearing on February 2, 2022 regarding Assembly Bill 909 on proposed changes to the Managed Forest Law program.

Read the WWOA Board’s testimony HERE.

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WI DNR notes 2021 Wisconsin Act 230 Makes Changes To Managed Forest Law Program

The legal requirements of the Managed Forest Law program have changed, allowing additional flexibilities to landowners and clarifying the administration of the program by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Governor Evers signed 2021 Wisconsin Act 230 into law on April 8, 2022, putting the following changes to chapter 77, Wis. Stats. into effect:

The 20-acre minimum enrollment requirement may now be comprised of two 10-acre portions that are not contiguous to each other if they are on a tract of land under the same ownership*
Buildings and improvements on Managed Forest Law property are allowed if used exclusively for storage*
Additions to existing parcels of any size are allowed if certain eligibility requirements are met*
Leasing on Managed Forest Law land is clearly allowed
Voluntary withdrawal from the Managed Forest Law program is exempt from tax or fee for a public purpose to a city, village or town that is the taxing jurisdiction
*Changes effective as of April 16, 2016

The act also clarifies:

The instances when the DNR is or is not required to assess a withdrawal tax and fee
The DNR’s authority to provide flexibility for large ownerships (1,000 acres or more) of Managed Forest Law land, allowing for alternative management plan requirements
What constitutes a material change to the terms of the order
Read the updated statute, chapter 77, Wis. Stats., on the Wisconsin Legislature’s website.

The WWOA Board of Directors held a special Board meeting on January 12, 2022 to respond to the proposed WI DNR Forest Tax Law Handbook changes.

WWOA’s response to the proposed changes can be read HERE.

Madison, WI – April 7, 2021:

Governor Tony Evers proclaims Arbor Day April 30th and Forest Appreciation Week 22nd – 30th in Wisconsin.  Arbor Day has been celebrated by our state’s school kids since 1883, and is officially observed in Wisconsin on the last Friday in April. Forest Appreciation Week is a time to acknowledge our state’s trees and forests for their importance to our economy, environment, public health, and collective identity as Wisconsinites. On Arbor Day and during Forest Appreciation Week, the state of Wisconsin encourages all Wisconsinites to spend time outdoors, plant and care for trees, and show their gratitude towards the professionals who dedicate their time to caring for our state’s trees and forests. You can view the proclamation here. The DNR has some great ideas on how to celebrate Arbor Day and to learn more about Wisconsin Forests.

The Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is reminding all Wisconsinites the annual Spring Hearings begin online at 7 p.m. on April 12 and will remain open for 3 days (72 hours) ONLY!

All questions are available to preview here – you do not have to answer every question, you can answer the questions that impact you.

This year there are 23 proposed rule changes related to fisheries and 5 proposed rule changes related to wildlife management. There are also advisory questions from Fisheries, the Natural Resources Board, and the Wisconsin Conservation Congress.

The Wisconsin Conservation Congress advisory questions include a variety of natural resource items such as #19 regarding the enforcement of trespass issues,  #4 regarding the establish perennial vegetative buffers along rivers, streams, and ditches, or #7 & 8 requiring in-person ATV/UTV and hunter safety classes.

Wisconsinites were able to recommend changes to natural resource issues by submitting citizen resolutions online by 5 p.m. on April 5. Those who complete the online input form (April 12-15) will be able to view the resolutions submitted by individuals indicating they reside in that county.

“We look forward to hearing from the public on a wide variety of natural resource issues,” said Tony Blattler, chair of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress. “We are pleased that we can adjust to the current situation and protect the health of our communities while continuing to provide an opportunity for the public to weigh in.”

PESHTIGO, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirms emerald ash borer in the Town of Peshtigo in Marinette County. This latest confirmation is in addition to the Town of Abrams and City of Oconto Falls in Oconto County.

Previously, both counties positively identified emerald ash borer (EAB), with additional locations in the Towns of Goodman, Niagara and Wagner in Marinette County, and the Towns of Little Suamico and Morgan in Oconto County. The DNR’s Forest Health Specialists estimated that EAB has been present at the new locations for at least 3-4 years.

EAB kills all varieties of ash trees (white ash, green ash and black ash) but is not known to affect any other Wisconsin tree species. More than 99% of Wisconsin’s ash trees are expected to die. Once infested, ash trees generally die in 4-6 years. Due to a local high water table, sustained flooding and record rainfall in 2019, many ash trees in swamps have already been stressed or killed.

Woodpecker damage, thinning of the tree crown from the top, one-eighth inch D-shaped exit holes and branches sprouting low on the trunk could be signs of EAB infestation.

More information on EAB can be found here. For questions about residential trees, landowners are encouraged to check out the University of Wisconsin EAB page for info and management suggestions.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirms a wild deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the Town of Germania in southwestern Shawano County, within 10 miles of Waupaca County. As required by state law, the DNR will renew the baiting and feeding bans in Shawano and Waupaca counties.

The CWD-positive deer was an adult doe harvested during the 2020 gun deer season and was tested as part of the department’s disease surveillance efforts. This is the first wild deer detection in Shawano County.

State law requires that the DNR enact a ban on the baiting and feeding of deer in counties or portions of counties within a 10-mile radius of a wild or farm-raised deer that tests positive for CWD. Baiting and feeding were already banned in Shawano County due to a prior CWD positive detection in a farm-raised facility in 2017.

The DNR will continue surveillance near the CWD positive detection location. Collecting CWD samples is essential for assessing where and to what extent CWD occurs in deer across the state.

As ever, successful CWD management depends in part on citizen involvement in the decision-making process through local County Deer Advisory Councils (CDAC).

The upcoming Shawano County CDAC meeting to discuss deer population objectives will be extended to include the new CWD information. The meeting will be held virtually via Zoom on Jan. 19 at 7 p.m., with the CWD portion of the agenda beginning at approximately 7:45 p.m. The public is invited to attend. Additional details regarding the Shawano County CDAC is available here. (Select Shawano from the drop-down menu.) Preregistration is not required.

CWD is a fatal, infectious nervous system disease of deer, moose, elk and reindeer/caribou. It belongs to the family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases. CWD occurs only in members of the cervid or deer family – both wild and captive. The Wisconsin DNR began monitoring the state’s wild white-tailed deer population for CWD in 1999. The first positives were found in 2002.

More information regarding baiting and feeding regulations and CWD in Wisconsin is available here. Information on how to have deer tested during the 2020-21 hunting seasons is available here.