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DOUGLAS COUNTY FOREST COMPREHENSIVE LAND-USE PLAN 2006-2020 CHAPTER 100 Background Section Page 100 Mission 101 Forest 105 Goal of the Comprehensive Land-Use 110 Objective 115 Statutory 120 County 120.1 Ordinances 125 History.... 125.1 Statewide History and Development 125.2 History and Development of the County Forest 125.3 History and Development of the Douglas County 125.4 Wisconsin County Forests Association 130 Description of 130.1 Natural 130.1.1 130.1.2 130.1.3 Geology and 130.1.4 Biological 130.1.5 Vegetative Cover Types 130.1.6 130.1.7 Rare and Endangered 130.1.8 Water 130.2 Cultural 130.2.1 Recreation 130.2.2 Economy 130.2.3 Roads and Access 130.2.4 Education and 130.2.5 Issues and Trends 100 - 1 100 - 1 100 - 3 100 - 3 100 - 3 100 - 3 100 - 4 100 - 4 100 - 4 100 - 5 100 - 5 100 - 5 100 - 6 100 - 6 100 - 6 100 - 6 100 - 7 100 - 8 100 - 9 100 - 9 100 - 11 100 - 11 100 - 11 100 - 11 100 - 12 100 - 13 100 - 13 100 - 13 ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 100 BACKGROUND 100 MISSION STATEMENT The primary responsibility of the Douglas County Forestry Department is to, on behalf of Douglas County residents, provide stewardship to forest resources, develop and maintain recreational opportunities, and serve as an informational resource to the public. County Forest resources should be protected from natural catastrophes such as fire, insect and disease outbreaks, and human threats such as encroachment, over-utilization, environmental degradation, and excessive development. Although managed for environmental needs such as the protection of watersheds and rare plant and animal communities and the maintenance of plant and animal diversity, these same resources also must provide for societal needs, including recreational opportunities and production of raw materials for wood-using industries. Management must balance local needs with broader state, national, and global concerns by integrating sound forestry, practices related to, wildlife, fisheries, endangered resources, water quality, soil, and recreation. 101 FOREST CERTIFICATION Three major land-management programs administered by the WDNR are verified under third-party forest certification programs. They include: state forests, county forests, and private forests. Independent, third-party certification means that management of forests meets strict standards for ecological, social, and economic sustainability. Publishers, building contractors, and other manufacturers are expanding their use of certified wood to assure customers that their products are not tainted by timber theft or the destructive timber cutting practices that plague some parts of the world. Forest certification helps land owners remain competitive in global markets that increasingly demand certified raw materials. There are nearly 16.1 million acres of forest land in Wisconsin. Of that total, about 4.8 million acres are under some form of third-party certification. In state forests, about 500,000 acres are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Within county forests, about 900,000 acres are certified by the FSC and SFI, 1.26 million acres are certified by the SFI only, and about 160,000 acres are certified by the FSC only. Two million acres of private forest land in Wisconsin are certified by the Tree Farm Group through participation in the State’s Managed Forest Law program. About 30 percent of Wisconsin’s forest land is third-party certified. This acreage is a significant source of certified raw material available to the State’s forest industries. To date, certification has created market opportunities for these industries, but it has yet to result in consistent increases in revenue. ---PAGE BREAK--- COMPREHENSIVE LAND-USE PLAN 2006-2020 On January 18, 2005, the Douglas County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution adopting the Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) as the third-party certification system under which the Douglas County Forest will be certified. The Forest provides a vital contribution to the State and the world by providing economic, environmental and social benefits important to the human quality of life. County officials believe that accomplishing such sustainable forestry requires a commitment and partnership from all of the groups and individuals benefiting from the Douglas County Forest. These certification standards fit within the framework of the County Forest Law program 28.11 Wis. Stats.). Douglas County’s Commitment Within the scope of the Wisconsin County Forest Law and the Douglas County Forest Comprehensive Land-Use Plan 2006-2020, the County will implement forestry practices that promote forest sustainability and multiple use of the Forest. Management will include the sustainable harvest of forest products, protection of special sites, wildlife, plants, water quality, and aesthetic values. The County is committed to: Sustainable Forestry Principles – Practicing sustainable forestry to meet the current needs of society without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their anticipated needs. The County will integrate reforestation practices and the growing and harvesting of trees for forest products with those related to air and water quality, soil, ecosystem diversity, wildlife, recreation and aesthetics. Responsible Practices – Adopting practices that are economically, environmentally, and socially responsible in managing of the Douglas County Forest and encourage other forest owners to do the same. Forest Health and Productivity – Cooperate with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and other agencies in protecting the Forest from insect pests, diseases, wildfire, and other damaging agents long-term productivity and health of the forest resource. Unique Sites – Manage areas of special biological, geographical, cultural, or historical significance in such a way as to preserve their unique qualities. Legal Compliance – Comply with applicable local, State, and Federal laws and regulations in the management of the Douglas County Forest. Monitoring and Continuous Improvement – Continually seek to improve the management of the Douglas County Forest and monitor, assess, and report performance in keeping with the overall objective of sustainable forestry. Research – Support research efforts to improve the health, productivity, and management of forest lands both internally and through cooperative efforts. As the environmental and social standards and expectations for responsible forest-management continue to increase, Douglas County will remain committed to exploring additional credible forest 100 - 2 ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 100: BACKGROUND certification programs. Over the next 15 years the County will investigate and evaluate the benefits of these programs on a case-by-case basis to better manage the Forest and meet the wood-product demands of customers worldwide. 105 GOAL OF THE COMPREHENSIVE LAND-USE PLAN To administer the Douglas County Forest program consistent with the mission statement, the purpose, and the direction of the County Forest Law as stated in s. 28.11 Wis. Stats.: “ provide the basis for a permanent program of county forests and to enable and encourage the planned development and management of the County Forests for optimum production of forest products together with recreational opportunities, wildlife, watershed protection and stabilization of stream flow, giving full recognition to the concept of multiple use to assure maximum public benefits; to protect the public rights, interests and investments in such lands; and to compensate the counties for the public uses, benefits and privileges these lands provide; all in a manner which will provide reasonable revenue to the towns in which such lands lie.” 110 OBJECTIVE To recognize the authority of the County and State in the administration and development of operating policies on the Douglas County Forest. To provide the reader of the Douglas County Forest Comprehensive Land-Use Plan 2006-2020 (hereafter referred to as the Plan) with background information on the Douglas County Forest. 115 STATUTORY AUTHORITY The County Forest Law 28.10 and 28.11 Wis. Stats.) provides authority to establish, develop, and manage a permanent County Forest Program. (For the full text of the County Forest Law, see Appendix A-I) 120 COUNTY AUTHORITY The Plan is the official County Forest authority. The Douglas County Forest, Parks, and Recreation Committee (FPRC) of the Douglas County Board of Supervisors enforces the regulations governing the use of the County Forest. For purposes of the Plan, any reference to the “Forestry Committee” in Wis. Stats. 28.10 or 28.11 shall be interpreted as referring to the FPRC. 100 - 3 ---PAGE BREAK--- COMPREHENSIVE LAND-USE PLAN 2006-2020 120.1 Ordinances Ordinances that apply to the administration and management of the Douglas County Forest are found in the Appendixes and include: County Forest Ordinance 7.0 (Appendix B-I) Land Recreation Ordinance 7.2 (Appendix C-I) Regulating Gathering Rights on Douglas County Forest Lands Ordinance 7.3 (Appendix D-I) Tri-County Recreational Corridor Ordinance 7.4 (Appendix E-I) Timber Sale Contract Ordinance 7.6 (Appendix F-I) Pesticide Ordinance 1.17 (Appendix G-I) Shoreland Zoning Ordinance 8.4 (Appendix H-I) Nonmetallic Mining Reclamation Ordinance for the County of Douglas 8.9 (Appendix I-I) These ordinances were in effect at the time the Plan was approved and are included in this Plan as an unofficial reference only. Refer to the Official County Ordinance book for current ordinances. 125 HISTORY 125.1 Statewide History and Development In 1927, the State Legislature passed the Forest Crop Law, which authorized counties to create county forests. An opinion of the Attorney General with reference to the Forest Crop Law stated that counties would be exempt from the owner's share of annual tax. In 1929, counties were specifically exempted from paying the "acreage share" required of private owners. In 1931, the County Forest Reserve Law of 1929 was amended, providing for the payment of acreage aids to towns for County Forest land and an additional annual State payment of $.10 per acre to the counties for all land within county forests entered under the Forest Crop Law. Counties were required to spend this money solely for the development of a forest. In return for this aid, the State originally collected a 75 percent severance tax on the products cut on county forests. This was reduced to 50 percent in 1937 and then to 20 percent of gross sales in 1963. In 1963, several major revisions were made to the County Forest Law. The most notable change was the creation of a permanent program of forests that would be managed in accordance with a 10-year comprehensive land-use plan developed by the county with the assistance of the WDNR. The severance tax on harvested forest products remains at 20 percent of the stumpage value, though no severance tax is collected if counties do not have a loan balance. A number of grants, loans, and shared revenue payments currently are available to counties to help offset losses in taxes due to public ownership. The current acreage share payment to towns is $.30 per acre. In addition, towns with county forest land receive a minimum of 10 percent of the stumpage revenue from their respective county forest each year. Stumpage revenues exceed $18,000,000 annually. Twenty-nine counties in Wisconsin now own approximately 2.35 million acres entered under the County Forest Law. 100 - 4 ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 100: BACKGROUND 125.2 History and Development of the County Forest Program At one time, much of Wisconsin was covered with magnificent stands of pine, hemlock, and hardwoods on the highlands, and cedar, spruce, and balsam on its lowlands. From 1860 to about 1910, these forests provided raw material for a thriving lumber industry. The need to supply lumber for a growing nation and a lack of sound forest-management resulted in overharvesting of the forests and degradation of the landscape. Immigrants rushed to these newly cleared lands, hungry for a place to farm and build their lives. But the soils quickly gave out, catastrophic fires occurred (see Appendix W-II), and many people were forced to seek their fortunes elsewhere. The land was left exhausted and tax delinquent. The Wisconsin County Forest program originated with the taking of these tax-delinquent lands. 125.3 History and Development of the Douglas County Forest Local history and development of the Douglas County Forest originated in the late 1920’s when the County obtained a large acreage through tax delinquency; State law provided that the County take title on tax delinquent land. However, this acreage became an increasing burden and the County was reluctant to accept these “unwanted lands.” Logged over and ravaged by fires, they presented no prospect for immediate financial returns. The development of the County Forest Law prepared the way and provided the means for the local establishment of a county forest, thus giving a new destiny to “unwanted lands.” The Douglas County Forest was officially established in 1931 with the entry of 9,022 acres under the Forest Crop Law and the ensuing years showed large acreage entries. Growth has slowed in recent years to a stable land base. On May 10, 1973, a County Forest Ordinance was adopted that repealed all previous ordinances. It designated a County Forest boundary that encompassed a gross area of about 294,362 acres. As of 2006, the net area of land entered under the County Forest law, is 272,795 acres. 125.4 Wisconsin County Forests Association Douglas County is a member of the Wisconsin County Forests Association (WCFA), which was incorporated on May 15, 1968, under Chapter 181 of the Wis. Stats., without stock and not for profit. The WCFA Board of Directors is composed of 10 delegates elected from the county forestry committees that are members of the Association. The WCFA provides a forum for considering of issues and policies that are common to all of the county committees responsible for their respective county forest programs, including programs encompassed under s. 28.11 and Chapter 77 Wis. Stats. The WCFA also provides leadership and counsel to county forest administrators and forestry committees through regular meetings and active committees on legislative and recreational issues. 100 - 5 ---PAGE BREAK--- COMPREHENSIVE LAND-USE PLAN 2006-2020 130 DESCRIPTION OF FOREST The Douglas County Forest is the largest County Forest in the State. Of the total acreage, 262,596 acres (96 percent) are enrolled under the county forest land class and 10,199 acres (4 percent) are enrolled under the county special-use land class. Seventy-three percent of the County Forest is in the western half of the County. The remaining 27 percent is scattered in the eastern half with the two largest eastern blocks located in the northeastern and southeastern corners of the County. Appendix P-II includes a map of the County Forest. The County Forest is arranged into 28 blocking units or Resource Management Units (RMU) that are further divided into 265 management compartments ranging in size from 232 to 3,675 acres (average: about roughly 1,000 acres). All but about 2 percent of County forest land falls within the blocking unit boundaries. Eighty nine percent of all land within the County Forest blocking boundary is County forest land. The remaining 11 percent consists of small private or industrial holdings. Appendix O-II includes a map of the blocking boundaries, Appendix Q-II includes a map of the RMU’s, and Appendix R-II shows the forest management compartments. 130.1 Natural Features 130.1.1 Geography Douglas County is the forth largest county in Wisconsin with a land area of approximately 858,880 acres (1,342 square miles), including 22,165 acres of State recognized lakes and streams. About 681,600 acres (1,065 square miles) or 79.8 percent of the land in the County is classified as forest land. 130.1.2 Topography Douglas County is located in the far northwestern corner of Wisconsin and borders the southwestern shores of Lake Superior, Bayfield, Washburn, and Burnett Counties in Wisconsin, and Pine, Carlton, and St. Louis Counties in Minnesota. Topographically, Douglas County ranges from level, swampy lowlands to gently sloping and rolling uplands. The lowest point in the County is approximately 605 feet above sea level in the City of Superior on the Lake Superior lowland. From this low point, the land rises to nearly 1,200 feet above sea level at the top of the Superior escarpment toward the center of the County and then falls to 1,063 feet in the southern portion. Appendix S-II includes a relief map of the County’s topography. Douglas County is divided between two of the five geographical provinces of Wisconsin. The Lake Superior Lowland Province covers the northern part of the County, an area formerly occupied by Lake Superior. The boundary coincides with the topographic boundary provided by the escarpments at the juncture of the Lake Superior sandstone with the older igneous rocks. It consists 100 - 6 ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 100: BACKGROUND of a clay plain interrupted with moraine hills. The Northern Highland Province occupies an area south of the highest abandoned beach line of Lake Superior. About 70 percent of the County falls within the Northern Highland Province; the remaining 30 percent is part of the basin of the Lake Superior Lowland. The Continental Divide that separates the St. Lawrence (Lake Superior) and Mississippi River drainage systems intersects at the middle of Douglas County. The major drainage streams, which lie north of the divide and empty into Lake Superior, are, from east to west, the Bois Brule, Poplar, Middle, Amnicon, Nemadji, and St. Louis Rivers. The St. Croix, Totagatic, and Upper Tamarack Rivers drain the southern part of the County. Streams and their 147 connecting lakes have a total direct drainage area of 1,010.3 square miles, 75.2 percent, of the County’s land surface area. Of this amount, 705.73 square miles drains directly into Lake Superior. The drainage areas of 284 landlocked lakes account for 84.7 square miles of surface drainage, 6.3 percent. Land areas with no permanent surface waters account for 246.9 square miles or 18.4 percent of the total land area of 1,342 square miles. 130.1.3 Geology and Soils The Superior escarpment, or Douglas Copper Range, probably is the most noticeable geological feature in Douglas County. It extends northeast/southwest across the County from the Bayfield County Peninsula to Minnesota and again in Wascott Township south and east along the Ounce River and west of the St. Croix River from the Gordon Flowage west into Dairyland Township. In some places, this range rises 350 to 400 feet above the lowlands. It is not a continuous bedrock range but is divided into three main ridges by the streams that cross it. These streams have cut deep gorges and have many rapids and falls where they drop from the hard rock of the escarpment to the soft clays and sandstones of the lowland. Pattison State Park, 11 miles south of Superior, includes two such falls. Big Manitou Falls on the Black River, the highest waterfall in Wisconsin with a 165 foot drop, is located on the cataract of the Superior escarpment. Little Manitou Falls, a waterfall with a 30 foot drop, is about one mile upstream from Big Manitou Falls. Other waterfalls created by the Superior escarpment are located on Balsam, Miller, and Copper Creeks and on the Amnicon River at Amnicon Falls State Park. Sloping gently north of the Superior escarpment toward Lake Superior is a plain of heavy red clay with poor permeability. It is 10 to 20 miles wide and often is as much as 100 feet thick. These clays were deposited as bottom sediments in glacial Lake Superior when the last glacier retreated 10,000 to 11,000 years ago. South of the escarpment is a broad area of glacial outwash with the soil types being mixed clays, stony silts, and sandy loams. The eastern to south-central portion of the County is dominated by a light and very permeable glacial outwash sand. The soils of the southeastern corner are a heavy loam and stony. Numerous lakes and wetlands abound throughout most of the County. 100 - 7 ---PAGE BREAK--- COMPREHENSIVE LAND-USE PLAN 2006-2020 130.1.4 Biological Communities Wisconsin’s county forests are part of a diverse landscape and are managed not as sole entities but as part of a larger ecoregion. The National Hierarchical Framework of Ecological Units (NHFEU) was developed to systematically classify areas at different geographical scales that have unique combinations of physical and biological characteristics as well as similar potentials for management. The province, one of the broadest of the Ecological Landscape Units (ELU), contains sections, subsections, and associations (LTA) that further classify land into areas with similar geology, soil types, surface water features, wetlands, and historic and potential plant communities. There are two provinces in Wisconsin. The Laurentian Mixed Forest forms the northern half of the State and the Eastern Broadleaf Forest forms the southern half. The Douglas County Forest is within the Laurentian Mixed Forest province, which includes the Superior Coastal Plains, Northwest Lowlands, Northwest Sands, and North Central Forest ELU. LTA’s found within the Ecological Units are the: Superior Coastal Plains - Douglas Lake-Modified Till Plain. Northwest Lowlands - Pattison Moraines, Dairyland Moraines, and St. Croix Plains. Northwest Sands - Oula Washed Moraine, Bayfield Rolling Outwash and Washed Till, Upper Brule-St. Croix Valley, Bayfield Level Barrens, Gordon Rolling Barrens, Beauregard Knolls, and Webb Lake Collapsed Barrens. North Central Forest - Smokey Hill Basalt Ridge, Cable Rolling Outwash, and Hayward Moraines. With their common ecological characteristics, LTA’s allow land managers to better plan for future vegetative communities, wildlife species to feature, and compatible recreation uses. See Section 810.1.4 for additional information on the NHFEU’s. Detailed information on ELU’s and LTA’s is found in the WDNR’s Wisconsin Ecological Landscapes Handbook 1805.1. Appendixes U-II and V-II include a map of the ELU’s and LTA’s in Douglas County. A biological community is an assemblage of plant and animal species living together in a particular area and particular time in specific habitats. Communities are named for their dominant plant species. The following biological communities are found on the County Forest: Boreal Forest - The southern range of the true boreal forest is in the clay region of northern Douglas County. This community is commonly associated with shade-tolerant, long-lived species of spruce, fir, northern white- cedar, tamarack, and white pine, and associated hardwoods of white birch, aspen, and red maple. Here, past and current agricultural practices often exemplify successful stages whereby spruce, fir, and tag alder invade abandoned farm fields. Northern Forest - This community predominates in western and central Douglas County. It contains mixed deciduous and coniferous forests in a distinct climatic zone that occurs north of the tension zone, and is characterized as a climax habitat type, which is predominantly sugar maple. 100 - 8 ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 100: BACKGROUND However, the drier conditions do not allow sugar maple to reach its full potential. Therefore, more shade-intolerant species such as yellow birch, white ash, oak, and white pine will dominate the climax habitat type. Red oak and white pine show excellent growth when occupying a dominant crown position. Penokee Range - This community, similar to the Northern Forest community, is found in the extreme southeastern region of the County. It is identified by the limited soil depth and exposed rock outcroppings of the Penokee Range. This community lacks the well-drained soils of the Northern Forest community and supports species that are better adapted to drier conditions. Habitat fertility enables a wide range of species to occupy the Penokee Range. Oak and Pine Barrens - This community typically occurs on sandy soils and is dominated by grasses, low shrubs, small trees, and scattered large trees. Most commonly, it is associated with jack pine, scrub oak, aspen, and red pine that dominate glacial outwash sand plains. The climax forest will be red pine on the mesic sands; scrub oak and jack pine will climax on the drier, nutrient-poor sands, that is, a patchwork of trees, associated shrubs, and openings throughout. The Bayfield Level Barrens and Gordon Rolling Barrens LTA mostly in the southern and eastern portions of the forest, contain the barrens communities on the County Forest. Grassland - The absence of trees and large shrubs and the dominance of grasses, forbs, and small upland shrubs characterize the grassland community, which is common throughout the County Forest. Wetlands and Bogs - These communities are characterized by soils or substrate that are periodically saturated or covered by water and further identified by vegetation types and water quality. Wetlands and bogs are common throughout the County Forest. Aquatic Communities - These communities include springs, ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers, and also are characterized by water quality. They are common throughout the County Forest. 130.1.5 Vegetative Cover Types Approximately 75 percent of the Douglas County forest-land base is occupied by a variety of cover types. The upland forest, which accounts for 77 percent of the forest land, is occupied by aspen, northern hardwoods, paper birch, northern red oak, scrub oak, red maple, hemlock hardwoods, white pine, red pine, and jack pine. The lowland forest, which accounts for the remaining 23 percent, is occupied by swamp hardwoods, black spruce, tamarack, fir-spruce, northern white-cedar, and swamp conifer. Twenty-five percent of the total land base is classified as nonforest and includes open water, wetlands, rights-of-way, grass openings, and shrubs and bogs. Cover types on the Forest are listed in Chapter 800; maps of the vegetative cover types are included in Appendixes X-II through I-III. 130.1.6 Wildlife The County Forest provides habitat for numerous species of songbirds, waterfowl, raptors, shorebirds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and mammals. Each species or interacting group of species thrives under different conditions, e.g., from recently disturbed ground to old growth. A diversity 100 - 9 ---PAGE BREAK--- COMPREHENSIVE LAND-USE PLAN 2006-2020 of plant communities is essential to providing a niche for wildlife. For example, the aspen forest type is recognized as key habitat for ruffed grouse and white-tailed deer and is important in maintaining biological diversity across North America. Similarly, longer rotation forest communities, e.g., uneven-aged northern hardwoods, provide important habitat for less well-known species such as the pileated woodpecker and northern goshawk. Permanently sodded, grassy openings within the Forest, many originating from old log landings, camps, old burns, or frost pockets, are vital components of wildlife habitat. An effort is being made to maintain and improve the quality and/or the quantity of these openings. The County manages the habitat for these diverse wildlife populations while the WDNR manages wildlife populations per State regulations. The following vegetation cover types are important to the wildlife resource on the County Forest because they are abundant and used by many species. Boreal Forest - County forest land represents one of the few opportunities to promote, manage, and maintain this community in the State. Due to its low occurrence in Wisconsin, uncommon bird species are associated with this habitat. Examples include the solitary vireo and blackburian warbler. Snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse, woodcock, bobcat, fisher, and pine marten also are associated with boreal forests. Northern Hardwoods - This type provides the best opportunity to manage for deer, bear, ruffed grouse, and woodcock. The Lake States aspen type is important habitat for as least 116 species of birds. Aspen also supports numerous amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. A variety of nongame birds and mammals is associated with uneven-aged hardwoods such as red and sugar maple, red oak, yellow birch, and basswood. Red oak acorns provide food for many wildlife in fall and winter months when food is scarce. Maple, basswood, and birch forests provide the best opportunity to manage for interior forest species. On lowlands, black ash, red maple, spruce, fir, and cedar forests provide winter food and thermal cover for many wildlife species, particularly deer, snowshoe hare, fisher, and bobcat. Pine Barrens - This type provides habitat for sharp tailed grouse, upland sandpiper, wild turkey, badger, pocket gopher, and coyote. Various habitat types within the pine barrens community, including pine and oak savannas, support at least 140 species of birds, 39 mammals, 134 plants, 32 reptiles and amphibians, and 33 butterflies and moths. Many of these species are rare since less than 1 percent of the original barrens of Wisconsin exists today. The open nature of barrens provides abundant forage for deer and pine stands provide thermal cover during winter. Grasslands - Grasslands of various types provide essential habitat for songbirds, raptors, amphibians, reptiles, deer, and woodcock. Grasslands larger than 10 acres attract songbirds and raptors that nest only in large, open areas with grass cover and few trees. Smaller grasslands provide feeding areas for deer, songbirds, and mammals. Many wildlife species use all sizes of grasslands, including the red-tailed hawk, leopard frog, and woodcock. 100 - 10 ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 100: BACKGROUND Wetlands - Although wetlands usually are associated with waterfowl and bird species, they also provide essential habitat for mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects. Many species recognized as threatened, endangered, or of special concern are associated with critical wetland habitats. Some species, such as the wood duck and muskrat, spend most of their life within wetlands; others species such as the bald eagle, black bear, and deer visit wetlands occasionally for food, water, or shelter. The County Forest’s 46,631 acres of wetlands and associated habitats provide ideal nesting conditions for many waterfowl species, safe stopover locations for migrating birds, essential spawning and nursery habitat for many species of fish, and breeding habitat for numerous reptiles and amphibians. 130.1.7 Rare and Endangered Resources Data on Animals, plants, and plant communities in Douglas County that are listed as threatened, endangered, or of special concern according to the Wisconsin National History Inventory are listed in Appendix W-I and on the WDNR website (www.dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/nhi/). 130.1.8 Water Douglas County has 22,165 acres of total surface water recognized by the State as lakes and streams. Included are 149 named lakes, 277 unnamed lakes, 6 named flowages, and 705.4 miles of streams. Of this total, 239.3 miles are classified as trout streams. The County Forest contains a variety of fishery resources. Thirty-nine named and two unnamed lakes have all or portions of their shoreline under County ownership. The County also owns frontage on 30 named streams totaling more than 150 miles. A list of these resources is found in the WDNR publication “Surface Water Resources of Douglas County.” The WDNR also maintains a list of “outstanding and exceptional resource waters” for Douglas County (see Appendix V-I). The most current list also can be found in NR 102.10 and 102.11 Wis. Adm. Code and on the WDNR website. 130.2 Cultural Factors 130.2.1 Recreation Forest-based recreation in Douglas County has expanded rapidly in recent years. Developed recreational facilities include parks, beaches, campgrounds, building rentals for special events, boat landings, canoe landings, extensive snowmobile and ATV trails, cross-country ski trails, hiking trails, hunter walking trails, and multiple use trails. Some of these facilities are maintained through cooperative relationships between the County and various user groups. Numerous events held on the County Forest include a youth turkey hunt, Holyoke-Nickerson race, numerous dog trials, winter camping symposium, organized horse trail rides, educational classes at the Bird Sanctuary, snowshoe races, Music in the Park, Log a Load, and North Country Trail events. The Forest also provides tremendous opportunities for informal recreational pursuits such as hunting, fishing, trapping, berry and mushroom picking, bird watching, nature photography, hiking, snowshoeing, mountain biking, and sightseeing. See Chapter 500 and the Douglas County Forest 100 - 11 ---PAGE BREAK--- COMPREHENSIVE LAND-USE PLAN 2006-2020 Access Management Plan (Chapter 700) for additional information on recreation opportunities within the Forest. 130.2.2 Economy The County Forest is vitally important to the economy of both Douglas County and the surrounding region. The extraction of raw materials for use in a variety of forest products benefits many regional industries and generates revenue for the County, and the outstanding recreational opportunities on the Forest contribute significantly to the tourism-based sectors of the County’s economy. Table 130.1 summarizes Douglas County economic sectors. Table 130.1 Summary of Douglas County Industry Output, Employment, and Employee Compensation – 2002 (source: MIG, Inc.) Industry Industry Output a Employment b Employee Compensation c Agriculture, Fishing, and Hunting $15 317 $0 Forest Products and Processing 72 458 14 Mining, Utilities, and Construction 191 1,475 55 Manufacturing (Nonwood) 752 927 54 Printing 4 42 1 Trade (Wholesale and Retail) d 265 3,610 101 Transportation and Warehousing 332 2,111 115 Services e 368 7,306 130 F.I.R.E.f 58 697 13 Public Administration g 221 2,893 115 TOTAL $2,279 19,835 $598 Millions of dollars. Total number of fulltime and parttime employees. Millions of dollars. Building materials, auto sales, restaurants, apparel, etc. Private primary and secondary education, medical care, legal services, accommodation industries, etc. Financial, insurance and real estate. Public primary and secondary education. Products and processing industrial output from the County Forest is 3.2 percent of the total County industrial output. These forest-related industries employ 2.3 percent of the total employment in the County. For every 10 statewide jobs in forest-related industries, an additional 19 jobs are produced in other sectors of the State’s economy as a result of forest industry purchases and their employees’ household purchases. By comparison, for every 10 jobs in the service industry, only 8 are produced in other economic sectors. 100 - 12 ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 100: BACKGROUND 130.2.3 Roads and Access All County forest lands are open for public use and for foot travel. In addition to Town, County, and State roads that access the Forest, the County also maintains an extensive network of forest roads. Many miles of special-use and multiple-use roads and trails also are available. Access management remains a highly controversial issue on the Forest as both motorized and non- motorized recreation opportunities are provided. See the Douglas County Forest Access Management Plan (Chapter 700) for a detailed discussion of forest access. 130.2.4 Education and Research Education and research are critical components in decision making that affects our natural resources. As public needs and demands of our Forest and its products increase, we must assure that sound decisions result. To this end, Douglas County encourages and supports forest research as well as educational efforts that provide a better understanding of forest communities and long-term integrated and sustained management (See Section 210 for additional references). 130.2.5 Issues and Trends The values and uses of the County Forest contribute significantly to fulfilling many of society's current and future ecological and socioeconomic needs now. The Forest is experiencing increasing and often conflicting demands. Primary among the latter is simultaneous increasing demand for forest products and for both motorized and non-motorized recreational opportunities. Greater demands are being placed on the Forest by people using it for different recreational pursuits. The popularity of trails and forest for various uses has lead to significant user conflicts. For example, dramatic increases in the number of all-terrain vehicles (ATV) has pressured county forests into providing trails for their use. As a result, conflicts between motorized and non-motorized users have become common. It is estimated that demand for timber products will continue to increase at the same time, when large tracts of private forest are being lost to residential development and forest-land owners are less interested in managing land primarily for timber harvesting. The County Forest is changing naturally due to natural succession. Most of the forest is a result of regeneration or planting during the first half of the 20th century. Mid to late-successional northern hardwood forests are replacing early successional aspen-birch, oak and jack pine forests of the 1940’s through the 1970’s. The aspen cover type is key habitat for many of Wisconsin’s premier game species e.g., deer, ruffed grouse, snowshoe hare, and woodcock. A declining harvest and a movement from even-aged species on National forests in Wisconsin and State forests may place the responsibility of maintaining aspen, birch and jack pine types on. The county forest system which currently accounts for 15 percent of the State’s public land base and 24 percent of the aspen resource. Conflict over forest-management practices likely will continue to increase as more individuals and 100 - 13 ---PAGE BREAK--- COMPREHENSIVE LAND-USE PLAN 2006-2020 100 - 14 groups demand greater involvement in forestry decisions. Practices such as clearcutting and even-age management will continue to be controversial. Efforts to educate the public on the merits of these sound forest-management techniques will continue. Douglas County may experience funding problems as municipalities are being required to provide more services with less money. Potential losses of revenue from decreased shared revenues and resistance to tax increases may make county timber revenues increasingly important to the finances of county governments. This is complicated by increasing public pressure to reduce timber harvests on county forests. Increasing awareness of various wildlife species and their habitat needs is causing the list of threatened and endangered species to expand. This could lead to improvements in managing the forest and mitigating impacts on these species. However, mitigating measures could impede recreational and forest-management activities (see Chapter 800). Invasive exotic species pose an increasing threat to the County Forest. The moth, Asian long- horned beetle, garlic mustard, buckthorn, and honeysuckle have gained a foothold in Wisconsin’s forests (see Chapter 600).