About WisconsinForestry.org
Welcome to WisconsinForestry.org! This site, sponsored by the Wisconsin Council on Forestry, serves as a gateway to information about Wisconsin's forest resource. Another primary goal of the site is to promote a broader understanding of the role forests play in our lives and the many aspects of sustainable forest management in Wisconsin. Through WisconsinForestry.org and other collaborative efforts, Wisconsin's forestry community hopes to increase awareness among residents of:
- the forest resource in Wisconsin;
- our dependence on forests every day; and
- the ecological, social and economic benefits of sustainable forestry.
This Website began in January 2004 with the year-long celebration of the 2004 Year of Wisconsin Forestry as declared by Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle. 2004 marked the centennial of Wisconsin's state forestry program, denoted by the hiring of the first State Forester - E.M. Griffith - in February 1904.
Other major anniversaries celebrated during the 2004 Year of Wisconsin Forestry included the 85th anniversary of the Wisconsin Society of American Foresters, the 75th anniversary of the Wisconsin County Forest system, 60th anniversaries of Trees For Tomorrow, Smokey Bear and the American Tree Farm program in Wisconsin, the 50th anniversary of the Wisconsin Christmas Tree Producers Association, the 40th anniversary of the Wisconsin Arborist Association and the 25th anniversary of the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association.
Other partners involved in the Year of Wisconsin Forestry celebration included:
- Wisconsin Nursery Association (formed in 1917)
- Forest History Association of Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Paper Council
- UW-Extension Basin Educators
- LEAF (Wisconsin's K-12 Forestry Education program)
- UW Stevens Point - College of Natural Resources
- UW Madison - Department of Forest Ecology and Management
- Wisconsin Professional Loggers Association
- USDA Forest Service (Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Forest Products Lab and Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry)
- Wisconsin Departments of Tourism and Public Instruction
To continue this celebration of the history and recovery of Wisconsin forests as well as the many advancements made in the field of forestry, this coalition of groups from the Wisconsin forestry community has continued WisconsinForestry.org with leadership from the Wisconsin Council on Forestry and the Wisconsin DNR-Division of Forestry.
Contact us if you have suggestions for additional content to help meet these goals. Enjoy your visit on this site and the many links to information about the 16-million acre forest resource in Wisconsin.