The American Tree Farm System Wisconsin Program

The Tree Farm program combines education, recognition, certification and a bit of socialization to create the most popular landowner organization in the nation

"Kill The Thing Before It Spreads"
That's a quote by the then chief of the US Forest Service, Lyle Watts. He uttered it in 1941. Why? He saw Tree Farm as a move to decrease pressure for federal regulation of private woodlands. He preferred regulation to private cooperation.

Mr. Watts even went so far as to ask the Society of American Foresters to question the ethics of members who participated in the program. This move could have killed the program, as broad forester cooperation was needed to make it work.

Fortunately, the Society of American Foresters refused the request, asking the question, "why shouldn't private owners work to eliminate the need for federal regulations?"

The First Tree Farms
Weyerhaeuser Timber Company started the first "Tree Farm" in the summer of 1941 in the state of Washington. The founding idea was that foresters would certify that the forest practices on each Tree Farm met high standards of forestry. In effect, this was the forerunner of modern certification programs.

Wisconsin is recognized as having its first Tree Farm in 1944, which makes 2004 the 60th anniversary of the program in the State. Records no longer exist as to the location or ownership of this property though it is known that it was a corporate Tree Farm. The first private landowner to gain Tree Farm status in the state occurred in 1955, shortly after the formation of the Wisconsin Tree Farm Committee. This Committee was formed to bring the Tree Farm Program to the private woodland owners of the state and continues its existence to this day. The first Tree Farmer was Bruce Buell who owned property in Brown County. Mr. Buell was chief forester for the Northern Pulp and Paper Co. at Green Bay.

Trials and Tribulations
By the 1950's, things were looking pretty good. The Forest Service had come around to working with Tree Farming organizations and by 1955 there were a little over 7,500 Tree Farmers nationwide.

The 1960's brought intense pressure on the Tree Farm program. Tree Farms began to be characterized as sterile rows of planted trees. The program also had some internal problems as well. The President of the American Forest Institute was quoted as saying, "I'm either going to fix it or drown it in a bucket."

After much soul searching, it was decided the program was too valuable to be abandoned. Budgets were increased to improve record keeping, incentives were increased to encourage formation of state committees, and more emphasis was placed on the quality of the program. The 1970's, then, saw an actual reduction in numbers as undocumented Tree Farms were purged from the system. The Tree Farm name and logo was registered and the Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year program was initiated in 1976.

The 1980's saw the beginning of the publication "American Tree Farmer" and the growth of the Tree Farm program to approximately 55,000 members owning 87 million acres

Show Me
It was no longer sufficient just to tell the public that Tree Farmers were doing a good job of managing their properties, we needed to be able to prove it. With that in mind, the first Standards and Guidelines for certification were established in the early1990's. Those have now been updated twice with the latest, the 2004 Standard, scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2004. The 1990's also saw the establishment of qualifications to become a Tree Farm inspector. Inspectors now have to be degreed foresters who have attended a training course specifically for Tree Farm.

There are currently about 64,000 Tree Farmers nationwide, with over 3,300 of them being located in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Tree Farmers are currently managing just less than one million acres.

Requirements of Certification
To become a certified Tree Farmer the following requirements must be met: o Landowner must have a written management plan that documents the landowner's goals, production of renewable crops of forest products, and the protection of soil, water, range, aesthetic, recreation, wood, fish and wildlife resources. This management plan must be active, i.e. at least 30% implemented.

• Minimum size considered is 10 acres.
• Forest practices must protect the woodland from damaging effects of fires, insects, diseases and destructive grazing.
• Landowners must provide for prompt restocking of desired tree species on harvested areas.
• Landowners must comply with the State Best Management Practices
• Meet the following standards:
  • Providing for wildlife habitat
  • Forest aesthetics
  • Protection of special sites
  • Consideration of biodiversity
  • Use of trained professionals and forestry contractors

Formal reinspections are required every 5 years to assure that certified Tree Farmers are in compliance with the Standards.

Advantages/Costs of Certifications
As the major customers of large forest products firms demand more and more certified wood in the products they sell, certified wood is becoming more in demand. This increase in demand may not necessarily be reflected in higher stumpage receipts but it may help in the marketing of forest products. The Tree Farm program is recognized by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative as a credible certifier of small ownerships so that marketing advantage is beginning to be seen by some Tree Farmers.

Currently, Tree Farm also offers free advice and recommendations from a professional forester upon certification and each renewal period, a free yearly issue of the Tree Farmer magazine, the annual national Tree Farmer Convention, a Tree Farm certificate and a Tree Farm sign for posting on your property. A full subscription to The Tree Farmer magazine costs $18/year or $32 for two years.

For more information on the American Tree Farm System program in Wisconsin, contact the Wisconsin Tree Farm Committee at 715-369-3475 or visit their web site.