Open Letter to Waushara County Residents Concerning Mt. Morris Hills County Park Timber Harvesting

I understand that people love trees.  I also love trees.  I have spent my entire life working with and studying forests and trees.  That is why it is difficult when persons with media connections make uninformed comments that insinuate the County Parks Department, under my direction, have taken improper actions with county forest resources.

Timber harvesting can be a dramatic change to a wood lot.  Some people believe that no trees should be cut under any circumstance.  Those persons usually disregard their personal use of lumber or paper as somehow not connected to that dreaded timber harvest.  Timber harvest is not implicitly required.  Nature will survive without human interference.  However, left alone a woodlot will move forward on a successional path that may or may not be desired.  For instance, an oak/aspen stand in this area left past its maturity will progress to a mostly red maple climax forest.  This is not a bad result - just not the same as the oak/aspen timber type.  For example, a red maple, while beautiful, is less desirable for some wildlife like grouse, turkey or whitetail deer.  To maintain oak in this area small openings in the forest canopy are required to allow light for regeneration  by seed or stump sprout.  Oak is not as tolerant of shade conditions as red maple.  Aspen is also shade intolerant and responds to opening the forest canopy as well.  Aspen regenerates primarily by coppice – sprouting from existing roots.  This will be encouraged by harvesting mature aspen patches.  Recent harvest of aspen at Mt. Morris Hills Co. Park have regenerated thousands of sprouts and produced a very healthy, younger timber stand.

Oak wilt in this area has forced many landowners to make important decisions.  Because of the two-fold spread of this fungal disease, by root graphs and insect vectors, one accepted response is a sanitation cut.  A typical sanitation cut will harvest trees showing signs of dieback as a result of oak wilt and all trees within one tree canopy length in all directions.  This is an attempt to remove trees which are infected, but not yet showing signs of the disease.  My personal observation is that most oaks showing oak wilt signs in year 2 were at the edge of a sanitation patch cut in year one.  By cutting patches of mature aspen and trying to keep up with oak wilt the forest stand will become more diverse in terms of age and species.  Red Maple will still be the end result, but not on the entire property and not right away.

I understand the concept and need for wilderness.  Typically, however, wilderness areas are very large and a level of risk is accepted by all visitors.  In these areas, trees mature and die, fires are allowed to burn and property managers try not to intrude on forest succession.  Waushara County Parks are more intensively used and managed.  Visitors expect cleared roads, picnic areas and trails.  Mt. Morris Hills Co. Park is not a wilderness area.  Timber harvest is a silvicultural tool that is accepted by the County Parks Department and County Public Works Committee to help maintain a healthy forest.

Mt. Morris Hills County Park contains as many or more forested acres today than when it was purchased by Waushara County in the late 1960’s.  Waushara County will continue to be a good neighbor and good steward of the land.

Respectfully,

Scott Schuman

Waushara County Parks Superintendent

B.S. Forestry – UWSP

M.S. Natural Resources - UWSP