Legacy Program Keeps Wisconsin Forests Working

By Secretary Darrell Bazzell, Third Quarter 2002

Since being accepted into the program, Wisconsin has submitted to Congress five project proposals in three areas of the state. While Congress has allocated partial funding for one of the projects in the north, support for the remaining four is hung up in the House and Senate appropriations committees. Without support from both houses of Congress, Wisconsin may not get the funds needed in 2002-03 complete its first project or to start others.

Under Forest Legacy Wisconsin has planned to purchase development rights rather than purchase forestland.

Aiming for easements over purchase is just one of the recommendations of the Forest Stewardship Advisory Committee. Miles Benson is the industry representative. The committee also defined large areas of the state (the Northwoods, the Baraboo Hills, West Central and Central Sands, and the Kettle Moraines), called Forest Legacy Areas, in which Forest Legacy projects will be implemented. The Legacy Areas were chosen based on risk to conversion to other uses and public value.

Requirements to enroll in the Legacy Program are minimal. Willing owners can sell all or part of their ownership rights. Forest Legacy will pay for these rights at full fair market value. The owner keeps any remaining property rights and may continue to live on the land. The whole purpose of the program is to protect forests from conversion to non-forest uses. Your right to harvest timber continues. Interested landowners are asked to submit an application that is ranked at both the state and national level. Since competition for existing funds is keen, only a few outstanding proposals from each state are submitted each year.

The five project proposals we have waiting for federal approval represent a diversity of forest types and ownerships. Single large ownerships typify the three applications from the Northwoods, while cooperative, or conglomerate, ownerships make up the ownerships of the applications from the Baraboo Hills and Kettle Moraines. We put a lot of work into selecting the best tracts as project proposals to be forever protected as working forests under Forest Legacy. Our hope is that Congress agrees, will give us approval, and will let us get to work.

Forest Legacy is GOOD for Wisconsin. In addition to maintaining large blocks of forested land, it will protect water quality, rare plant communities, areas of scenic or historical value and critical wildlife habitat. Forest Legacy complements the existing Farmland Protection Program.

If you want to know more, please contact Linda DePaul on my staff at (608) 266-2388.