Wisconsin’s Statewide Forest Assessment 2010
Draft ready for review

Wisconsin’s Statewide Forest Assessment 2010 (Assessment) describes the status of Wisconsin’s forest resources on both public and private lands, and both rural and urban landscapes. The report is based on the structure established in Wisconsin’s Forest Sustainability Framework (Framework). Using the Framework as a guide, the Assessment presents seven major criteria of sustainability, and data to assess the sustainability of the forests in Wisconsin. The Assessment does not set desired conditions; rather it provides the knowledge to set goals and strategies for sustainability.

Once completed, the Assessment will provide policymakers and the general public with a database of succinct, comprehensive, and scientifically sound data on forests. Major conclusions drawn from this report will be used to craft the next Statewide Forest Plan, which will guide the work of the Division of Forestry and partners over coming years.

Content

An introduction section contains an overview of the report, describes the structure and process of creating the report, and contains a table of contents, additional references and an appendix. Please read this first. It will help guide you through the Assessment and explain many questions you may have on data selection and analysis. Each chapter, or criterion, in the Assessment presents one major category of sustainability. At the beginning of each chapter, the criterion is described and major conclusions are presented. Indicators within each chapter present data on specific topics ranging from ecology to land tenure, and economics to biomass.

Review

This is only the first draft of the Assessment and your input now is extremely important. The Division of Forestry is requesting review from all forestry stakeholders regarding the accuracy of the data and analysis at a statewide level. This is a scientific report; actions and setting objectives will occur with partners after the Assessment is complete. But in preparation of developing actions and strategies, we would also like to hear whether 1) the major conclusions of the Assessment are indeed the most major, 2) if there are other major conclusions that should be drawn, and 3) which conclusions are the most critical to address in the next 8-10 years.

The introduction and chapters of the Assessment are posted separately below. Documents are posted as Microsoft Word documents, and may be downloaded and edited in Word. If you would like to review part or all of this Assessment, please download the appropriate chapters, make edits using track changes in Microsoft Word, and email your saved document to Kathleen Kiefaber (Kathleen.Kiefaber@Wisconsin.gov).

Please return all comments by October 23, 2009.

For any questions, please contact Rebecca Gass (Rebecca.Gass@Wisconsin.gov) or (608) 266-9261.