Forest Assessment

Wisconsin Forests at the Millennium: An Assessment
Published in November 2000, Wisconsin Forests at the Millennium provides an overview of Wisconsin’s forest resources from ecological, economic, and social perspectives – the three pillars of sustainable forestry. The report was developed by DNR staff from various disciplines, and served as a springboard to developing the 2004 Statewide Forest Plan. The last forest assessment was completed in 1985.

Read the assessment report.

Forest Assessment Highlights

Wisconsin Forests at the Millennium describes 45 trends and issues that encompass recent changes in Wisconsin's forests.

Since 1983:

• Forestlands have increased by 640,000 acres, or about 4 percent, to approximately 16 million acres.
• Tree volume has increased by more than 12 percent.
• Annual growth exceeded harvests by 158 million cubic feet; i.e., only 68 percent of growth was removed.
• The number of non-industrial private forest owners increased by 20 percent to about 260,000.

In General:

• Wisconsin’s forests are aging and forest succession is occurring as seen by the increase of the maple-basswood forest type and the decrease in aspen-birch.
• Private individuals continue to own the majority of Wisconsin forests at 57 percent of all forests.
• Over 2.5 million acres of Wisconsin forests are managed through tax programs that encourage sustainable forest management; however, only 20 percent of all landowners receive professional assistance when harvesting timber.
• Forest products and forest-based recreation account for 12 percent of the Gross State Product and 18 percent of the jobs in Wisconsin.
• More than 650 vertebrate species and over 1800 native vascular plants are found in the state.
• Wisconsin has about 2.2 million acres of urban forest (4.7 percent of all forests) with an average canopy cover of 29 percent.
• An average of 1,528 wildfires are controlled each year, which burn an average of 2,658 acres.