Coulee Experimental Forest - Rapid Ecological Assessment

The objectives of this project were to collect biological inventory information relevant to the development of a master plan for the Coulee Experimental Forest and to analyze, synthesize and interpret this information for use by the master planning team. This effort focused on assessing areas of potential habitat for rare species and identifying natural community management opportunities.

As this property contains virtually no permanent water other than a small number of spring seeps, is much smaller, and supports a less complex mosaic of vegetation types than most state forest properties, survey efforts were limited to a "rapid assessment" for 1) identifying and evaluating ecologically important areas 2) documenting rare species occurrences, and 3) documenting occurrences of high quality natural communities. This report can serve as the "Biotic Inventory" document used for master planning, although it is a scaled down version in terms of both the time and effort expended when compared to similar projects conducted on much larger properties (e.g., see other biotic inventory projects for Wisconsin State Forests). The information collected was the result of two partial seasons of survey work. There will, undoubtedly be gaps in our knowledge of the biota of this property, especially for certain taxa groups; these groups have been identified by the DNR or others as representing either an opportunity or a need for future work.

Download the report [PDF 4.1MB]