Wisconsin’s Forests and the Comprehensive Planning Law Preserving forests in the wilderness of Smart Growth

Presentation outline Why forests are too important to ignore. Key issues that need to be addressed… Forest Fragmentation Forest Health Forests and the comprehensive planning law.

Some reasons to consider forest resources in your Comprehensive plan… Forests are often a defining feature for local communities throughout the state Wisconsin’s forests are facing significant threats due to increasing human demands by a growing state population. Direct impacts of current and projected development patterns lead to the fragmentation of forests which directly affect the ecologic, economic, and social well- being of our state.

Forest Fragmentation and the health of forest ecosystems… Forest fragmentation can be defined as breaking up of large contiguous tracts of forest land into smaller tracts (parcelization) or the direct conversion to other uses (habitat fragmentation) This has a direct impact on forest health through changes in forest processes and the introduction of non-native species.

Changing Face of Forest land ownership in Wisconsin Private non-industrial land owners own approximately 10,811,900 acres of Wisconsin’s forest land. Between 1984 and 1997, the number of Wisconsin’s non- industrial private owners increased 20% to about 262,000. About three-fourths of owners (76 percent) hold about one-fourth (28 percent) of the private timberland. More than one-third (35 percent) of owners hold fewer than 10 acres of timberland, accounting for only 3 percent of the private timberland acreage.

Forests and the Comprehensive planning Law… What follows are some recommendations for areas that can be addressed in each the nine required plan elements Issues and opportunities Housing Transportation Utilities and community facilities Agricultural, natural, cultural resources Economic development Intergovernmental cooperation Land use Implementation

Issues and opportunities element… Statement of overall objectives, policies, goals and programs to guide future development. Background information Employment forecasts Income levels Employment characteristics

Housing element… Policies and programs that promote the development of housing and the availability of land for development. Promote the use of Conservation developments (subdivision) to minimize the effects of fragmentation. “Firewise planning” in the development of sub-divisions, especially in fire prone areas

Transportation element… Objectives, policies, goals, maps and programs to guide the future development of the various modes of transportation. Recreational trails are extremely important to rural and urban dwellers alike. Your plan should include a discussion of recreational trail systems as well as their design, installation, and maintenance.

Utilities and community facilities element… Objectives, policies, goals, maps and programs to guide the future development of utilities and community facilities. The value of urban forests to the community as well as the programs that exist to help manage urban forests. Require that all new subdivisions in fire prone areas are laid out in a manner consistent with the recommendations of the Forest service’s “Firewise” program.

Agricultural, natural and cultural resources element… A compilation of objectives, policies, goals, maps and programs for the conservation, and promotion of the effective management, of natural resources Forests Environmentally sensitive areas Threatened and endangered species Parks, open spaces, & recreational resources

Economic development element… This element requires the analysis of the labor force and economic base in your community. The department of Natural Resources has developed economic data and the role of forest industry and related sectors for each county This data can help you identify opportunities for economic growth in forestry related sectors.

Land–use element… Objectives, policies, goals, maps and programs to guide the future development and redevelopment of public and private property Listing of the amount, type, intensity and net density of existing uses of land in the local governmental unit

Implementation Element… This element shall describe how each of the elements of the comprehensive plan will be integrated and made consistent with the other elements of the comprehensive plan This is where we insure that there is some sort of consistent message throughout the proposed recommendations at the municipal, town, and county levels.

Some Closing Thoughts… The Comprehensive planning process is about having a vision for your community and putting that vision into action. The result of your Comprehensive Plan should be sensible and smart growth that will help you to build a stronger community.

The material in this presentation was collected from numerous sources, including Wisconsin Private Timberland Owners: 1997 USDA Forest Service Research Paper NC 339 Wisconsin’s Forests at the Millennium WDNR PUB-FR Wisconsin Forest Statistics: 1996 USDA Forest Service Resource Bulletin NC 183 “The effect of urban sprawl on timber harvesting” Journal of Forestry (volume 96, number 12) “Sustainable Forestry: Principles and Guidelines” American Forest and Paper Association, 1995.