County Forest Comprehensive Forest Management Plan
Chippewa County is beginning work on a new County Forest Comprehensive Land Use Plan, and is seeking public input, as the plan is developed. Chippewa County is one of 29 counties in Wisconsin that has a county forest. All 29 counties are currently beginning work on new plans for their forests, to cover the 10-year period of 2006 to 2015. The county forests are established under State Statute 28.11, and comprise the largest block of public ownership in the State, with a total acreage of over 2.3 million acres. The State Statute requires that a new plan be developed every 10 years. This will be the fifth plan for the Chippewa County Forest since the County Forest Law was established in the 1960's.
The Chippewa County Forest and Parks Dept. will be drafting the plan, in consultation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the final draft will require the approval of the Chippewa County Board and the Department of Natural Resources. Public input and comment will be sought, as the plan is developed, over the next year and a half. It is the intent of the plan to outline the operating policies and procedures that Chippewa County will use in administration of the County Forest over the next 10-year period. The current management plan is due to expire in 2005. State law requires that: "The plan shall include land use designations, land acquisition, forest protection, annual allowable timber harvests, recreational developments, fish and wildlife management activities, roads, silvicultural operations and operating policies and procedures; it shall include a complete inventory of the county forest and shall be documented with maps, records and priorities showing in detail the various projects to be undertaken during the plan period."
The new plan, in addition to providing information on the history, administration, and land management policies of the County Forest, will be incorporating several new items, not contained in past plans. Among the new items, are a forest access plan for the forest, a chapter on integrated forest management, and a segment with data recently acquired from a DNR inventory of the various species of flora and fauna that exist within the Forest.
As an initial part of plan development, the Forest and Parks Department is seeking input from the public on areas of interest, needs, or concern they might have, relating to the County Forest. These initial comments will be used to provide information to Forest and Parks Department staff on where to concentrate their planning efforts. It will also be used to develop a survey questionnaire that will be more focused on specific issues of interest and concern. The information obtained from these initial comments, as well as the planned survey, will then be used to develop a format for at least one, or more, public informational meetings. Public input will again be sought at those meetings and considered in development of the final plan. The Forest & Parks Department is asking that people make their initial comments in writing. Comments should be mailed to: Forest and Parks Department, County Forest 10-Yr. Plan, 711 N. Bridge St., Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 or dropped off at the Forest and Parks Office, in Room 104, of the County Courthouse. Comments may also be provided using the online form, or by e-mail to
tenyrpln@co.chippewa.wi.us. Comments should be submitted by April 16, 2004. Submission of your name and address when submitting comments is optional, and is only needed if you’re interested in receiving future mailings, or information, directly from the Forest & Parks Department, regarding The plan.