At the Governor’s Forestry Economic Summit Thursday, Gov. Scott Walker announced a new timber harvesting initiative in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest – an effort he said that would help revitalize the state’s timber industry and help maintain/create hundreds of jobs.
“The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest contains a valuable resource that, right now, is underutilized – millions of feet of timber just waiting to be harvested in an environmentally sensitive, sustainable way,” Walker said. “This is another way to ensure forestry remains a vibrant part of Wisconsin’s economy.”
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) is awarding $49,000 in funding for the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (CNNF) Stewardship Initiative.
Through the program the U.S. Forest Service will be able to utilize income from timber sales to contract with local businesses to implement a range of practices on the forest, including the sale of timber and the harvesting of backlogged timber. The effort is expected to spur economic growth in the region and could lead to more jobs in the forest industry and supporting sectors.
The 1.5 million-acre Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest sprawls across 11 counties in northern Wisconsin. Every year, millions of board feet of harvestable timber in the forest go unharvested. Sustainably harvesting timber helps maintain and improve wildlife habitat, protect water quality, lessen the risk of forest fires, and help ensure the health of the forest.
From The Lakeland Times: https://www.lakelandtimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=9&SubSectionID=9&ArticleID=19457