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Sawyer County board endorses Forestry Revitalization Act; resolution passes unanimously
Summary
The county board voted to support the state Forestry Revitalization Act, citing potential job creation and local industrial investment backed by proposed state forestry funds and bonding.
The Sawyer County board voted to adopt a resolution supporting the Forestry Revitalization Act after hearing remarks from county officials who described the bill as a significant economic opportunity for the region.
A county official described the measure as likely to boost local wood‑using industries and cited a projected plant that could create about 150 jobs with annual wages above $100,000, plus roughly 200 additional logging and trucking jobs. He said the bill proposes a $150 million bonding package, to be repaid from the state forestry account; supporters argued that using forestry revenues to support forest industry investment is consistent with the account’s purposes.
Supervisor Stacy Hessel moved to approve the resolution; Supervisor Randy Newman seconded. The board voted in favor with ayes recorded and no oppositions or recorded no votes; the chair declared the resolution passed.
Backers said the legislation, sponsored in part by Senator Velasquez and Representative Green, would not only add capacity for manufacturing wood products but could keep more workers in the region by creating higher‑paying processing jobs and related trucking and logging work. One supervisor noted existing capacity plans include at least two other potential sites beyond the initial plant, including a site in Ontonagon, Michigan.
Ending
The resolution will be forwarded as a county expression of support to state legislators and mirrors a similar resolution expected later this month from the Northwest Regional Planning Commission; supervisors did not allocate county funds as part of the action.
