Ashland County forestry committee accepts annual report, forwards 2026 work plan and approves routine resolutions

Committee members reviewed the forestry department’s annual report, timber-sale revenue figures and the 2026 work plan, and voted to forward both documents to the full Ashland County board for acceptance.

The department reported nearly $590,000 in gross timber-sale revenue for the past year, with a net timber sale revenue figure of $507,585 after required distributions. The report shows 10% of gross revenue is paid to towns and 20% goes to a state severance payment; the town of Gordon received roughly half of 1% to support a road used to move timber.

The 2026 work plan identifies about 2,100 acres of county forest land for reconnaissance and potential timber-sale decisions next year, with roughly 1,500 acres characterized as northern hardwoods. Staff said not all stands will result in immediate sales; recon work will determine timing and whether acreage is moved back in the cutting schedule.

Committee members asked about year-to-year revenue comparisons, how recon work is timed relative to leaf-on versus leaf-off conditions, and whether timber prices affect harvest timing; staff said management decisions are driven by forest needs rather than timber price. A staff member noted the state maintains a database that generates a cutting schedule and that typical annual acreage for review ranges between about 1,000 and 2,000 acres.

The committee also approved two routine resolutions and forwarded them to the full county board: a variable-acreage share loan (an annual loan the county takes from the state, described in committee discussion as borrowing up to $0.50 an acre) to support road and trail maintenance, and an annual participation resolution that authorizes the county to participate in a state grant program and allows the department head to sign related documents.

Motions were made and seconded for the report and work plan and for each resolution; committee members voted to pass and forward each item to the full board. The committee chair asked that the items be placed on the full county board agenda (the chair noted the next county board meeting was scheduled for Sept. 16 but could move later depending on the board’s agenda).

Committee members also learned the department had a clean multi-county audit for its certification and that the county forest’s partnership meeting for the Forest Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (the grant-funded program given to counties with lands enrolled in county forest law) was scheduled for Sept. 16 at 9 a.m. Staff said recent state budget changes increased the program payment from $0.05 an acre to $0.10 an acre.

The department reported other operational updates—recruitment timing for vacant forest technician and ranger positions, a completed 120-acre timber sale, capital items (radios installed and new ATVs displayed) and early-year revenues billed at roughly $390,000 so far. Staff said bear season opened that day and that staff would be monitoring gates and complaint calls.