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County forest director briefs Polk County on scale, funding and certification priorities
Summary
The Wisconsin County Forest Association presented to Polk County supervisors on Dec. 17 describing the state’s county forest system, Polk County’s roughly 17,000 acres of county forest, DNR support and state grant/aid mechanisms and noting emerging carbon‑market opportunities for larger forests.
Rebecca Licki, executive director of the Wisconsin County Forest Association, told the Polk County Board of Supervisors that Wisconsin’s county forest system is large, longstanding and financially important to many communities.
Licki said 30 Wisconsin counties operate county forests under state law and that the 30 counties collectively manage roughly 2.4 million acres of county forest. She told supervisors Polk County’s county forest is "17,000 plus acres" within that system and described the county forest law foundation in state statute 28.11.
"State statute 28.11 acts as the foundation for the county forest system," Licki said, describing the statute’s multiple‑use objectives including timber production, recreation, wildlife and watershed habitat. She said county forests generate significant economic output and noted county timber receipts and annual volumes sold to markets.
Licki described the DNR’s financial and technical support for counties: administration grants that cover portions of county forester time, project loans and other grants, and an 'aids to towns' payment the presentation listed at $0.63 per acre. She said the DNR provides technical assistance measured in staff hours (the presentation said counties collectively receive about 46,000 DNR staff hours annually and Polk County receives about 473 hours).
On certification and audits, Licki said 27 of the 30 counties participate in third‑party forest certification (SFI or FSC) and that audits in recent years were "clean," a point she credited to county foresters' work.
Supervisors asked about federal support and carbon markets. Licki said USDA wood‑innovation grants are available for mills and that carbon projects are developing: at present larger county forests have entered carbon deals, while market developers are beginning to offer options for smaller forests but many questions remain.
Licki closed by listing WCFA budget and advocacy priorities for the next state budget cycle, including requests to increase grant and aid spending authority at the DNR and support for forest‑transportation infrastructure funding. She also noted the association plans a specialty license plate to raise funds for the association's work.
