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Wood County chair says hosting statewide forest association showcased local forestry operations
Summary
Wood County Board Chair Lance Plyml told a local radio interview that the county recently hosted the Wisconsin County Forest Association, spotlighting management of 38,000 county forest acres and annual timber revenues of roughly $250,000–$500,000 that support county programs.
Wood County Board Chair Lance Plyml said the county recently hosted the Wisconsin County Forest Association, a group of foresters and county forest managers from 30 counties that together oversee roughly 2.5 million acres statewide. Plyml told Melissa Kay on WFHR that Wood County contributes about 38,000 acres to that total and that hosting the association gave local foresters and industry partners a chance to showcase county operations.
"It was an honor to be able to host that," Plyml said, adding that county forester Fritz Schubert ‘‘does a tremendous job’’ running the program. Plyml described the event as a hotel kickoff followed by bus tours of forest and industry sites around the county and a final stop at Southwood County Park.
Why it matters: Plyml said sustainable, certified management of county forest lands feeds county programs; he estimated annual timber revenue on the low end at about $250,000 and on the high end near $500,000, funds he said help run parks and other county services. He also framed attendance at professional conferences as an investment: he recalled a $2,000 expense for committee members that in his view yielded practices increasing timber revenues in subsequent years.
Plyml said county forest lands are open for recreation — hunting, ATV use, snowmobiling — and emphasized that residents and nonresidents alike may use the public lands. He also noted state Department of Natural Resources staff often attend association events and that hosting the association raised the county's profile with peer counties and industry partners.
The county did not provide detailed accounting in the interview for specific timber sales, and Plyml did not cite a motion or vote tied to the hosting. He said the association moves around the state and that Wood County was well received as a host.
Plyml encouraged residents to use the county's parks and forest amenities and to check woodcountywi.gov for more information on forest and parks reservations.
