DNR Moves To Protect 1,800 Acres Of Langlade County Forest
Conservation easement would safeguard timberlands, trail access and local industry near Antigo.
The Wisconsin DNR is seeking to buy a conservation easement on almost 1,800 acres of forest land in Langlade County that’s owned by Braun Woodlands II, LLC and the Frederic H.T. Braun Grandchildren Irrevocable Trust. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin DNR
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is one step closer to securing a conservation easement on almost 1,800 acres in Langlade County that would benefit timber production and the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.
On Wednesday, the Natural Resources Board approved the agency’s request to purchase an easement on the property from Braun Woodlands II, LLC and the Frederic H.T. Braun Grandchildren Irrevocable Trust. The DNR would purchase the $1.6 million easement through a mix of state and federal funding, as well as a donation from the Ice Age Trail Alliance.
Most of the purchase would be funded with nearly $1.3 million from a federal grant and the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship Program. The program expired in June after lawmakers failed to reauthorize Stewardship funding. However, the DNR said funds had been restricted for the project under a purchase contract prior to the program’s end.
The purchase from the Braun family would preserve northern forest lands under threat of development, said Ron Gropp, the DNR’s forest legacy program coordinator.
“I think they just came to the conclusion on their own terms that now is the right time to protect this property,” Gropp told the board. “They see the threat going all around them, and they just really feel deeply about this property being protected.”
A view of forest land that would be acquired under a conservation east of Antigo in Langlade County. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin DNR
Gropp said the forest faces the threat of being broken up by nearby development, adding it’s also within a half mile of a concentrated animal feeding operation. The towns of Evergreen and Polar, the Langlade County Board of Supervisors and the Menominee Indian Tribe have passed resolutions backing establishment of the Braun Woodlands Forest Legacy Conservation Easement.
The property includes two separate tracts that would continue to be owned by the Braun family, remaining on the tax rolls. The forest consists of northern mixed hardwood and forested wetlands and meadows. Almost 1,500 acres would be open to the public for activities that include hiking, hunting and fishing. The remaining portion would be closed to the public and would not be paid for with Stewardship funding.
The conservation easement would also secure over a mile of existing Ice Age National Scenic Trail. The Ice Age Trail Alliance plans to add two miles of trail on the property where none currently exists, said Kevin Thusius, the alliance’s senior director of field operations. He said the project is a win-win for the family, the state and the alliance.
“They get this great opportunity to leave a legacy of timber management, and we get to protect the Ice Age National Scenic Trail,” Thusius told WPR. “The state and other parties get to also have this continued income of timber (production).”
The alliance plans to donate around $330,000 toward the purchase pending approval from its board, said Thusius.
The conservation easement would secure over one mile of existing Ice Age National Scenic Trail. The Ice Age Trail Alliance would add two more miles to the trail within the property where no path currently exists. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin DNR
Gropp said the property has long been enrolled in the state’s Managed Forest Law program, which lowers property taxes for private landowners that engage in sustainable forest management. The Braun family has agreed to open up 220 acres in the MFL program in exchange for the closure of 320 acres on the western side of the property.
Gropp added products from the property have gone directly to White Lake, which is home to a Robbins Sports Surfaces manufacturing plant. The company has provided sports flooring for NBA teams and Olympic training centers, according to the media outlet Athletic Business.
“So really, really impressive that wood from this property goes directly to support that local business and the local economy,” Gropp said.
Wisconsin’s forest products industry directly employs more than 56,000 workers and generates $41 billion in total economic output.
The final funding mix for the project is contingent on approval of a federal forest legacy grant from the U.S. Forest Service. Gropp said the agency won’t know the status of the grant until early next year. Even so, the DNR said enough Stewardship funding exists to finance the entire purchase.
Wisconsin seeks to protect around 1.8K acres of forest in Langlade County was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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