Living Forest Cooperative
Services

Forest Stewardship Plans

A Forest Stewardship Plan is essential to fully appreciating, understanding, and utilizing your woodland property. For the first time landowner, our plans are invaluable educational documents explaining the existing resource, how to care for the land, and the land-use and income potential of the property. For the seasoned landowner, our plans can unlock the investment and ecological potential of a property. For a family, a stewardship plan can provide generations of enjoyment and rewards from land ownership.

The Living Forest Cooperative writes basic or comprehensive stewardship plans tailored to the objectives and desires of the individual landowner. Our plans evaluate the landowner's property from an ecological perspective and include detailed analysis and planning for the timber resource, biodiversity, ecosystem health, and aesthetic beauty.

Our plans meet the highest standards of sustainable forestry as set by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and qualifies a property for FSC Certification and government assistance programs. Our staff has a multi-disciplinary education in forestry, ecology, and wildlife ecology ensuring that our plans consider all the attributes of a forest, not just timber production.

Our management plans vary in cost, depending upon the property and the landowner's needs. Generally, our plans cost about $15/acre with a $600 minimum. Cost-sharing is available through the Wisconsin Forest Landowners Grant Program (WFLGP). Our plans include three sections Regional Landscape Description, Landowner Property Description, Stand Specific Management Prescription. See an example of a FSC-Certified Forest Stewardship Plan (pdf format).In addition, each plan has an appendix with, Geographic Information System Maps (GIS Maps) and property specific information sheets covering things like invasive plants, tree disease, insects, endangered species, ect.

Forestry Services

A management plan is an essential starting point for land stewardship, but the implementation of the recommended actions is even more important. The Living Forest Cooperative has the staff and network available to administer a wide range of management actions and ensure that any work is done right.

Timber Sale Design and Administration

Many stewardship plans will recommend a timber harvest at some point. Whether it be a timber stand improvement harvest, a thinning, or a sustainable harvest of crop trees, the LFC administers the sale from beginning to end. We work with the landowner throughout the process to ensure the landowner's objectives are being met. Services include: timber sale design and layout, tree marking, marketing of timber sales, and timber sale adminstration. See an example of a Timber Sale Prospectus. Loggers are evaluated to ensure that the operator is properly trained, has the right equipment, is well recommended, and is sensitive to the objectives of the landowner. We will monitor the operation from beginning to end to ensure that the terms of the contract are being met.

Tree Planting

The LFC has helped landowners in our area plant thousands of trees. We navigate the government cost-sharing programs available to private landowners and help them access thousands of dollars for tree planting. The LFC staff plant small acreages or hire crews for bigger jobs. We provide technical assistance and advice for landowners doing the planting themselves. Working with the LFC allows landowners to buy trees at bulk rates.

Ecosystem Restoration

Most of NW Wisconsin's forests have been simplified from the original species mix through heavy logging followed by fires and in some cases grazing or agriculture. Our staff and consulting ecologists help landowners restore their property to a more natural condition. We design and implement plantings of native plants. We design and implement silvicultural practices that convert aspen to conifers and long-lived hardwoods.

Fire Management

The LFC is developing its capacity to use fire as a management tool. The Coop works with landowners to identify fire hazards on their land and work to increase five survivability for structurs and the forest.

Nuisance Plant Control

Exotic and nuisance plants are moving their way north into our area. The LFC helps landowners identify exotic invaders and eradicate them before they become a problem.

Member Services

Becoming a member of the Living Forest Cooperative connects you to a network of natural resource professionals, fellow landowners, loggers, millers, and buyers. Our quarterly newsletters are filled with information and news relevant to the forest landowner. Our field days are a great way to meet other landowners and learn about issues affecting forest management and ownership. Past field days include: Grading Lumber, Maple Syruping, Horse logging, Low Impact Harvesting, and Using Aspen to Restore Conifers. Membership in the Coop gives you access to our library and allows you to rent or buy forestry equipment. More importantly, membership gives you a place to ask questions and get advice.

Processing and Marketing

Individual landowners are at a disadvantage in the timber and wood product market. Few people have the experience, time, or money to sustainably manage a forest, or process and market wood products. The LFC pools timber sales to negotiate for a higher stumpage price and get the best return possible to the landowner. We also pool timber for value-added processing (such as sawing logs into lumber or lumber into flooring) to get better rates on milling and trucking. The LFC staff Markets the finished product (be it logs or custom millwork) saving the landowner time and money.

GIS Maps

FVS Map

Pre-settlement Map

Stand Boundries Map

Timber Sale Map

Topography Map