Advocates
Bios/Locations
 Arena Township, Iowa County
Dr. Gregory Beirne
(608) 753-2090 or gbeirne@merr.com
Gregory Beirne began helping a friend to improve his woods soon after moving to Wisconsin as a young physician who liked to hunt. Eventually he bought 145 acres of his own, adding another 40 acres later on. “I really didn’t know that much about woodland, but when I bought my own place I gradually got introduced to the problems and principles,” Dr. Beirne said. Over the years he has planted and harvested trees, grown shiitake mushrooms, and developed a deep interest in local history.
He volunteers as an advocate, Dr. Beirne said, because he likes his neighbors and he likes talking about forest management. “I think especially with new landowners you have to find out what they have in mind for their woods. Maybe they don’t know about forestry management, and then I think I can help them.”
 West Sweden Township, Polk County
Neal W. Chapman
(612) 998-7901 or nwchapman@comcast.net
Neal Chapman remembers what it’s like to buy land and then try to figure out what to do with it. Years ago he had that experience with 20 acres in Minnesota, and it taught him where to find resources and then how to develop and implement a stewardship plan for his land.
“You would be hard pressed to find a more diverse 20 acres than I have near Frederic,” Chapman said. “Rock outcrops, red and white oak and white pine. I have a little river, a wetland, pine plantations, and a field that’s going into native prairie.” He has completed the Master Woodland Steward Program and classes at the Leopold Institute to learn how to better care for his land, and now he’s eager to help his neighbors learn how to care for their land.
The Woodland Advocate Program provides “the motivation to do what we should be doing – cultivating other people to think about their land besides as a place they go to hunt. It’s a mentoring role that I thrive on,” Chapman said. “It’s a real bonus to be able to walk other people’s woods with them. There’s a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment.”
 Westford Township, Richland County
Doug Duren
(608) 231-2130 or douglasduren@sbcglobal.net
Doug Duren’s family has owned their land in Westford Township since 1901, and their land has been well managed by the previous generations. “There are oak trees on our farm that were young saplings when my great-grandfather bought the place, and now they’re prime timber,” he said. “We have a family legacy of good stewardship that I plan to continue.”
Duren has more than 20 years experience in the Green Industry, including work in landscape design, construction and management; being a “gypsy tree planter” for a reforestation company; a trail crew leader in the White Mountains of New England; and now as owner of his own site and land management business. He is also active in the planning and implementation of forest stewardship practices on several properties.
Duren would like to help his neighbors find the information and resources to create their own legacies. As a graduate of the Wisconsin Coverts Project and the Master Woodland Steward Program, it seemed the right thing to do to volunteer as a Woodland Advocate. “I like the idea that I’m helping to expand the awareness of resource management,” he said. “I’m confident that if people are made aware of the resources that are available, and of the reasons for managing their woodland more sustainably, they’ll do it.”
Wausau, Marathon County
Don Grassl
(715) 842-7151 or dgrassl@charter.net
Don Grassl has owned woodlands since the early 1970s, and since his retirement in 2000 has been able to devote many hours to management. “I’ve planted 30,000 trees – a mix of oak, pine, green ash, and so on. I spend a lot of time on invasive species – it’s my biggest concern. I have land in the CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program), and in the Managed Forest Law program. And since I had my land in MFL, I’ve had to do a timber harvest.” To learn even more about managing woodlands, he joined the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association and completed the Master Woodland Steward Program. “It was excellent. It taught me what to plant and how to plant, financial things like taxes, and programs that will help you,” he said.
Being a Woodland Advocate allows him to give something back, Grassl said. “I want to support sustainable forestry in my area. What I got out of going to all the Master Woodland sessions is information, and I think there’s a lot of people who don’t have that information and don’t know it’s available. If they had information, they probably would make their woodlot a little more productive of timber and wildlife.”
 Grant Township, Dunn County
Jim Heerey
(715) 237-3093 or heerey@citizen-tel.net
Jim Heerey vividly remembers being in a government office about 40 years ago and picking up a pamphlet titled “Every Tree is Not a Sawlog.” In a few paragraphs, a new world of woodland management opened up for him. “It explained all the various defects that exist in trees in a naturally grown stand that make any logs coming out of those trees of low value,” Heerey recalled. “It stressed the point that removal of these poorly formed trees in favor of the better formed trees could have a substantial long term effect on the quality of the timber.”
Since that time Heerey has managed his own parcels of woodland, been active in woodland owner associations, read everything on the subject he could find, and attended field days and workshops. He’s completed the Master Woodland Steward, Woodland Leadership Institute, and the Wisconsin Coverts Program.
Being a Woodland Advocate allows him to do what he likes best. “I enjoy forest management so much, and I enjoy discussing people’s goals for their forestland and how they might achieve them,” Heerey said. “The ultimate goal is to improve the productivity and sustainability of our forests – and a lot of forest management practices enhance wildlife.”
 Springville and Dell Prairie Townships
Bill Helm
(608) 493-4131
Bill Helm completed a two-year program in conservation and natural resources management as a young man, then went on to a completely different career teaching everything from business and administrative law to accounting and economics. His two great interests come together in managing his own land and helping his neighbors figure out how they want to manage theirs.
Helm’s 40 acres are part of the land originally homesteaded by his grandfather. Over the years he’s planted, harvested, and protected trees, worked on developing habitat for the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly, and delved deeply into local history and woodland management. Besides being a graduate of the Master Woodland Steward program and the Woodland Leadership Institute, he greatly enjoys being a member of the Wisconsin Forest History Association and the Baraboo Range Preservation Association.
All the time he’s spent learning and practicing woodland management is put to use as a Woodland Advocate, Helm said. “I like helping out where I can. I want to share the history, and my knowledge. And I think I can really listen to what they want. Hopefully there will be a merging of what I can share and what they want. And I’ll get to know the community better.”
Butch Lobermeier loves the woods so much that even though he’s a professional forester and the Land Conservationist in Bayfield County, he’s volunteering in his off hours to work as a Woodland Advocate in his home area of Price County, where he manages 500 acres of diverse woodlands in partnership with his wife, son, brother, and friend. “We’ve done just about everything there is to do,” Lobermeier said. “Tree planting, timber stand improvement, timber harvesting, stream and fish habitat enhancement, wildlife openings, food plots, recreation trails, and wetland enhancement. We’re lucky to have every land cover type common to northern Wisconsin on our property.”
“Forest management is a good thing to do,” Lobermeier said. “It’s not just about cords and boards, it’s about wildlife, water quality, aesthetics, and recreation. As a county forester I worked on a 90,000 acre county forest. As a Woodland Advocate, I’ll be working with private landowners to assist them with their stewardship goals on much smaller parcels. I think what I’m going to enjoy most is helping woodland owners to work through their concerns and to begin implementing the management practices that will lead to achieving their personal goals of woodland ownership.”
 Leon Township, Waushara County
Judy Newland
(920) 987-5961 or judithann@centurytel.net
Judy Newland bought her woodlands in 1978, but until a windstorm that hit in 2001 was followed by a gypsy moth infestation two years later, she didn’t worry about management. “But at that point I figured I needed to do something to keep my woods healthy,” she said. She joined Wisconsin Family Forests and in 2007 received a scholarship to attend the Woodland Leadership Institute. In 2008 she completed the coverts program, which “gives you another perspective – wildlife management,” she said. She’s planted trees and completed a timber harvest on her land, and patrols regularly for invasive species.
In the summer of 2008 she was one of three volunteers for the pilot project that has become the Woodland Advocate program. “I was so enthusiastic – I wanted to share the knowledge I’d gotten from the educational sessions I’d been to with my fellow woodland owners,” Newland said. That year she, along with a professional forester, visited 40 neighboring woodland owners – resulting in basic management plans being written for each one by the forester. “When I talked with other owners I found they want to be good stewards and have healthy forests, but didn’t really know what it takes. And it’s great exercise! You’re outdoors, you’re meeting people, and sharing your knowledge.”
She looks forward to continuing her work as an advocate, and helping woodland owners to take those first steps towards good management, she said. “The beginning part is making people aware that their woods are changing all the time, and of what constitutes a healthy forest, and how they can manage their woods with their particular goals in mind.”
 Eaton Township, Manitowoc County
Jeff Schuler
(920) 773-2578 or autumnvalley@lsol.net
Jeff Schuler inherited both practical and academic woodland experience from his parents. “My father came from a farming background and always owned land. My mother had formal schooling in biology. In the 1980s my parents started a tree nursery – I remember when I was little taking care of those tree seedlings.”
In 2000 Schuler bought 103 acres of his family’s land, about half wooded, and later added 40 more acres in partnership with his brothers. “I’ve planted about 12,000 trees, all by hand, and done several TSI (timber stand improvement) thinnings,” he said. He also grows his own hardwood seedlings using the techniques he learned from his parents, and has expanded his knowledge through completing the Master Woodland Steward program.
Volunteering as a Woodland Advocate was the natural next step, he said. “A lot of this I’ve been doing on my own. I’ve walked through neighbor’s woodlots and discussed all the things we discuss in the advocate program. I love trees and I love seeing the potential of a managed forest. Hopefully I can get people excited about managing their forest in a sustainable way to create a healthier forest.”
Most woodland owners also use chainsaws, and chainsaw safety is a major emphasis for Schuler. “My father passed away from a chainsaw accident when I was eleven,” he said. “I’d like to teach people how to be safe in the woods.”
 Sobieski and Little Suamanico Townships, Oconto County
Ted Zabel
(920) 822-8214 or tzabel15125@hotmail.com
Ted Zabel is a partner in two different woodlands, on very different land. “One is sand and oak, the other has heavier soil with beech, maple, and hemlock. You begin to look at what grows where, and why, and to look at how we can control or manage for better woodlands.” Zabel grew up on a dairy farm and became an engineer and manager, but since retirement he’s had more time to indulge his love for hunting, fishing, gardening, and managing woodlands.
As a graduate of the Wisconsin Leadership Institute and president of the Phoenix Falls chapter of the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association, Zabel is enthusiastic about the potential of the Woodland Advocate program to further sustainable forestry. “The goal of the program is to try and get people to understand a bigger picture of their woodlands, the value of what they’ve got, and how to optimize that value. The program is not to force people into anything, just to open their eyes to the possibilities that are out there,” he said.
“I’ve always enjoyed working with people, working through issues and problems and concerns.” |
Fifield, Price County