Woodland Advocate Program

One of the issues the Woodland Advocate Program hopes to resolve is the need for sustainable management on the abundance of family-owned woodlands in Wisconsin. The Woodland Advocate Program hopes to provide pressure-free outreach to woodland owners through a trusted advocate and from an independent organization.

“We aren’t government, we will not make them do anything they don’t want,” Neal Chapman, Woodland Advocate, said. “We have more time to devote to specific landowners, their projects, and are available when the landowner is.”

Early reaction to the program, which first began in 2006, has been overwhelmingly positive. The pilot program, originally called the “Healthy Forest Program” intended to determine the effectiveness of providing free or low-cost forest management services to family forest landowners. During that pilot effort, 90 woodland owners expressed a desire to have a professional forester visit their land for management advice. An overwhelming 85 percent of the landowners had no previous forester contact. After the visits, 88 percent of the landowners responded that they were “very pleased” with the program and the rest were “pleased.”

Today the program continues to grow and provide helpful assistance to woodland owners. Gerry Mich, the coordinator of the program, is excited by the progress and potential of the program. “It has expanded from three sites to nine more across the state. The program is in the process of training another group of volunteers and continues to impress all who come in contact with it. We have a very positive outlook.”

Larry French, his wife Kathy and their six children have lived in rural Siren, Wisconsin in Polk County for just short of 20 years. They own 40 acres of woodlands and recently were visited by a Woodland Advocate after a neighbor recommended the program. The program has helped French clarify multiple goals for his land and to further see his property’s potential.

“The advocate helped me identify and clarify my goals, from deer hunting, to harvesting maple syrup and firewood, to even identifying native species and soil types,” French said. When asked if he would recommend the program to others, French said yes. “Ignorance is bliss. People don’t realize what they have and how they can manage it. Without the program, I wouldn’t have found out a lot of helpful information.”

The goal of the Woodland Advocate Program is to promote sustainable forestry on private lands in Wisconsin through trusted relationships. By creating personal and trusted relationships with landowners, the Woodland Advocates hope to assist owners of woodlands and find the resources and professionals they need to care for their woods. To get involved with the Woodland Advocate program or have an Advocate contact you call Gerry Mich at 715-213-1618 or e-mail him at gerry@wisconsinfamilyforests.org. You can be part of a rewarding movement.Some years after Clyde Samsel retired from Johnson Wax and moved to his tree farm in Waushara County to start a sawmill, he decided to conduct a little experiment in community-based forest management.