Should logging close to bodies of water in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest be allowed?
Background and History
The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest is the largest in Wisconsin spanning 1.5 million acres of Wisconsin’s Northwoods. Logging in the forest dates back to the late 1800s when the timber industry boomed in Wisconsin, and it reached its peak in the 1920s. Loggers would cut down trees and transport them using rivers and railroads. The Wisconsin River provided easy transport from forests allowing Wisconsin's logging industry to grow. Due to the growth of the logging industry in the early 20th century little old-growth forest remains. Old-growth forests are essential for wildlife habitats, species diversity, carbon storage, etc. One species that has been impacted by the logging industry is the American Marten. The American Marten lives in mature and dense forests, and due to logging much of their habitat was destroyed.
The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest is the largest in Wisconsin spanning 1.5 million acres of Wisconsin’s Northwoods. Logging in the forest dates back to the late 1800s when the timber industry boomed in Wisconsin, and it reached its peak in the 1920s. Loggers would cut down trees and transport them using rivers and railroads. The Wisconsin River provided easy transport from forests allowing Wisconsin's logging industry to grow. Due to the growth of the logging industry in the early 20th century little old-growth forest remains. Old-growth forests are essential for wildlife habitats, species diversity, carbon storage, etc. One species that has been impacted by the logging industry is the American Marten. The American Marten lives in mature and dense forests, and due to logging much of their habitat was destroyed.
Current Status of the Controversy
The current status of the logging issue in Wisconsin is still trying to be solved. The problem is that the logging is causing habitat loss and pollution to the lakes or bodies of water around the trees. My group and I were able to get in contact with a man by the name of Jonathon Gilbert. Jonathan is a wildlife biologist that works with the GLIFWC(Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission). He has been a part of GLIFWC for the past 40 years and has been specializing in the logging in Wisconsin for the last several years. Jonathan has worked on studying the American Marten for the last 20 years and he had talked about how they prefer forests with big trees to live in. Jonathon’s goal is to protect the martens and keep the trees growing bigger and leaving down wood for them to create their habitat. He wants the logging to continue to happen because it will help the marten population grow quicker. This is because it will allow the big trees to grow bigger and stronger which the martens prefer while still being able to harvest the smaller trees. The harvesting of trees is a balancing act and that we need to have a good balance of animal habitats. This is because some changes to habitat will help animals and others can be detrimental to species. Jonathan had covered the four mile project and gave us good information on the project. The project is located in the Chequamegon/Nicolet forest and it is a project to help recover the forest and also still provide timber for society to use. This is because in the early 1900’s the woods were completely logged off and they're still in recovery mode. As I said earlier this project is to help recover while still getting wood to the people. This project also comes in the home of the american marten and that's one of the big reasons Jonathon got involved with the project.
Current Events
The current event that has happened in Wisconsin this year comes from the Chequamegon/Nicolet forest. An environmental group had exclaimed that the Chequamegon/Nicolet National Forest (CNNF) had violated their contract by clear cutting the forest while the ground was unfrozen. They complained and called the CNNF and told them to halt the operation immediately. In the contract it says when there is more than 12 inches of compacted snow or more than six inches of frozen ground. Wisconsin has not gotten much snow cover this year so the ground was not considered “Frozen” according to the contract. The reason this is such a big deal is because Logging on unfrozen ground can result in soil compaction, which reduces the ability of plants to grow in that spot. This causes less water to flow through the soil and causes soil erosion. So the group sent pictures and a letter to the USFS and they talked about how they had seen thousands of logs stacked in the forest. These logs would meet the USFS’ classification for old growth, and cutting these trees goes directly against Biden’s administration policy to preserve them. “This was devastation to see” the environmental group had exclaimed. Then contacted Jenn Youngblood from CNNF and she did not respond to comment on the issue.
Solution
Logging in Wisconsin should not be stopped but should be modified to help create habitats for the American marten. We also believe that there should be more monitoring of what is being cut down and where. This is because there are illegal logging operations that are hurting the environment without us even knowing. We say all this in agreement with Jonathon Gilbert, he had exclaimed to us that logging can hurt but also help their habitat. This is because dead and downed wood can be used to create their habitat, but they also live in the large old growth trees. We had also read in multiple articles that the big trees produce the most oxygen so it wouldn't just be most beneficial for the animal but also for humans as well. We believe that ethically logging is okay if it is done in the right manner with the correct precautions and regulations in place, this is why we believe that logging should still continue. The solution is that logging should start to focus on the smaller trees and let the old ones grow out. This will help create habitats for the marten while also being able to give society the resources they need. This idea can’t be implemented overnight but this is something that we believe would be a really great solution to the entire logging and habitat loss problem.
References
“Environmental Group Alleges Illegal Logging in Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest • Wisconsin Examiner.” Wisconsin Examiner, 16 Feb. 2024, https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2024/02/15/environmental-group-alleges-illegal-logging-in-chequamegon-nicolet-national-forest/.
“History of WI Forests| Wisconsin County Forest Association.” Wisconsin County Forests Association, https://wisconsincountyforests.com/about/history/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024.
Kaeding, Danielle. “Groups Petition Forest Service to Suspend Logging Project in Northeastern Wisconsin.” WPR, 2 Oct. 2023, https://www.wpr.org/economy/groups-petition-forest-service-suspend-logging-project-climate-change.
Redman, Henry. “A Hike and a Fight: Northwoods Residents Say DNR Is Violating Its Logging Rules • Wisconsin Examiner.” Wisconsin Examiner, 7 Sept. 2021, https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2021/09/07/a-hike-and-a-fight-northwoods-residents-say-dnr-is-violating-its-logging-rules/.
“Two Northwoods Friends Push Wisconsin DNR to Protect Lakeshore Trees.” PBS Wisconsin, https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/two-northwoods-friends-push-wisconsin-dnr-to-protect-lakeshore-trees/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024.
The current status of the logging issue in Wisconsin is still trying to be solved. The problem is that the logging is causing habitat loss and pollution to the lakes or bodies of water around the trees. My group and I were able to get in contact with a man by the name of Jonathon Gilbert. Jonathan is a wildlife biologist that works with the GLIFWC(Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission). He has been a part of GLIFWC for the past 40 years and has been specializing in the logging in Wisconsin for the last several years. Jonathan has worked on studying the American Marten for the last 20 years and he had talked about how they prefer forests with big trees to live in. Jonathon’s goal is to protect the martens and keep the trees growing bigger and leaving down wood for them to create their habitat. He wants the logging to continue to happen because it will help the marten population grow quicker. This is because it will allow the big trees to grow bigger and stronger which the martens prefer while still being able to harvest the smaller trees. The harvesting of trees is a balancing act and that we need to have a good balance of animal habitats. This is because some changes to habitat will help animals and others can be detrimental to species. Jonathan had covered the four mile project and gave us good information on the project. The project is located in the Chequamegon/Nicolet forest and it is a project to help recover the forest and also still provide timber for society to use. This is because in the early 1900’s the woods were completely logged off and they're still in recovery mode. As I said earlier this project is to help recover while still getting wood to the people. This project also comes in the home of the american marten and that's one of the big reasons Jonathon got involved with the project.
Current Events
The current event that has happened in Wisconsin this year comes from the Chequamegon/Nicolet forest. An environmental group had exclaimed that the Chequamegon/Nicolet National Forest (CNNF) had violated their contract by clear cutting the forest while the ground was unfrozen. They complained and called the CNNF and told them to halt the operation immediately. In the contract it says when there is more than 12 inches of compacted snow or more than six inches of frozen ground. Wisconsin has not gotten much snow cover this year so the ground was not considered “Frozen” according to the contract. The reason this is such a big deal is because Logging on unfrozen ground can result in soil compaction, which reduces the ability of plants to grow in that spot. This causes less water to flow through the soil and causes soil erosion. So the group sent pictures and a letter to the USFS and they talked about how they had seen thousands of logs stacked in the forest. These logs would meet the USFS’ classification for old growth, and cutting these trees goes directly against Biden’s administration policy to preserve them. “This was devastation to see” the environmental group had exclaimed. Then contacted Jenn Youngblood from CNNF and she did not respond to comment on the issue.
Solution
Logging in Wisconsin should not be stopped but should be modified to help create habitats for the American marten. We also believe that there should be more monitoring of what is being cut down and where. This is because there are illegal logging operations that are hurting the environment without us even knowing. We say all this in agreement with Jonathon Gilbert, he had exclaimed to us that logging can hurt but also help their habitat. This is because dead and downed wood can be used to create their habitat, but they also live in the large old growth trees. We had also read in multiple articles that the big trees produce the most oxygen so it wouldn't just be most beneficial for the animal but also for humans as well. We believe that ethically logging is okay if it is done in the right manner with the correct precautions and regulations in place, this is why we believe that logging should still continue. The solution is that logging should start to focus on the smaller trees and let the old ones grow out. This will help create habitats for the marten while also being able to give society the resources they need. This idea can’t be implemented overnight but this is something that we believe would be a really great solution to the entire logging and habitat loss problem.
References
“Environmental Group Alleges Illegal Logging in Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest • Wisconsin Examiner.” Wisconsin Examiner, 16 Feb. 2024, https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2024/02/15/environmental-group-alleges-illegal-logging-in-chequamegon-nicolet-national-forest/.
“History of WI Forests| Wisconsin County Forest Association.” Wisconsin County Forests Association, https://wisconsincountyforests.com/about/history/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024.
Kaeding, Danielle. “Groups Petition Forest Service to Suspend Logging Project in Northeastern Wisconsin.” WPR, 2 Oct. 2023, https://www.wpr.org/economy/groups-petition-forest-service-suspend-logging-project-climate-change.
Redman, Henry. “A Hike and a Fight: Northwoods Residents Say DNR Is Violating Its Logging Rules • Wisconsin Examiner.” Wisconsin Examiner, 7 Sept. 2021, https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2021/09/07/a-hike-and-a-fight-northwoods-residents-say-dnr-is-violating-its-logging-rules/.
“Two Northwoods Friends Push Wisconsin DNR to Protect Lakeshore Trees.” PBS Wisconsin, https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/two-northwoods-friends-push-wisconsin-dnr-to-protect-lakeshore-trees/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024.