Forestry Hike in the Lower Wisconsin Riverway==4/3By borges, Section Hills and Valleys
A guided hike with Lower Wisconsin State Riverway forester Brad Hutnik will be conducted near Boscobel on Saturday, April 3 beginning at 10:00 am.
To find the site take Highway 61 into Boscobel and at the north edge of town turn east (sign says north) on 133 and go one and a half miles to just outside of town. Take James Road left to its end at the airport. For more information, contact Lila Marmel at 608-624-5269; sunmoon@mwt.net more info in the full story...
The floodplain forest community on the riverway is changing, mostly due to changes in the flooding cycle since dams were established in the watershed. "We're losing early successional species like cottonwood, black willow, and river birch, said Hutnik, "and we're seeing more of the later successional bottomland trees such as ash, hackberry, elm, and swamp white oak." As a natural species migration corridor, some southern tree species are coming north, such as honey locus, sycamore, Kentucky coffee tree and red mulberry reach their northern range limits here. Forest management however, involves more than just considerations about trees, however, especially in a public use area like the Riverway. Wildlife habitat is iimportant not only for game species, but also for rare and endangered species. The Riverway is frequented by a number of rare birds including red-shouldered hawk, cerulean warbler, and Accadian flycatcher, and provides habitat for amphibians and snakes, as well as native grases, forbs, woodland wildflowers and shrubs. The DNR has done extensive surveys of the plant and animal life to inform their management planning for the riverway. Considering the needs of many types of species requires looking beyond a stand of trees to a landscape perspective. Some species, like interior forest birds, need large areas of continuous woods, while others need edges and openings. Modern foresters attempt to find ways to meet these varying needs as they work to optimize ecosystem health in each area. In the area where the hike will be conducted, a harvest waas conducted in 2007 which yielded pulp and sawlogs. We will see how the harvest was used as an opportunity to improve the forest while also afeguarding habitat for rare species. Future harvests will also provide biomass for energy generation in the state.
Hutnik will also show how modern technology is supporting the work of the forester. A hand-held electronic device is used to record inventory data collected in the woods, and computer software provides information about the character of the woods before and after the harvest. Thus the impacts of that disturbance (the harvest) can be better understood and help to guide future management decisions. The day will begin inside the building at the Boscobel Municipal Airport, 100 James Drive, at 10:00. We will have coffee and refreshments, look at handouts, and get an overview of what will be seen on the walk, then we will proceed into the woods. Dress for the weather, and it could be muddy in the bottomlands at this time of year. The event is open to the public, and is cosponsored by the Kickapoo Woods cooperative and the Bad Axe Chapter of Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association. To find the site take Highway 61 into Boscobel and at the north edge of town turn east (sign says north) on 133 and go one and a half miles to just outside of town. Take James Road left to its end at the airport. For more information, contact Lila Marmel at 608-624-5269; sunmoon@mwt.net |
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