A Wisconsin family will keep owning and logging nearly 1,800 forest acres while a $1.6 million deal permanently blocks development and opens almost 1,500 acres to hikers, hunters and anglers

The forest includes northern mixed hardwood, forested wetlands and meadows

A Wisconsin family will continue to own and manage nearly 1,800 acres of forest in Langlade County after the state moved closer to securing a $1.6 million conservation easement on the property. The agreement would prevent the land from being developed while allowing timber production to continue. It would also open almost 1,500 acres to public activities including hiking, hunting and fishing.According to Wisconsin Public Radio, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking the easement from Braun Woodlands II, LLC and the Frederic H.T. Braun Grandchildren Irrevocable Trust. The state’s Natural Resources Board approved the DNR’s request to purchase the easement on Wednesday. The deal would be funded through a combination of state and federal money, along with a planned contribution from the Ice Age Trail Alliance.The proposed protection comes as the forest faces pressure from nearby development. Ron Gropp, the DNR’s forest legacy programme coordinator, said the property could otherwise be broken up as development spreads around it. He said the Braun family decided that protecting the land was the right step for the property’s future.“I think they just came to the conclusion on their own terms that now is the right time to protect this property,” Gropp told the board. “They see the threat going all around them, and they just really feel deeply about this property being protected,” he added.The land covers two separate tracts that will remain in the Braun family’s ownership and stay on the tax rolls. The forest includes northern mixed hardwood, forested wetlands and meadows. Under the proposed easement, almost 1,500 acres would be available to the public, while the remaining part would stay closed to public access and would not be paid for using Stewardship funding.

$1.6 million conservation easement

The DNR would pay $1.6 million for the conservation easement. Nearly $1.3 million of that amount would come from a combination of a federal grant and Wisconsin’s Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship Programme.The Stewardship Programme expired in June after lawmakers did not reauthorise its funding. However, the DNR said money for this particular project had already been restricted under a purchase contract before the programme ended.The final funding arrangement still depends on approval of a federal Forest Legacy grant from the US Forest Service. Gropp said the DNR is not expected to know the status of that grant until early next year. The agency said there is nevertheless enough Stewardship funding available to finance the full purchase.The proposed conservation easement would also protect more than one mile of the existing Ice Age National Scenic Trail. The Ice Age Trail Alliance plans to add another two miles of trail on the property in an area where there is currently no path.Kevin Thusius, the alliance’s senior director of field operations, said the arrangement would allow the Braun family to continue its timber management while protecting part of the trail.“They get this great opportunity to leave a legacy of timber management, and we get to protect the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. The state and other parties get to also have this continued income of timber production,” Thusius told WPR. The alliance plans to contribute around $330,000 towards the purchase, subject to approval by its board.

The proposed conservation easement would also protect more than one mile of the existing Ice Age National Scenic Trail

Forest will remain in family ownership

The conservation deal does not involve the state taking ownership of the entire property. Instead, the easement would place permanent limits on development while the Braun family continues to own the land.The property has also long been enrolled in Wisconsin’s Managed Forest Law programme. The programme lowers property taxes for private landowners who take part in sustainable forest management.As part of the proposed arrangement, the Braun family has agreed to open 220 acres currently in the Managed Forest Law programme. In return, 320 acres on the western side of the property would be closed to the public.Gropp also pointed to the connection between the forest and the local timber industry. Wood products from the property have gone directly to White Lake, where a Robbins Sports Surfaces manufacturing plant operates.“So really, really impressive that wood from this property goes directly to support that local business and the local economy,” Gropp said.The forest is also located within half a mile of a concentrated animal feeding operation, according to the DNR. Gropp said the surrounding development pressure was one of the reasons protecting the property was important.

Public access and Ice Age Trail

Along with keeping the forest under private ownership, the proposed easement would provide public access to almost 1,500 acres. People would be able to use the land for hiking, hunting and fishing.The Ice Age Trail is another major part of the project. More than a mile of existing trail would be protected through the easement, while the Ice Age Trail Alliance plans to build another two miles on the property.Several local and regional bodies have supported the proposed conservation easement. The towns of Evergreen and Polar, the Langlade County Board of Supervisors and the Menominee Indian Tribe have all passed resolutions supporting the establishment of the Braun Woodlands Forest Legacy Conservation Easement.