Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin

About the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest

The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest takes in 1.5 million acres in 11 counties in northern Wisconsin. The Forest contains uplands, wetlands, rivers, streams, pine savannas, meadows, and glacial lakes. Native trees include maples, oaks, aspen, beech, basswood, ash, birch, pine, spruce, fir, and tamarack. Cedar swamps and alder thickets abound.

The largely forested terrain supports a diversity of reptiles and amphibians, mammals, and birds both resident and migratory. The Forest offers excellent opportunities for viewing wildlife, canoeing, hiking, camping, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and hunting and fishing. Logging occurs in those areas not set aside as wilderness or otherwise protected.

Improving the Land for Woodcock

On the Chequamegon-Nicolet, managers have designated 11 woodcock habitat demonstration areas. These units are sited on current or former ruffed grouse management areas where aspen and alder (a tree and a shrub, respectively, that both grouse and woodcock use as habitat) are becoming too mature for those birds and for golden-winged and chestnut-sided warblers, whip-poor-wills, indigo buntings, snowshoe hares, and many other wild animals that require young forest for all or some of their habitat needs.

Numerous stands of mature and overmature aspen will be cut, restoring health and vigor to the trees' root systems while creating excellent young-forest habitat.

Managers will use commercial logging, as well as noncommercial shearing of alder, to regenerate wildlife-friendly early successional trees and shrubs while simultaneously improving the forest’s age-class and species diversity.

Cutting aspen encourages it to grow back densely and restores the health and vigor of the trees’ underground root systems, or clones, which form the basis of an aspen woodland. Most alder treatment sites lie in the transition zone between uplands and wetlands and should provide excellent feeding, nesting, and brood-rearing habitat for woodcock.

First-entry cutting on the Habitat Management Units (HMUs) listed below will begin as early as winter 2011-12. First-entry cuts will be up to 40 acres per stand, varying with individual forest stand sizes.

This landscape-scale project will yield around 24,000 acres of new and restored habitat over its 40- to 45-year span. Almost 3,000 acres of new habitat will be produced in the first five years alone.

Some logging operations may supply wood for biomass power-generating plants in the region.

Other logging and habitat-management activities conducted on the following and other units of the Chequamegon-Nicolet within the last two decades already provide different age classes of aspen and other hardwoods. These forest stands are currently being used by woodcock and other wildlife.

Feeding, brood-rearing, and nesting habitats for woodcock exist on clearcuts less than 20 years of age.

Woodcock find singing habitat on forest road edges and on logging roads, road junctions, and log landings that have grown up in grass and other low vegetation. Timberdoodles roost at night on these and similarly open sites, including large treeless expanses that are maintained as sharp-tailed grouse habitat.

Forest Service personnel have monitored woodcock use of the following Habitat Management Units by setting up singing-ground survey routes, creating a baseline from which biologists will be able to measure how the population responds to management efforts. A breeding bird survey route has also been established.

Regrowing stand of aspen and alder next to an area used by displaying male woodcock in springtime.

McDonald HMU (1,748 acres) – Eagle River-Florence Ranger District

150 acres of aspen forest will be harvested during the first five years of management; 274 acres will be cut in year 10; and the remaining aspen will be cut over the following 30 years, creating a 40-year harvest cycle. About 7 acres will be maintained as permanent openings for roosting and springtime displaying habitat.

Scott Creek HMU (696 acres) – Eagle River-Florence Ranger District

139 acres of aspen will be harvested during the project’s first five years; 144 acres will be cut in year 10; and the remaining aspen will be cut over the following 30 years. Approximately 17 acres of small openings will be maintained in the future.

Ding Dong HMU (975 acres) – Great Divide Ranger District

117 acres of aspen will be harvested during the first five years; 173 acres will be cut in year 10; and the remaining aspen will be cut over the following 30 years. Up to 20 acres of overmature alder will be regenerated in this HMU.

Halfway HMU (564 acres) – Great Divide Ranger District

91 acres of aspen will be harvested during the first five years; 116 acres will be cut in year 10; and the remaining aspen will be cut over the following 30 years. Up to 10 acres of alder will be regenerated.

Little Moose HMU (593 acres) – Great Divide Ranger District

204 acres of aspen will be harvested during the first five years; 217 acres will be cut in year 10; and the remaining aspen will be cut over the following 45 years. Around 7 acres of openings will be maintained through mowing.

Binder Lake HMU (496 acres) – Lakewood-Laona Ranger District

48 acres of aspen will be harvested during the first five years; 142 acres will be cut in year 10; and the remaining aspen will be cut over the following 30 years. Up to 10 acres of alder will be regenerated, and 14 acres of openings will be maintained.

Lafave HMU (623 acres) – Lakewood-Laona Ranger District

188 acres of aspen will be harvested during the first five years; 160 acres will be cut in year 10; and the remaining aspen will be cut over the following 40 years.

McCaslin HMU (1,079 acres) – Lakewood-Laona Ranger District

194 acres of aspen will be harvested during the first five years; 248 acres will be cut in year 10; and the remaining aspen will be cut over the following 40 years. Up to 30 acres of alder will be regenerated, and 13 acres of openings will be maintained.

Blockhouse HMU (2,538 acres) – Medford-Park Falls Ranger District

337 acres of aspen will be harvested during the first five years; 327 acres will be cut in year 10; and the remaining aspen will be cut over the following 40 years. Up to 50 acres of alder will be regenerated, and 6 acres of openings will be maintained.

Squaw Creek HMU (5,370 acres) – Medford-Park Falls Ranger District

364 acres of aspen will be harvested during the first five years; 457 acres will be cut in year 10; and the remaining aspen will be cut over the following 45 years. Up to 50 acres of alder will be regenerated, and 31 acres of openings will be maintained.

Wilson HMU (8,800 acres) – Medford-Park Falls Ranger District

613 acres of aspen will be harvested during the first year; 504 acres will be cut in year 5; 497 acres will be cut in year 10; and the remaining aspen will be cut over the following 45 years. Up to 100 acres of alder will be regenerated, and 49 acres of openings will be maintained.

Funding and Partners

U.S. Forest Service, EPA-Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Ruffed Grouse Society, Wildlife Management Institute

How to Visit

The Forest Supervisor’s office overseeing this project for the Chequamegon portion of the Forest is at 1170 South 4th Avenue, Park Falls, WI. The Forest Supervisor’s office overseeing the Nicolet portion of the project is at 500 Hanson Lake Road, Rhinelander, WI. Maps and additional information can be obtained at those offices or online.

To arrange a tour, contact biologist Dan Eklund at the Park Falls office, phone 715-762-2461 x194 or deklund@fs.fed.us.