Back in 2015, the Upper Wisconsin River Legacy Forest was established with over 1,000 acres under the privately owned property of Joe Hovel, who is also the director for Partners in Forestry and Northwoods Alliance, just southeast of Land O’ Lakes. Recently, with support from the Vilas County Board, the project has expanded to include 191 acres along Highway 45 and Country Road E.
This expansion comes with a hint of bittersweet joy to Hovel: “I’m all the more grateful to see this project completed, because we’re at a time of kind of like incredible misguided attacks on some of the most valuable programs.” Hovel brings this up because the funding used to acquire this expansion may no longer be available in the future due to his program, Knowles Nelson Stewardship, receiving no further funding by the end of the current Wisconsin State Legislature. His other program, the Strategic Small Tracts program, a part of the Federal Forest Legacy Program, has received some funds through the Reduce Inflation Act.
This area expansion includes crucial forests home to Spruce Grouse, a federally recognized endangered species that nests in the area. The expansion also includes Pine Barrens, an endangered habitat with a fragile ecosystem, and Jack Pines, a tree known for its fire vulnerability. The forest is open to the public for foot-based activities, such as hiking, fishing and hunting, with managed tree harvests to keep the forest healthy.