Updates for Northwoods Land Trust Parcels
Timber Harvest Update
As you may have learned at the annual Lake Association meeting last July, there are planned timber harvests in 2023 on two parcels adjacent to the lower bay on the east side of the bridge. Like other tracts that had timber harvests in the last couple of years, trees are being cut selectively and many trees will remain afterwards. The more open canopy will promote vigorous new regrowth without the need for any tree planting.
The first will start in late winter / early spring in the parcel that lies long the north side of the bay accessible from the old wayside. The logging operator will be accessing the property from the private land just to the north of it. This roughly 40 acres has a fair amount of slope near the lake as well as a large dry drainage area between the wayside and the Bearskin Trail.
The forest there is a mix of largely bigtooth aspen and northern red oaks with a sprinkling of old white pines, smaller ironwood trees, and an occasional maple. It has fairly fertile soil for the area as evidenced by low growing bushes known as "leatherwood" because of its pliant main stem. See more at: Online Virtual Flora of Wisconsin - Dirca palustris and at: Leatherwood - Grow Native!
A Little Bit of History
There is an old path from the wayside to the Bearskin Trail that likely has its origins as a narrow gauge railroad track spur connecting to the main rail line used by the Yawkey - Bissell Lumber Company running along the west shore of the lake. These short spurs were laid down to facilitate moving logs to the mill, which was located where the public boat landing and nearby properties are today. Rumor has it that some passengers on the old trains running from Chicago and Milwaukee to Minocqua and beyond whose stop was Hazelhurst would step off the train where that path met the now Bearskin Trail as the train slowed down so they could walk a shorter distance to their homes on the south side of Lake Katherine.
Timber Harvest Timeline & Details
The tract on the south side of the bay will have timber harvest starting around late summer / early fall after the period when oak wilt is a problem (April through July). The forest on the south side of the bay is a bit different from the north side. There are very steep slopes to the lake where a fair number of large white pines and hemlocks still survive. These areas will not have timber harvests to protect the slopes and the larger trees where eagles, ospreys, hawks and owls all roost. Further back, there is a mix of oak and aspen and the soil is not as rich there as it is on the north side. The area is used heavily by deer, especially in the winter as they seek cover under the pockets of hemlock and pines. The south side tract has a large "glacial pit" back away from the lake (large depression where an enormous block of ice broke off from the last glacier as it was retreating and was covered by soil, eventually melted, and had the sides collapse when it did). This tract also has what was called the old "wagon road" - visible on old topographic maps from the 1930's. That road originated from an intersection that was just northeast of the current intersection of Mill Road and Highway 51. The road went south and followed the lake shore about halfway up the slope from there along the east side of the lake and ended somewhere behind where the Hazelhurst Pub 'n Grub sits. It may have serviced a few private parcels in the area around the now County Road D and Highway 51 intersection. Back in the early 1900's when new settlers to the area were buying lands to build homes and live on, neither of those two roads existed. The "wagon road" could also have been used for hauling logs to the mill.
We'll take and post a few photos after the timber harvesting is completed on each tract. The work will be done by a professional logger and overseen by a former Wisconsin DNR forester. As a reminder, several of the tracts now owned by the NWLT are enrolled in Wisconsin's Managed Forest Law, which provides landowners a tax break in exchange for managing their land for timber products and for public access for recreational activities like hunting, berry picking, birdwatching, etc.. When done appropriately, the timber harvests can be done sustainably and promote forests that are adaptable and resilient to climate change effects and to invasive species. Most tracts that receive a treatment will not have additional timber harvest done for a decade or more.
Stay tuned for additional updates and thanks for reading!
