Can You See the Forest for the Trees?

8/14/2019 Can You See the Forest for the Trees?

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Can You See the Forest for the Trees?

Ed Weilbacher, Coordinator

USDA NRCS and SWI RC&D


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Place to hunt

Timber

Forest

Trees

Woodland Place to hunt

Firewood

Mushroom Hunting

Wasteland

Floodplain

Wetland

Riparian Buffer Scenic Views

Clear Air

Clean Water

What does this area mean to you?to the county?to the region?

to the public?


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Shawnee National Forest ~ 293,000 ac. Six State Forests ~ 19,309 ac.

IDNR operates two state nurseries: Mason State Nursery in Topeka

Union County State Nursery in Jonesboro

Limited Government Ownership


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170,000 private forest landowners 82% of Illinois forests owned by private individuals

7% of Illinois forests owned by private corporations Illinois (4.4 million acres) has more nonindustrial

private forestland than Idaho (2.1 million acres),Wyoming (1.6 million acres), or Washington (3.2

million acres) 83% percent of forest landowners have never

received professional forestry assistance Over 90% of forest landowners sell their timber

without professional forestry assistance 1,107 Certified American Tree Farmers in Illinois Over 95,000 acres enrolled in the Tree Farm program

Private Forest Ownership Facts


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Majority of the Forest Tracts

Are Less Than 10 acres


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Forests

Support 75% of Illinois native wildlife species

require forest habitat for a portion oftheir lifecycle

Illinois forests provide habitat for more

than 420 vertebrate species Over 120 bird species utilize Illinois

forests for nesting

Over 3.4 million Illinoisans observe,feed, and photograph wildlife worth anestimated $620 million annually to thestates economy

More than $550 million is spent onrecreational fishing each year

Hunters spend $150 million a yearpursuing game


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Forest cleared forcropland

Federal Tax Law andFarm Programs

encouragedforestland loss

Floodplains and steep

slopes remainingforests

Sodbuster -Swampbuster

Residential Use

Fragmentation

Invasives

Species change

Flood pulse changes

Ownership/Education

Management Options Real Estate Tax

History and Time

Issues and Concerns


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Fragmentation &

Large Forests


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Fragmentation

Loss occurs over time with little understanding of long term impact


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Impacts and Mitigation


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edge and interior

Edge

Interior


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500 ac forested500 Acre Forest Block


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Forest Interior Birds


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Forest Management Needed


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Place to hunt

So what does this area mean to you?

to the county?to the region?

to the public?

How do we maintain/expand the forest corridor? What programs and incentives are needed to provide

income to the landowner?

How will the next generation maintain the legacy andvalues of the forest corridor? How do we manage the corridor to maintain and

improve the health of the system?


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SWI RC&D Here to Assist Provide the information to make informed

decisions Promote or create Cost-share and

incentives to offset costs

Partner with landowners to maintain familylegacy

Work with the County and Landowners tomaintain, improve and protect the forestcorridor


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Ed Weilbacher,CoordinatorUSDA NRCS

assistingSouthwestern Illinois

Resource

Conservation and

Development

406 E. Main St.Mascoutah, IL 62258

618 [email protected]


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Can You See the Forest for the Trees?

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