Forest Products issue!

Forest Products Week is Oct. 20-26!

This week is a chance to recognize and celebrate everything that forest products bring to our day-to-day lives as well as to the Wisconsin economy.

Per the DNR, the forest products industry in Wisconsin employs around 58,000 individuals and pays over $4 billion in labor income. In 2021, the industry total value of production was over $24.5 billion with value-added of $8.4 billion.

One fun way to recognize Forest Products Week is by hosting an Into the Outdoors watch party in your classroom.

There are new episodes featuring forestry and forest products airing each weekend during the month of October. Check the show’s website to find the air date/time in your market.

Forest products and sustainability

If you’re familiar with Wisconsin’s history, you’re probably aware of the period known as the cutover, when the vast majority of Wisconsin’s forests were removed by settlers for use as timber and to make room for farming. How did we move from the cutover of historic times to the forested landscape we have now, where forest products play a major role in our modern economy? The answer lies largely in the concept of sustainable forestry. 

For something to be sustainable, its use cannot be greater than its production or growth. In forests, this means that the trees we remove for paper products, lumber, heating, etc. must be replaced by replanting or natural regeneration in at least a 1:1 ratio. Sustainable forest use isn’t a modern concept—many Indigenous people have been using forest resources in such a way since time immemorial. Modern forest products professionals also understand that sustainable forestry practices are what allow us to have the paper and wood products we use every day while also having healthy forests for wildlife, recreation, and natural beauty for future generations to enjoy.

Sustainable forest management doesn’t happen by accident. Forestry professionals look at many interconnected factors when deciding what trees to cut for use in forest products. LEAF’s “What Is Management” lesson is an easy and fun way to explore the different approaches that foresters take in timber harvests. Foresters and loggers also follow guidelines related to water and wildlife before, during and after a cut to help leave behind a healthy and resilient forest ecosystem. 

How do you know if the forest products you use are made from sustainably managed forests? Look for a label! Different third-party organizations such as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) provide a way for companies to prove they are sourcing from sustainably managed forests. Consumers can seek out paper and lumber products that contain these labels, thereby using their dollar to support their values. You can explore how certification works with Project Learning Tree’s “What’s in a Label?” lesson; contact Nicole.Filizetti@uwsp.edu for access to the activity. 

By being educated about the forest products we use in our everyday lives and the planning and thought that go into creating those products, we can all be part of a sustainable forest economy that allows our state’s forests to thrive in perpetuity.

Court is in session

While there’s no lack of options for choosing a favorite forest product made in Wisconsin (neatly wrapped peanut butter cup, anyone?), sports fans might have a special place in their heart for a nice hardwood floor. With most NCAA and NBA teams preferring to use maple hardwood flooring for their basketball courts, there is a strong connection between Wisconsin and the production of basketball courts. Afterall, the sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is Wisconsin’s state tree!

Hardwood flooring, crafted from maple slabs cut from trees grown in northern climates, has the qualities needed to withstand the rigors of athletic play. It is also both tough and light enough to be assembled and disassembled quickly, which is necessary when more than one team shares a stadium—take a look at this fascinating time-lapse video showing this process at Fiserv Forum. While many companies in Wisconsin make hardwood flooring or supply lumber for the process, Robbins Sport Surfaces in White Lake and Menominee Tribal Enterprises (MTE) in Neopit are most well known for their basketball connections. If you didn’t hear the buzz after the Bucks won their 2021 NBA Championship on flooring that was both made and blessed by the Menominee tribe, you can read about it here. 

With the NBA season opening in October, this basketball connection might be a great way to hook your students into learning more about Wisconsin forest products during Forest Products Month. Our Forest Products Kit contains a sample of hardwood flooring, as well as the wood-based underlayment used in its installation. You can check the kit out for free and use it with our Forest Products curriculum bundle for additional standards-based learning.

Professional Development

Forest Career Field Day Photos

LEAF and Wisconsin Project Learning Tree and its partners held a Forest Careers Field Day invitational event at the Cedric A. Vig Outdoor Classroom (CAVOC school forest site) in Rhinelander last month.

It was a beautiful day in the woods and we wanted to share some photos of the learning stations as inspiration. Contact Nicole.Filizetti@uwsp.edu for information on PLT and LEAF lessons that connect to these activities.

Thanks to all of our partners and presenters. Thank you to Sarah Engler and her students at Mercer School District; and Rachel Houk and her students at White Lake School District for agreeing to be photographed. Thank you to Mike Cheslock at School District of Rhinelander and his team at CAVOC for hosting. And thank you to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative for funding this project!

Contact Us! 

Have questions or need additional resources? Contact us at leaf@uwsp.edu. We are here to support educators and students with forestry opportunities.

Published for October 2024