Woodland association holds annual meeting

More than 200 Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association members attended the association’s 35th annual meeting from Sept. 18-21. The board of directors planted a tree donated by Jim Kingsbury, of Mountain, at Wabeno High School as a reminder of the importance of healthy forests. Lee Johnston, of Oconto Falls, was one of four presenters to share experiences regarding managing woodlands. Association members toured a variety of historical sites and businesses in and around Forest County, including the USFS Oconto Seed Orchard near White Lake, North Central Technical College in Antigo, Diversified Woodcrafts and Maple Valley Orchard near Suring, USFS Cathedral Pines and Holt & Balcom Logging Camp Museum in Lakewood. They also toured private woodlands at the Mountain tree farm owned by Randy and Karen Cooper to learn more about timber harvesting and wood turtles. “Letters from the Logging Camp,” written by Kathleen Marsh, was performed on Friday. Tour opportunities and presentations continued Saturday, culminating with an awards banquet to recognize the 2014 Wisconsin Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year, Gerald and Charlotte Kann, of La Crosse.