May 2008 

Douglas County Forest Access Management Plan

The Douglas County Forestry Department is pleased to announce the Douglas County Forest Access Management Plan has been completed after years of planning and development within the context of the Comprehensive Land-Use Plan 2006-2020 (Chapter 700).

When people access an area, whether by foot, horseback, motorized vehicle, or other method, the forest ecosystem, wetland, stream, or other natural area is impacted.  Stress levels in wildlife may be influenced by the proximity of human access, invasive weed species can be introduced into new areas, and sensitive resources can be easily damaged.  User conflicts may also be created when people seek opposing experiences and user safety issues can be raised.

Current technology has allowed for previously inaccessible areas to become accessible for the average person; therefore impacts to the Forest are becoming more widespread.  In particular, motorized vehicles access far greater areas in shorter periods of time than activities conducted by foot or horseback; consequently they have a greater impact to the land.  Other concerns associated with access include user conflicts, littering, fires, air pollution, water pollution, wildlife harassment, fuel spills, erosion, and elimination or damage to sensitive habitat and ecosystems.

Outdoor recreation experiences and access needs varies greatly for different users, for example, motivation for seeking out wilderness areas may be different for motorized users than for non-motorized users.  The Department is committed to maintaining a quality experience for all users and the Plan ensures that the full range of experiences may take place within the Forest, while protecting a wide range of values and the future integrity of the environment.

All documents on this site may be viewed and downloaded as PDF (Portable Document Format) files with an up-to-date version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free plug-in for your internet browser which you can download from adobe.com.

To download and review the Plan on this website please click the “Douglas County Forest access management plan” link below.  Because of file size, the Plan has been divided into pieces to make it more manageable and many of the files have been optimized for faster download time.

Douglas County Forest access management plan

Please contact the Douglas County Forestry Department at (715) 378-2219 or forestry@douglascountywi.org for inquiries regarding opportunities for review of the Plan in hardcopy format.  Bound hard copies and digital copies are also available by contacting the Department.  Hard copies are priced at $15.00 each and digital copies on CD media are available at no charge.

Jon Harris
Director of Forestry & Natural Resources
Douglas County Forestry Department