Who are you?

Hello, Im Scott, 54 from Kaufman Texas. Been around a bit, about to retire. Look forward to learning here.
Welcome aboard
 
Hi, Thanks for having me, looking forward to reading and learning!

I am a private landowner in Central Wi, 56 acres that I restored/restoring back to more native oak savanna habitat. 6 years into a major forestry mulching/herbiciding/planting of native species.

Into my compact tractors , native species, turkey and deer hunting and overall working at being a good steward of the land I am blessed to have.

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Hello makin,
With your interests sure you have heard of the prairie enthusiasts that likely have a chapter in your area but thought I would mention it. They have a bunch of field days that I keep telling myself that I should make the drive to visit.

Ok, now show us your tractor!
 
Welcome fellow Badger, I'm also from central WI near Marshfield. There is a lot of knowledge here, enjoy the ride.
 
Hello makin,
With your interests sure you have heard of the prairie enthusiasts that likely have a chapter in your area but thought I would mention it. They have a bunch of field days that I keep telling myself that I should make the drive to visit.

Ok, now show us your tractor!
HI!
I have been a TPE member now since 2019, boy that time flew! lol. I belong to the Prairie Sands chapter. We are working on trying to get our chapter more involved.

I helped the USFW service, Partners for Wildlife set a sign on a native seeding project around the corner from my land. I am in Waushara County, Town of Rose.

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Welcome fellow Badger, I'm also from central WI near Marshfield. There is a lot of knowledge here, enjoy the ride.
Thank you for the welcome neighbor! My oak savanna project is in Waushara County, Town of Rose.
 
Makin,
Believe there is another member here that must be close to you as somewhere near Wautoma. Did a Wisconsin woodland owner association field day just a bit north of you in the past. His land description was "blow sand" and pines did well but other stuff was challenging.

Know your type of area well as manage some family land south of Wautoma in town of Dakota. It was on the fringes of the Crystal Lake fire about 15 yrs ago and neighborhood has changed a bit since. Still being managed for pine but instead of future saw logs the place is many years away from a first thinning.
 
Makin,
Believe there is another member here that must be close to you as somewhere near Wautoma. Did a Wisconsin woodland owner association field day just a bit north of you in the past. His land description was "blow sand" and pines did well but other stuff was challenging.

Know your type of area well as manage some family land south of Wautoma in town of Dakota. It was on the fringes of the Crystal Lake fire about 15 yrs ago and neighborhood has changed a bit since. Still being managed for pine but instead of future saw logs the place is many years away from a first thinning.
My land is situated about halfway between Wild Rose and Plainfield, in the Town of Rose. Closest little burg is a dot on the map called Heffron.

Going way back, my land was part of a 180 acre hard scrabble dairy farm, sold off in the late 1920's. At some time after that Kirk Corporation , which is huge in the Christmas tree industry, or at least at one time they were, purchased the land and planted dang non-native Scot Pines. A Christmas tree species that hardly anyone plants or buys today. The land was then sold in about 1996 to a couple that was going to build a dream home, ended up sitting fallow till I purchased it 2017.

My soil is considered loamy sand and supports native white and red pine, wild cherry, white, red, black and burr oaks. Wild plums and American hazelnut. In late 2018 I started restoration to more native oak savanna, working with USFW Partners for Wildlife. We forest mulched 28 acres of the 56 , herbicided for non-native cool season grasses and invasive species and by fall of 2019 did the first no-till drilled seeding of native forbs and grasses.

My land falls , as I am sure the member that has land near Wautoma, in the Federally endanger Karner Blue Butterfly range. Crazy for me to think due to that tiny little blue butterfly so much as been accomplished that I would not have been able to do myself.

Are you still active in managing the family land near Wautoma? Red pine? Hopefully, if red pines , you have been able to avoid HRD in your stand? I had pine wilt caused by a nematode that is spread by pine bark beetles go thru the non-native Scot pine thickets 3 years ago which I am still actively cleaning up. It is great they died off, just ugly as they die and fall over. TheScot pine thickets was virtually a wildlife dead zone. Thankfully my whites and reds , being native , have a built in resistance to the nematode.
 
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^^^^sounds like your soil is more productive than pure sand anyway.

Promoting wild lupine was one of the things mentioned during the WWOA field day for the karners and expect there are programs that focus on that among other things. But our family land has transitioned from the old Forest Crop Law to MFL so forestry is more to the forefront.

No annosum rot root (the old term I am familiar with compared to HRD) by our land yet but the previous forest fire pretty much wiped out 40 acres of red and white pines and the replanted red pine are growing fairly vigorous now. Some black oaks and popple have also popped up in areas with all that new sunlight. But the oaks will never be timber quality, more like scrub oaks.

A final comment on your part of the world. Believe the author and UWProf Jerry Apps was born near Wild Rose and either their family farm or one he has bought since must be in same township
 
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