Forest Wars

Wisconsin is home to 16 million acres of forest land, and those forests provide a huge link to our quality of life.  We use them for recreation – to do things like hiking, biking, cross country skiing and snowmobiling.  We also use them to make products like paper and building supplies, and even scotch tape! 

When trees are harvested to make those products, the forests naturally revive themselves with seeds that fall from nearby trees, or with seeds carried in by birds and animals.  Seedlings also get planted in areas where trees are cut down, to make sure our forest land continues to thrive. 

However, Wisconsin’s forests are coming under attack.  More than 200 types of invasive species are killing our trees, changing natural habitats, and disrupting forest regeneration.  Most of those invasive species were brought into the forests by humans – unintentionally, of course.  And now humans are doing a lot to keep those invasive species from spreading even further.  One thing we’re doing is using herbicides to kill invasive plants – but leave that to the grown ups!  We kids can help by inspecting our clothes, shoes, bikes, and other outdoor equipment – and removing any plants or critters we find – before entering and leaving a recreational area.  If we take these simple steps after a day in the great outdoors, it will go a long way toward protecting our forest lands for future generations to enjoy.