Wisconsin County Forests Association

Established in 1968, the Wisconsin County Forests Association is a not-for-profit organization whose membership is made up of the 30 counties in Wisconsin with public lands enrolled in wi 28.11, who collectively are the largest public landowner in the state with over 2.4 million acres. Wisconsin County Forests Association's mission is to provide leadership uniting the interests of Wisconsin's County Forests while ensuring long-term forest health and sustainability. The Association has 5 guiding principles set forth in their strategic plan: 1) develop and expand connections with local elected officials and state legislators, 2) collaborate with forest industry partners to promote markets, 3) use knowledge base to educate, 4) grow the number of peer organization partnerships and idea sharing and 5) network and share ideas.

The Wisconsin County Forests Association is a champion and advocate for the County forest system and for active, sustainable forest management in Wisconsin. With the help of a contract lobbyist, Association staff meet with state legislators on a regular basis to discuss issues and budget priorities. Part of the Association's mission is also education and outreach, accomplished through membership work in school classrooms and in the field, creating public service announcements as well as financially supporting other organizations who regularly provide environmental education.

The Wisconsin County Forests Association acts as a collaborative platform for its 30 members to discuss issues, policy and procedures. On average, the Association facilitates membership meetings, conferences, workshops and conference calls +/- 20 days per year offering continuing education, networking, problem solving as well as for informational updates from valued partners such as the Wisconsin department of natural resources, the us forest service, the great lakes timber professionals Association and several others.

Since 2004, 27 of Wisconsin's County Forests have been third party certified under the sustainable forestry initiative (sfi), and/or the forest stewardship council (fsc). Sfi and fsc are two of the most widely recognized forest certification systems in north america. The Wisconsin County Forests Association provides a support network and subject matter experts to assist certified counties in accomplishing the requirements set forth by forest certification standards.