I wrote about public lands a few weeks ago, today I’m writing about private land stewardship. Awhile back, the quote, “It’s not my land, it’s just my turn” caused me to contemplate what it really means to OWN land. It’s not like we were here first, nor will we be here forever. But I am very blessed to be here now. The land that I call “mine” was once used by indigenous Americans, then by immigrant farmers. It has seen seasons of wildfires and prairies, farm tillage and pasture, early successional and mature forests. Things don’t stay the same. But the choices we make on the landscape now do shape the way the land will be in the future.
In our society, land ownership gives rights to make decisions about how the land is managed. In my ideology, “ownership” also comes with the ethical obligation to be good stewards of the resources with which we are entrusted. Good stewards have management goals and objectives, and they have knowledge about the effects their actions will have. If they don’t have knowledge, private landowners have access to consulting foresters and State forestry staff who are willing and able to provide guidance to meet the owner’s objectives. Dennis and I have a lot of knowledge about forest management, but more important, we know where to go when we need more help. If you’re a landowner and need help figuring out who to connect with to get assistance, let me know!
Landowner objectives can range from obtaining the highest return on investment to preserving land in a wild condition… and everything in between. The objectives are neither inherently wrong nor right, but they will lead to choices that have very different outcomes for the land. Dennis and my objectives as a forest owners are mixed: we want to manage the land to grow trees that are best suited to the soils and conditions of the site; we want to obtain high quality forest products (lumber) from periodic harvests; we want to provide habitat for a wide range of plant and animal species, particularly species whose niche in ecology may be threatened; and we want to provide a setting that is suitable for education and recreation. With these objectives in mind, we have a forest stewardship plan in which we identify parts of the property that we want to manage in different ways. We have one area that we keep in healthy prairie with prescribed fire. We have designated the steep ravine as a special feature area that we do not intend to harvest. We have other areas where we occasionally harvest large groups of trees to capture value and to encourage regeneration of a younger forest. We know the relative abundance of difference plants and animals on the landscape, and we forage and hunt on the property within sustainable bounds. We invest a lot of energy into invasive plant removal and maintaining a trail system. We make choices based on our objectives and knowledge; we don’t always get it perfect, but I think we’re doing ok with our turn.
Perhaps the biggest right of ownership is access. If you don’t own the land and you don’t have permission from the landowner to be on it… you are trespassing. Of course there are nuances to this, and it varies between states. For instance, if private land in Wisconsin is enrolled as “open” under the Managed Forest Law program (which gives some property tax benefits), specific permission is not required to enter the property. One of the best ways to know if a land is private property is to look at public records. I find Beacon to be a very useful digital tool, if the county you are interested in uses the system. Google maps is not a reliable source for property ownership information. It just isn’t accurate. For instance, Google Maps falsely indicates that much of my (and my neighbors’) property is in a State Wildlife Management Area. Trust me on this one, it’s not.
If you own land, I encourage you to think about your objectives for your land and who you can consult to increase your knowledge. If you don’t own land, be careful to learn who owns the land you want to visit, and get permission. Whether it be private lands with permission or public lands, enjoy the abundant opportunities to get out into nature!
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