Woodland - Spring 2013 - (Page 26)

forests and families OUT OF THE BIG WOODS, INTO THE DRIFTLESS © DoUg DUReN Woodland Owner Doug Duren Works to Restore Wisconsin’s Driftless Area by kathy westra W hen Doug Duren was growing up on his family’s farm near Cazenovia (pop. 330) in southwestern Wisconsin, the “Big Woods” figured prominently in his life. Today, as manager of that land for his family, and as a volunteer advisor and mentor to other landowners in the area, the Big Woods still inspire Duren. “I’ve walked, worked and hunted in those woods most of my life. I don’t think majestic is too strong a word. Those are majestic trees,” says Duren. The Duren family farm, incorporated as Matt’s Last Stand, LLC, is named for Doug’s brother Matt, who lived on and helped manage the property until his death 18 years ago in an automobile accident. The 400-acre farm includes 110 acres of cropland, 50 acres of pasture for beef cattle and 240 acres of woodland. The Big Woods includes red and white oak trees that have been here since before Duren’s greatgrandfather purchased the property in 1901. It also features aspen, “soft” (red) and “hard” (sugar) maple, white birch, shagbark hickory, cherry, walnut and white and green ash. 26 woodland • Spring 2013 For Duren, good stewardship now requires harvesting many of the trees tended by his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father, if future generations of Durens are to have their own Big Woods to enjoy. With many landowners in the area reluctant to cut any trees, the future of the region’s iconic oak trees is uncertain, since they require active management to regenerate. Restoring the oak, a tree vital for wildlife and the area’s economy, is a priority according to the Wisconsin Division of Forestry. Duren is doing his part to restore the oak by taking the long view. “Good management requires a certain leap of faith, and an understanding that forestry is a long-term commitment,” he says. “It’s not an easy thing to cut my great-grandfather’s trees,” he admits. “It is an awesome responsibility. Science and economics tell me that cutting trees is the right thing to do, but it’s emotionally difficult,” Duren relates. Economic realities also figured in the Duren family’s decision to cut the old trees. “We are capturing close to peak economic value on these trees and that income is an important part of maintaining the financial viability of the farm and the woods,” he says. “If the farm and woods can’t pay their way, we wouldn’t be able to maintain, manage or keep any of it.” Matt’s Last Stand is situated in the heart of Wisconsin’s Driftless Area. While most of Wisconsin was once covered—and shaped—by glaciers, the Driftless Area was not glaciated, resulting in a characteristic rolling terrain of hills, ridges, shallow ravines, streams and valleys. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has recognized the area as having outstanding conservation values, including world-class trout streams and critical songbird habitat. While the Driftless Area’s landscape was shaped by ancient geology, it faces some very modern conservation challenges. In addition to the loss of its oak woodlands, the area’s forestland is being lost to development, while unsustainable logging threatens overall forest health. “Changes have been happening in our area since the 1980s,” Duren reports. “People from ‘away’ have been buying up land—buying a lot of

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Woodland - Spring 2013

Woodland - Spring 2013
Contents
Overstory
On the Ground
Faith and Forestry
Take a Hike!
Tools and Resources
Forests and Families

Woodland - Spring 2013