Wisconsin Forest Tales
To Teachers:
How many times have you heard someone say, “If only trees could talk, I bet they would have quite a story?” Trees are the defining members of our forests. The forest communities in which they live are constantly changing as trees grow, mature, and die. Wisconsin’s forest communities have changed continuously since their establishment after the last ice age 10,000 years ago.
Forests are estimated to have covered 63–86 percent of Wisconsin’s landscape in 1825. Over the next one hundred years, the forests of Wisconsin helped build America but, as a result, were nearly eliminated from the landscape. Since that time, numerous individuals, organizations, and agencies have worked to reestablish Wisconsin’s forests. Today our forests are in the best shape they have been in since the cutover. Forests and woodlands once again cover 46 percent of Wisconsin’s landscape and continue to contribute to the quality of life of Wisconsin’s citizens by providing ecological, economic, and social benefits.
The events of this time period have been recorded by historians and by the very “characters” that lived through them. The characters in this book are fictional, but the stories they tell are representative of life during that time. The stories relate events that changed Wisconsin forests through the eyes of youth who lived through those events. Although the stories depict a particular set of individuals, they represent the stories of many.
Much can be learned by studying our forests. We have learned that forests are a finite but renewable resource. We have learned that forests can regenerate themselves and that humans can help speed up the process through thoughtful management and restoration. We know that forests are important to our way of life in Wisconsin, and that we need to protect them for the future.
Unfortunately trees can’t talk, but the author of this book has done an incredible job of depicting the events of the past. As we look to sustaining our forests and all they provide for future generations, it is important to understand the events that have brought our forests to their present state.
As your students read about the roles the youth in these stories play, our hope is that they will begin to understand that they too play a role in helping to sustain Wisconsin’s forest resources.
Enjoy,
Sterling Strathe
Program Director for LEAF,
The Wisconsin K–12
Forestry Education Program
Charles S. Luthin
Executive Director,
Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin