The Apple Creek YMCA has announced that it is allowing logging in its Bruce B. Purdy Nature Preserve beginning on Monday, October 28. Red pine stands will be thinned by 25%, all ash trees larger than 4” in diameter will be harvested, and four aspen stands will be clear-cut.
According to Shane Vondracek, Environmental Education Director of Apple Creek YMCA, “This preserve has been my baby for the past 20 years, so this decision was not made lightly or without consulting multiple professionals in the forestry field. … Once this is over our forest will be healthier, more diverse and viable for the next several decades.”
Vondracek will be seeking volunteers to help with clean-up projects throughout the winter and spring.
The Apple Creek YMCA should be congratulated for engaging in responsible forest stewardship at a time when public entities in other states are falling down on the job. Devastating forest fires in California and other Western states, some of them causing widespread blackouts when they cause power lines to collapse, have been in the news lately.
Many of these fires could have been prevented by responsible forest practices, such as sustainable logging, removing dead and dying trees, and thinning tree stands. Instead, “preservationists” have adopted a policy of allowing no logging whatsoever, even if it means fuel build-ups that make catastrophic fires inevitable.
Being an environmentalist doesn’t mean trying to “save” every tree. Informed Wisconsinites know that, perhaps better than people in other, less beautiful, states.
Anyone with questions or concerns about this logging project, can contact Vondracek directly at svondracek@ymcafoxcities.org or 920.702.2305.
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