Forests are a vital part of Wisconsin's landscape
PHOTO: Kitty Kohout
How land is used
State Parks, Natural Areas and Forests
More than 35 million acres of land lie within Wisconsin s boundaries, most of it privately owned and managed. Publicly-owned lands include state parks, forests and natural areas.
In 1970, Wisconsin s park system emphasized outdoor recreation and the preservation of particularly scenic places. The main goal was to protect unique natural resources, assure permanent access to citizens and give people places to learn about nature. More than ever before, a mushrooming urban population turned to state parks for a relaxing escape from city life. Almost 60 state-owned parks and forests existed in 1970.
Forests are a vital part of Wisconsin's landscape
PHOTO: Kitty Kohout
Special areas of scientific importance were also set aside in the 1970s to protect remaining examples of native plant and animal life. These places, later called State Natural Areas, protected hundreds of rare, endangered and threatened species.
The state s forestry program began focusing on private land owners, who needed technical assistance to manage and protect what amounted to 60 percent of the state s forested areas. The DNR helped private owners learn about selective harvesting of trees, tree planting and care.
During this time, marginal agricultural land in northern Wisconsin was being converted to support trees. Even so, not enough softwood was being grown to meet the demands of the state s large pulp and paper industry. In 1970, Wisconsin supplied 40 percent of the softwood used by paper producers in the state. The other 60 percent came from other regions.
Expanding urban areas
The human population of our state in 1970 stood at 4.4 million. Two dramatic trends began to develop at this time: average household sizes declined, and population grew more quickly in northern, central and southeastern counties. A general decrease in the average number of persons per household meant that more building and development was necessary to accommodate Wisconsin s residents.
Agricultural land was converted to other uses in the
1970's at an increasing pace due to urbanization, population pressures,
and declining number of persons per household.
PHOTO: Dean
Tvedt
With the quickening pace of development, urban areas began to expand far beyond the centers of Wisconsin cities. Scattered residential development and growing highway systems spurred more development. Agricultural land in southeastern Wisconsin was rapidly converted to make way for expanding cities and towns. Wetlands were drained at a faster rate every year.
People recognized, largely for the first time, that some public planning of land use needed to take place. In one early attempt at planning, the state authorized purchasing almost 1,300 scenic tracts along highways to block eyesores like garbage dumps.
Solid and Hazardous Waste
Garbage and other solid wastes were shipped off mostly to open, unlined trash dumps. Many dumps did not even cover trash with soil and were sometimes located in environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands, leaving immense potential for disease and groundwater contamination to occur. Open burning also was used to reduce large volumes of trash hauled to dumps, filling the air with thick smoke.
Responding to such problems, in late 1969 the state adopted annual licensing of dumps to control the siting and disposal of solid wastes. By 1970, hundreds of dumps across Wisconsin were located and licensed. Some of the worst sites were closed down for good. The change from open dumps to sanitary landfills began.
Wisconsin residents had trouble getting used to the idea of recycling. Can a can cost $1? was the derisive headline in February, 1970 about a concept called deposit fees. Paying a deposit for bottles and cans or actually recycling these items made little sense to most people then.
Even though recycling regulations did not exist, the
growing financial and
environmental challenges of siting landfills put more and
more pressure on
Wisconsin to reduce the amount of wastes destined for
landfills.
Hazardous wastes, such as used industrial chemicals, toxic metals, pesticides and acids, were virtually unregulated. These toxic substances were dumped on the ground, down storm sewers, directly into streams or wetlands, or in town dumps. Unfortunately, in 1970, the state lacked the ability to accurately and routinely test for most toxic chemicals. Toxic waste disposal ended up severely contaminating groundwater and soil all over the state an extremely expensive problem Wisconsin continues to pay for today.
State Parks, Natural Areas and Forests
Since 1970, 34 state parks and forest facilities have been added in Wisconsin. Fifty percent more family campsites are open so a new generation of Wisconsinites can appreciate and enjoy the state s outdoor beauty. New emphasis has been placed on caring for native plant and animal communities located on park property.
To continue successful land protection and recreational programs established in previous decades, the Legislature created the Stewardship Program in 1989. This program protects environmentally sensitive areas such as streambanks and State Natural Areas, expands the state trail system, restores wildlife habitat, preserves urban green space and maintains and increases recreational opportunities across the state.
Attempts to preserve endangered and threatened species of plants such as the dwarf lake iris and white lady s slipper continue. The number of State Natural Areas has expanded from 79 in 1970 to 281 and now totals more than 89,000 acres.
The Nature Conservancy, in cooperation with the DNR, operates a Natural Heritage Inventory Program to identify, rank and map the state s rare or unique plant and animal species, many of which are found in State Natural Areas.
The amount of forested land in Wisconsin has actually increased slightly since 1970 to over 15 million acres. Overall, trees in 1995 are older and larger than in the past, ensuring a future supply of wood while protecting forest ecosystems for generations to come. Wisconsin forests now contribute 60 percent of the softwood pulp needed to supply the state s paper industry compared to 40 percent in 1970.
With our urban population expanding, more and more
people are looking to Wisconsin's state parks and forests for recreation
and relaxation.
PHOTO: Robert Queen
There's a growing reliance on sustainable forestry practices thanks to new tools that help foresters map, plan and preserve important stands of trees to keep forest ecosystems and their biological diversity intact. And the beauty and health of Wisconsin's cities and towns is benefiting from the planting of thousands of trees in urban areas.
Expanding urban areas
As of 1994, 5.06 million people lived in the state. Rates of annual growth since 1970 have increased from about .6 percent a year to over .9 percent in 1994, mostly in urban areas in central and southeastern counties. Declining household size continues to be the trend. The implications of such growth on other species and the outdoor attributes we value begs some very difficult questions and choices for the future.
The urban landscape has continued to expand since 1970. In southeastern Wisconsin, agricultural land is being converted to urban land at a rate of 10 square miles a year, with similar trends occurring in urban areas throughout the state. Statewide, we are losing 35,000 acres of prime agricultural land a year due to urban sprawl.
The fragmentation of large tracts of forests, grasslands and other areas to make way for homes and other developments has also reduced habitat for numerous native plants and animals.
Between 1972 and 1988, the number of freeway miles classified as congested increased more than 700 percent. People living in suburban households generate almost two thirds more hours on the roads than residents of more traditional, center-city communities. The result is reduced air quality, disappearing agricultural land and natural areas and an overall loss in quality of life that concerns many Wisconsin residents.
While land use concerns are getting more attention, no consensus has emerged yet on actions state and local governments, businesses and individuals should take to address development concerns.
To address this need, Governor Tommy G. Thompson has appointed a Strategic Growth Task Force to develop a land use vision and strategy by July, 1996.
Solid and Hazardous Waste
Many solid and hazardous waste problem sites in Wisconsin have been identified and cleaned up since 1970. A total of 15,225 contamination sites are known or suspected to exist today, including leaking underground gasoline storage tanks, abandoned dumps and hazardous waste sites. Most of these sites were discovered using sensitive testing methods unavailable in 1970.
Millions of dollars of private and public money is being spent annually to clean up hundreds of sites, yet Wisconsin has a long way to go before many areas can be safely used again. On the other hand, new facilities today are sited and operated so that we do not end up with solid or hazardous waste problems in the future.
New laws mandate the tracking of hazardous wastes from the time and place they re produced until they reach a suitable waste facility. If caught, violators may face jail sentences. Strict licensing procedures for haulers, treaters and handlers of hazardous wastes are in place to limit dangerous practices of the past.
Our whole philosophy to approaching solid and hazardous waste problems has changed dramatically in 25 years. These days we think in terms of reducing solid and hazardous waste before it is produced and recycling or re-using what we do produce before disposing of wastes in a landfill. Using this waste reduction philosophy, industries are making products which produce less waste and consumers are starting to buy them.
Instead of the container deposit legislation considered in 1970 and debated many times since then, Wisconsin adopted a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling law in 1990. Recycling and composting are expected to keep more than 50 percent of the state s municipal solid waste out of landfills this year.
With adequate collection programs firmly in place, recycled materials are being made into new products and markets for recycled items are growing. Plastic soda bottles are spun into fibers to produce carpet or clothing. Old newspapers are being shredded for animal bedding or repulped into newspaper once again. Even tires, lead-acid vehicle batteries, chemical refrigerants, and other wastes are now recycled. Today, 94 percent of the state s residents recycle at least several items up from 83 percent just five years ago.
Yet the picture isn't all rosy. Many Wisconsin residents in rural and semi-rural areas continue to burn items that can be recycled and that are illegal to burn, such as plastic milk jugs. Old appliances and bags of garbage are being dumped on roadsides and in state or county parks by people who don t want to pay per-bag garbage disposal fees or haul wastes to local drop- off centers. Perhaps these habits, too, will disappear by the time the 50th anniversary of Earth Day arrives.