Forestry & Recreation

Forestry & Recreation Committee December 2nd, 2022 County Board Room Call Meeting to Order: The meeting was called to order at 9:30 am by Scott Mildbrand. Members Present: Scott Mildbrand, Gary Beadles, Rollie Thums, Jim Gebauer, Myron Brooks. Members Absent: N/A Other Attendees: Jake Walcisak, Jordan Lutz , Jim Metz, C huck Zenner, Larry Brandl, Brian Wilson Star News, Jill Nemec DNR. Approve Minutes: Gebauer moved to a pprove t he minutes of the November 4 th, 2022, meeting; Seconded by Thums. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Thums moved to approve the agenda of 13 items; Seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Approve Bills: Walcisak presented the monthly bill spreadsheet. Brooks moved to approve the bills spreadsheet as presented; Seconded by Gebauer. Motion carried. Town of Rib Lake Dust Control Cost-Share Request: Town of Rib Lake Supervisor Doug Polacek was in attendance to present the request. Mr. Polacek requested the cost sharing of calcium chloride liquid dust control to 2 miles of Fawn Ave and Newood Road, between Blank Road and the Taylor County Forest. He further explained this portion of road is an ATV route and one of the main connectors between the Village of Rib Lake and ATV trails on the Taylor C ounty Forest. This segment of road c ontains three full time residence and three seaso nal homes/cabins. Mr. P olacek explained the dust was very bad in 2022 due to logging activity on the County Forest and increasing ATV/UTV use. He cited this to be a safety c oncern not only for residents, but also for anyone using the roadway. In 2022, the cost of a 4,500-gallon tanker to spray liquid calcium chl oride w as $5,580. 4,500 gallons is sufficient to cover 2 miles. Polacek requested 50% or $2,790 f rom the Committee. M ildbrand stated that if appr oved by this Committee it should go onto Fina nce Committee. A lso, in his opinion, ATV ro utes were permitted on Taylor County r oadways by the County B oard with the assumption it would not cost the County any additional funds. Mildbrand stated that in the best interest of safet y we should consider rerouting ATV traffic onto pavement and close Fawn Avenue when logging trucks are frequenting this portion of the road. It was clarified by Polacek this is a Town road and not under County jurisdiction. Gebauer is aware dust control is an issue, but it has never been brought to his attention in Greenwood. Gebauer doesn’t want to see any roads closed to ATV use. However, he is concerned about where do request s for dust control cost-sharing stop? Beadles stated , this is a problem in every township. T hums asked if the County d esignates any specific route between the C ounty Forest trails and the Village of Rib Lake. Walcisak informed the Committee all Town and C ounty roads are open to ATV traffic in this area of the C ounty. There are no dedicated routes. Mildbrand asked how much future logging activity there will be in this area. Lutz responded by saying we expect very little summer activity on F awn Avenue in the near future . Walcisak recomm ended a possible t emporary reroute during logging operations. Much like what is done for snowmobile trails in the winter months. Thums suggested that we may consider cost sharing dust control on Fawn Avenue in future, ahead of e xpected logging activity. Thums moved to temporarily reroute ATV traffic off Fawn Avenue when logging truck activity increases; seconded by Gebauer. Motion carried. Timber Sales Update: Lutz gave updates on timber sales. There are three (3) active timber sales. • #702 Central WI Lumber o Cutting and skidding has been co mpleted this week. Hauling has about 17 loads remaining. • #700 Central WI Lumber o Equipment has moved onto the sale this week and harvesting has started. • #675 Steve Dassow o Equipment has started back on si te, with plans to finish the sale this w inter. Approximately 30% of the sale has been completed. Timber Sale Contract Expiration - #668 Northwest Hardwoods: Walcisak and Lutz presented the committee with timber sale background and performance issues which included contract violations such as failure to com plete this timber sale in the period prescribed and removing logs from the timber sale area without being scaled . This contract was awarded on 12/31/2018 with a three-year contract length and expiration of 12/31/21 . On December 10 th, 2021, the Forestry Committee granted a one-year contract extension to 12/31/22. Approximately, 39% of the sale area was harvested with about 71 acres remaining. Approximately, 2 loads of hardwood pulp remain at the landing. T his wood was s caled, billed, and paid. No activity si nce March 5th, 2020. Lutz provided a h andout which illustrated the financial impacts of this sale being terminated and/or resold. Based off remaining volumes Anticipated Revenue (current bid prices): $64,779.89 Fair Market Value (re-bid) revenue: $49,841.40 Difference in anticipated bid values: $14,938.49 Cost of re-establishment & Bidding: $1,732.31 Total Loss: $16,670.80 Bond Value: $24,987.25 Lutz and Walcisak explained that this performance bond is a surety bond and a type of insurance policy for the performance of the contractor. They ha ve been working with Corp Counsel Ruthann Koch th roughout this process. The Taylor County timber sale contract states that a minimum of 10% of the original sale price to the County will be retained as an administrative fee for the costs of re -advertising and re-establishing the sale. Walcisak and Lutz recommend retaining the entire performance bond. Motion made by Beadles to retain the full performance bond of $24,987.25 and place Northwest Hardwoods on a bidding ba n for 2 years effective immediately; sec onded by T hums. Motion carried. Motion by Beadles to withdraw his and Thums m otion; se conded by T hums. Motio n carried. Motion by Beadles to retain the full performance bond of $24,987.25 and place Northwest Hardwoods on a bidding ban for 2 years effective December 31st, 2022; seconded by Thums. Motion carried. Timber Sale Contract Updates : Walcisak presented an upd ated timber sale contract with changes to address timber theft, county approval of sub -contractors, and a ssessment of penalties more adequately for contract non-compliances. All changes have been review ed by a combination of DNR and Corp Counsel from Oneida, Marathon , and Taylor Counties. The Committee voiced concern over contrac t langu age whi ch may give the County authority to terminate a contract based on allegations of timber theft or deferment of timber theft charges. Motion made by Thums to accept the changes as proposed while striking items 6. E. b) and 6. E. d); seconded by Gebauer. Mildbrand asked for a roll call vote. Four (4) yes, one (1) no - Brooks. Approve Timber Sale Bids: Lutz presented the fall timber sale bids. All three (3) sales received qualifying bids with a total bid value of $134,623.00 on 196 acres. • Tract #6-22, Technician Tirade: The re wer e three (3) qualifying bids. Smola Enter prises (Jason Smola) had the highest bid of $67,389.25. • Tract #7-22, Di Vinci: There were four (4) qualifying bids. Smola Enterprises (Jason Smola) had the highest bid of $50,713.75. • Tract #8-22, Yanko Road: T here w as one (1) qualifying bid . Wilson Forestry had the highest bid of $16,520.00. • Total bid value of $134,623.00, which is 60% over the advertised minimum sale value. Motion mad e by Gebauer to approve the high est bidder for tracts #6-22, #7-22, and #8-22; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Sustainable Forestry Grant Application: No submission for this application period. 2022 awarded grant project has been completed. Zuther Mill Grade Improvements for $14,860.00. Administrator Report: • Chelsea Lake Dam is currently out for bids. Bid opening will be held virtually on Thursday December 8th at 9:00 am in the Forestry office. • Camp 8 Dam will go out for bid on Thursday December 8 th. Bid opening will be held virtually on Thursday January 5th at 9:00 am in the Forestry office. • Both Chelsea and C amp 8 bids will be re viewed and acted on at the Friday January 6 th Forestry Committee meeting. • 2022 Forestry truck order. Awarded bid to Medford Motors October 2021. Truck not built and order has been cancelled by Ford. $38,000. Medford Motors has said the price for the same truck in 2023 will be at least $10,000 more than 2022. (Actual cost 12/9/22 $49,546). o Vehicle outlay account is currently $32,000. Sell 2017 truck to the Buildings, Grounds, and Parks Department for $15,000. Additional $10,000 into vehicle outlay account January 1st, 2023. o Vehicle outlay account balance on January 1st, 2023 will be $57,000. o Walcisak will work with Medford Motors and Wisconsin Depart ment of Administration-fleet purchasing contrac t and bring information back to the Committee. (12/9/22 WI DOA price $46,593). DNR County Forest Liaison Re port: Jill Nemec p rovided a handout and gave an update on County Forest time standard hours as well as current workload, which incl udes starting timber sale establishment for 2023. Current time standard accomplishment is approximately 350 hour s or 45%. The Medford, County Forest Liaison position has been filled . Timothy Allen began on Monday, November 7th, 2022. Allen has conducted work in the field one day with Lutz and given a County Forest tour by Walcisak. Additional Items: None. Next Committee Meeting: The next meeting of the Forestry & Recreation Committee will be Friday January 6th, 2023, at 9:30 am in the County Board Room, third floor. Adjournment: With no further business, Beadles moved to adjourn the meeting; Seconded by Gebauer. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 10:49 am. Secretary: Jake Walcisak and Jordan Lutz Forestry & Recreation Committee November 4, 2022 County Board Room Call Meeting to Order: The meeting was called to order at 11:00 am by Scott Mildbrand. Members Present: Scott Mildbrand, Gary Beadles, Rollie Thums, Jim Gebauer, Myron Brooks. Members Absent: N/A Other Attendees: Jake Walcisak, Jordan Lutz, Larry Brandl, Brian Wi lson Star News, Jonathan Knusta DNR, UW-Stevens Point Professor Mike Demchik via Zoom. Approve Minutes: Brooks moved to approve the minutes of the October 26th, 2022, meeting; Seconded by Thums. Motion carried. Approve A genda: Thums moved to approve the agenda of 12 items; Seconded by Brooks. Motion carried. Approve Bills: Walcisak presented the monthly bill spreadsheet. Gebauer moved to app rove the bills spreadsheet as presented; Seconded by Brooks. Motion carried. Timber Sale Establishment: Educational Partnership with UWSP: Professor Mike Demchi k, University of Wisconsin -Stevens Point (UWSP), gave a PowerPoint presentation of a proposed project, timber marking cer tificate class for UWSP stu dents, on the Taylor C ounty Forest. Specifically, timber marking for wildlife habitat . Demchik pro vided the project propo sal, including site location criteria, to the Forestry Department. Lutz and Walcisak analyzed the 2023 timber harvest schedule against project criteria provided by Demchik . A set of stands totaling 165 acres were selected along B ear Avenue, approximately 0.5 miles SE of the intersection with Wilderness Ave nue. The proposed site met spec ific criteria for tar get w ildlife species such as deer, turkey, grouse, woodco ck, and neo -tropical migr ant b irds. The site also has improved Town road and logging road access which will facilitate public access for education. This project will be one of several UWSP Wildlife Habitat Demonstration Sites in the state. UWSP would like to install a n informational sign with s ponsors and a QR code post-timber sale. The proposed silviculture for the sale will utilize coppice, irregular shelterwood, single tree selection, and group selection. Lutz discussed his experience with Professor Mike Demchi k. Lutz and Wa lcisak both had Demchik as a professor while attending UW SP and both have taken professional forester development trainings instructed by Demchik. A committee member asked how much ti me this would require by the Forestry Department. Walcisak explained, he expects the time commitment to be the same as if the Forestry Department establ ished the sa le themselves. H owever, thi s would all ow the Forestry Department to work with , mentor and fo ster students pursuing a career in the forest industry. The committee was in strong agreement for moving fo rward with UWSP on the proposed project. Thums voiced his opinion on how important the County Forest is for education, wil dlife, and recreation. Thums moved to approve the p roposed partnership with UWSP; seconded by Gebauer. Motion carried. Timber Sales Update: Lutz gave updates on timber sales. There are two (2) active timber sales. • # 681 Czarnezki Forest Products – Approximately 60% complete. Due to recent drop in oak log market, he has moved off the sale with plans to finish next summer. • #702 Central WI Lumber - Approximately 6 acres re main. Wet weather has slowed progress but will be finished cutting and sk idding within a few days. Trucking is lagging due to wet conditions. It is likely final hauling will have to wait until the ground is frozen. Timber Sale Contract Close Out: 1. #671, Gumz Logging: The final revenue was $109,977.72, which was a 31% value overrun and 43% volume overrun. This was mostly due to good contractor utili zation on the hardwood pulp. Brooks moved to approve the close out of sale # 671, pending fin al payment; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Approve Timber Sales for Bids: The following sales were proposed for advertisement. • Tract #6 -22; 75 acres, northern hardwood with summer ground opportunity. Minimum bid value: $39,498.50. • Tract #7 -22; 68 acres, northern hardwood wi th summer g round opportunity. Minimum bid value $31,972.50 • Tract #8-22; 53 acres, northern hardwood and black spruce, sale will require frozen ground conditions. Minimum bid value $12,497 Three sales offered on 196 acres with a total minimum bid value of $83,968. Motion made by Brooks to approve timber sale for advertising as presented; s econded by Bea dles. M otion carried. Approve Chelsea L ake dam and Camp 8 Dam Replacement P rojects for Bids: Walcisak presented a spreadsheet of projected and current dam expenses for Miller, Chelsea, and Camp 8 dams. Bids are due between December 5th and the 20th at 9 :00 am. Once awarded, the anticipated construction deadline will be December 1st, 2023. The committee had some concerns about increased costs, due to inf lation. However, the Municipal Dam Grant can be amended to reflect any cost increases. Walcisak also address ed concerns about the water lev el at Chelsea Lake during dam repairs. The anticipated water level drawdown will be approximately six (6) to twelve inches (12). Motion was made by Gebauer to approve both C helsea and C amp 8 Dam repairs for bid advertisement. Seconded by Thums, motion carried. Administrator Report: • Walcisak provided an update that a request will be on the agenda nex t month from the Town of Rib Lake for cost sharing of dust contr ol on a 2-mile portion of Fawn Ave nue, which is also an ATV Ro ute. ATV f unding from DNR is not eligible fo r this ty pe o f expense. The total cost is expected to be between $4,500 and $5,000 for a once annual treatment. • Walcisak gave an update on various recreational g rant hours, revenue, and budget breakdowns. For ATV trail maintenance the grant breakdown has been the following in 2022: 14% completed by the Forestry Dept, 21% completed by the ATV club, and 65% completed by contractors. All time and resources expended by the Forestry Department has been reimburse by DNR. For trail mowing, brushing, and mulching in 2022: 66 hours of the 99 hours have b een re imbursed by g rants. The rem aining hours incl uded dam maintenance, tree planting site preparation, and timber sale access improvements. • The Pine Li ne C ommission met o n T uesday October 25 th at the Westboro C ommunity Center. • 2022 road and trail projects are wrapping up for the year as cold weather sets in. Assistant Administrator Report: • Lutz gave an update on timber sale activity and establishment. Logging activity was at an all-time high this year and has finally slowed down. • Lutz, and the DNR, have started working on spring 2023 timber sales. • Lutz also updated the committee on the current oak log market decline, which may be a concern for fall bidding. DNR County Forest Liaison Report: Knusta gave an update on County Forest time standard hours as well as current workload, which includes starting of sale establishment for spring 2023. The Medford, County Forest Liaison, position has been filled. The individual will begin Monday, November 7th, 2022. Additional Items: None. Next Committee Meeting: The next meeting of the Forestry & Recreation Committee will be Friday December 2nd, 2022, at 9:30 am in the County Board Room, third floor. Adjournment: With no further business, Thums moved to adjourn the meeting; Seconded by Gebauer. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 12:16 pm. Secretary: Jordan Lutz Forestry & Recreation Committee October 26, 2022 Third Floor-Jury Room Call Meeting to Order: The meeting was called to order at 8:15 am by Scott Mildbrand. Members Present: Scott Mildbrand, Gary Beadles, Myron Brooks, Jim Gebauer, Jim Metz. Members Absent: Rollie Thums – Excused Other Attendees: Jake Walcisak, Jordan Lutz, and Brian Wilson- Star News. Approve Minutes: Gebauer moved to approve the minutes of the October 7th, 2022, meeting; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Approve A genda: Brooks moved to approve the agenda of 5 items; seconded by Gebauer. Motion carried. 2023 Annual Wor k Plan: No further questions or ed its were proposed . Gebauer mo ved to approve the 2023 Annual Work Plan as presented; seconded by Brooks. Motion carried. Next Committee Meeting: The next meeting of the Forestry & Recreation Committee will be Friday November 4th, 2022, at 11:00 am in the County Board Room, third floor. Adjournment: With no further business, Brooks moved to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 8:18 p.m. Secretary: Jordan Lutz - Taylor County Forestry Dept. Forestry & Recreation Committee October 7, 2022 Sheriff’s Training Room Ground Floor Call Meeting to Order: The meeting was called to order at 10:00 am by Scott Mildbrand. Members Present: Scott Mildbrand, Gary Beadles, Rollie Thums, Jim Gebauer, Jim Metz. Members Absent: Myron Brooks – excused Other Attendees: Jake Walcisak, Jordan Lutz, Larry Brandl, Brian Wilson Star News, Jill Nemec- DNR, Lester Lewis, Cathy Lemke, Greg Knight, Lisa Carbaugh, Mike Bub, Nicole Hager, Bill Vach. Approve Minutes: Thums moved to approve the minutes of the September 2nd, 2022, meeting; Seconded by Gebauer. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Gebauer moved to approve the agenda of 11 items; Seconded by Thums. Motion carried. Cut Departm ent Staffing: Walcisak d istributed and review ed a 6-page report along with staffing level statistics from the Wisconsin County Forest Association. Please contact Walcisak for these full reports. There was a recommendation passed at the October 4th Finance and Personnel meeting to cut the Forestry Department by $100,000 and one position. There are only two positions in this department currently. Lester Lewis made the motion. Lewis, Rollie Thums and Jim Gebauer voted in favor while Chuck Zenner and Scott Mi ldbrand voted against. F inance committee members Kathy Lemke and Ray Soper had left shortly before to attend another meeting and thus could not vote. • The Taylor County Forestry (TCF) Department manages 17,728 acres in the towns of Rib Lake and Westboro which includes County Board Supervisory Districts 11, 12 and 13. • Forestry is the only department in Taylor County that generates more revenue than it spends. TCF expense ratio in 2021 was 0.24. This is the lowest on record. o For every $0.24 in expenses the forestry department generated $1.00 in revenue. This can be used to assess t he impact of budget cuts as well. For every $0.24 saved in expenses the forestry department will lose $1.00 in revenue. • 2021 was the Tay lor County Fore st’s highest timber revenue year on record. This is impressive considering th e Park Falls and Wisconsin Rapids mills closed in 2020 and 2021. Neighboring counties, except for Rusk, have seen a drastic decrease in timber revenue. Timber revenue in 2022 is on pace to break last year's record of $689,000 with a 2022 year-to-date revenue of $652,000. • In 2021 TCF generated $700,000 in department revenue. $68,900 went to the towns and $430,000 went to the general fund. • The primary objective of the County Forest Law is to provide for the optimum production of for est products. One FTE cannot complete the work which requires 1.35 FTE’s. This change would result in an immediate reduction in forestry related work accomplishments by at leas t 25%. This represents an annual timber sale revenue los s of $113,000 to $315,000. The projected loss in timber revenue alone far exceeds any potential cost savings in cutting the TCF to one staff and would s ignificantly impact the county general fund. • TCF spends significant time each year applying for grants a nd aids specific to recreation. TCF has 25 grants on the books for ov er $950,000. In 2021 TCF closed out $464,000 in grants. All of these grants either are specific to recreation or have a significant impact on recreation. In addition to a robust and sus tainable t imber program the TCF manages/provides the following: 350 miles of snowmobile trails, 37 miles of ATV/UTV trails, 16 miles of Ice Age Trail , 8 miles of horse trails , Grant writing and maintenance assistance for Rib Lake and Perkinstown Cross Country Ski Trails , 100+ miles of hunter walking trails , own and maintain 6 dams (Miller, Chelsea, Camp 8, Perch Pond, Green Hole, Wildlife Pond), Pirus Shooting Range, Pine Line Trail, Grant writing for the Taylor County Sheriff’s Department and local volunteer fire departments to acquire equipment/supplies and conduct search/rescue. TCF manages recreational assets and facilities across the entire county, not just on county forest land. The greatest negat ive impact of this department cut would be to recreatio nal user groups as county forest programs are bound by state statute to prioritize timber production. Little time or resources could be spent on non-timber activities with only one staff in the department. The loss of a grant writing program would result i n an annual loss of $300,000+ to local clubs and contractors. Nearly all technical and financial (grant writing) assistance for county recreation programs would cease. Without the TCF leading the recreation programs both funding and user experience would s uffer. As these recreati onal assets deteriorate so will revenue from tourism. Additionally, local clubs are not eligible to receive funding directly fr om the DNR or Federal Govt. The county must be the sponsor and grant manager for these volunteer groups. • Lewis states the TCF department is overstaffed. All count y forests report employment information annually to the Wisconsin County Forest Associati on (WCFA). WCFA produces an annual employment report which shows position title s, pay range, percent forestry work, etc. This make s it very easy to compare one county to the next regardin g staffing levels. Walcisak distribute this WCFA report. o Taylor County manages 11,550 acres per full time equivalent (FTE). This is higher than average of all counties managi ng between 1,940 and 80, 000 acres. Taylor County is not overstaffed compared to other county forest programs. • Lewis states the County can save money an d be more productive by hiring a consulting forester to replace the duties of an employee. o Taylor County has won the Wisconsin Forest Productivity Award for the last five years consecutively. Taylor County already has the most productive forest in the state. Attempting to make the most productive forest in the state more productive by implementing an unprove n business m odel places undue risk on Taylor County and the taxpayers. o Statewide, county forests do not use contracting as a significant or permanent staffing solution. Contracting is used on an as -needed basis. Typically, during staffing vacancies. There are several reasons for this limited use. Contractors are not familiar with the forest. Continuity of management and knowledge are lost. In addition to this problem lies the issue of clearances and authorizations to access Rare/Threatened/Endangered species information, Archaeological and Historical data and the Wisconsin Forestry Inventory and Reporting software. A county forester must access all pieces of the information listed previously to establish, sell, administer and close-out each timber sale and road project. This information is not accessible to the public or a contractor. Contracted labor also requires significant oversight and guidance to ens ure work quality and adherence to their contract. This administrative time is redundant and wasted. o Wage and benefits of a forestry department employee are far lower than that of a consulting forester. The hourly rate of a consulting forester is between $ 15 and $40/hour more expensive than that of a forestry employee. Replacing an FTE with contracted labor is more expensive than employing an FTE. o If $100,000 is cut from the Forestry budget to eliminate one position, there will be no budget to hire a consulting forester. o Walcisak stated, “I believe the information I have presented demonstrates how this cut would significantly hurt the county budget, taxpayers, and recreation in Taylor County. This is not in the best interest of Taylor County citizens.” Chairman Mildbrand asked members of the audience for their comments. County Board Supervisor Gre g K night spoke in support of the forestry department. Noting forestry staff ’s professionalism and reputation within the forest industry. Wisconsin DNR Forestry Team Lead Jill Nemec provided the committee with a copy of state statue 28.1 1, illustrating the importance of county forest programs and adherence to state statue. Nemec spoke in support of current staff, their accomplishments and high level of work . County B oard Supervisor Mike Bub spoke in opposition to cuts within the forestry department. He s tated Taylor Co unty relies on forest revenue to balance the budget and th ese proposed cuts would put our finances a t risk. Bu b urged that such a move is short si ghted and would hurt the County long -term. Bub further stated there are other places to look for budget cuts, including two other county departments. Bub asked why the county is singling out the forestry department. Committee member Gary Beadles praised staff fo r their management of the forest and for maxim izing its value. Beadles stated, “This crew is top notch !” County Board Superv isor Rollie Thums s aid this cut was prompted by the count y’s $40 0,000 deficit. He s tated that per sonal judgements and personalities must be s et as ide, and to look out for the residents of the county. Greg Knight noted that cutting positions to meet budget in any organization sends a cl ear message to staff. Knight stated, “For any emp loyees, why would you stay here. This sends a terribl e message to staff about how the county makes budget decisions.” County Board Supervi sor Lester Lew is spoke in support of his proposal, saying this cut is in line with Mildbrand’s goal of eliminating 5 positions countywide in the next year. Lewis said that one tool they have available i s borrowing but he can’t justify this wi thout proposed cuts to go along w ith it. Greg Knight asked why this cut came so late in the budget process. Lewis r esponded by saying he was asked by Mildbrand to wait until near the end of the b udget process to see what was needed. Mildbrand discouraged the proposal. The Forestry Department was not invited to the Finance meeting on October 4 th, nor were they mad e aware of the proposal until more than 2 4 hours after it occurred. “When a budget cut is being proposed I believe it was a violation of trust to not include the department head that is impacted on the front end,” said Walcisak. Approve Bills: Walcisak presented the monthly bill spreadsheet. Beadles moved to approve the bill spreadsheet as presented; Seconded by Gebauer. Motion carried. Timber Sales Update: Lutz gave updates on timber sales. There are three (3) active timber sales. ● #671 Gumz Logging – Finished cutting this week . This was a three (3) year old sale. Just hauling and invoicing remain. ● # 681 Czarnezki Forest Products – Approximately 45% complete. Plan remains to move off due to oak and hardwood log price drop. ● #702 Central Wisconsin Lumber- Sale is approximately 55% complete . Plan has changed and will continue to cut on sale until finished. Timber Sale Contract Close Outs: 2. #682, Homestead Road, Gumz Logging: This sale was 109 acres which was sold in 2020. Total revenue of $95,119.72 , with a 1 6% volume underrun and 21% val ue underru n. Gebauer moved to appro ve the close out of sale #682; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. 3. #697, Longwood, Wi lson Forestry: This sale was sold in 2021 . Total revenue of $70,324.40, w ith a 17% volume underrun and 19% value underrun. Gebauer moved to approve the close out of sale #697; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. 4. #699, Fawn 21, Wilson Forestry: This sale was sold in 2021. Total revenue of $11,837.07, with a 9% volume underrun and 1 0% value underrun. Gebauer moved to approve the close out of sale #699; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. 5. #701, Bermuda, Central Wisconsin Lumber: This sale was 36 acres sold spring of 2022 , pending final hauling. Total revenue of $26,306.00, with a 22%volume underrun and 13% value underrun. Gebauer moved to approve the close out of sale #701 pending final hauling; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Administrator Report: Walcisak prov ided the foll owing. Dumpster was place d at the P irus shooting range, less trash on the range. September 7 th electroshock at Camp 8 Flowage. Survey was conducted at night. The entire 0.8-mile shoreline was surveyed. Species present included. (Listed in order of abundance, with average length): Blue Gil (5.43”), Large Mouth Bass (11.83”), White Sucker (15.27 ”), and Black Cr appie (7.6”). The larges t fish surve yed w as a Large Mouth Bass at 20.9”. A surprising amount of large White Suckers were surveyed. White Suckers ranged from 11.8” to 17.5”. No trout were surveyed or observed. Surface water temperatures ranged from 72 to 76 degrees. Scheirer will be wri ting up a r eport of our findings and include his recommendations. The next Pine Line Commission meeting will be Tuesday, October 25th at 7:00 pm in the Westboro Community Center basement. Assistant Administrator Report: Lutz provided the fo llowing. Fall timber sale s will be advertised in November. Wisconsin County Forests Association (WFCA) annual meeting was held on September 28 th & 29 th. Various topics were discu ssed, w ork force issues , and forest certification. Lutz accepted the Wisconsin Forest Pro ductivity Award for Taylor County. This is the fifth consecutive year winning this award. Partnership meeting will be held on September 21st to hopefully offer a Liaison position, with anticipated start date of November 7th. 2023 Annual Work Plan: Walcisak presented the 2023 Work Plan and Resolution. He reviewed changes from prev ious year. The Committe e did not want to go over the plan verbat im and decided to review it on their own. The Committee would like to meet at 8:15 am prior to the County Board meeting on October 26 th before, approving the 20 23 Ann ual W ork Plan and Resolution as presented. DNR County Forest Liaison Re port: Jill Ne mec provided a report . Coun ty time s tandards updated target hours for fiscal year 202 3, 785 hours. Current hours for fiscal year 2023, through September 24th, 2022, 225.5 hours (28.7%). September accomplishments: Annual DNR/County Forest Partnership meeting he ld September 21 st, with minutes routed to DNR Chief State Forester. Not much for field work accomplished due to employee leave t ime. Fall 2022 timber sales comp leted and currently in the review pro cess. Octob er wor kload: FRM (regeneration ) surveys. Assista nce with timber sale establish ment for S pring 2023 timber sales. Other information: Start date for new DNR Forester class is November 7th. We’re hopeful that this class will include a Forester to Fill the Medford Ranger/Liaison vacancy. Next Committee Meeting: The next meeting of the Forestry & Recreation Committee will be Friday November 4th, 2022, at 10:00 am in the County Board Room, third floor. Adjournment: With no further business, Gebauer moved to adjourn the meeting; Seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 12:30 p.m. Secretary: Karyn Gebert, Taylor County Zoning Dept. Jake Walcisak, Taylor County Forestry Dept. Forestry & Recreation Committee September 2, 2022 3rd Floor County Board Room Call Meeting to Order: The meeting was called to order at 10:00 am by Scott Mildbrand. Members Present: Scott Mildbrand, Myron Brooks, Gary Beadles, Rollie Thums, Jim Gebau er, Jim Metz. Members Absent: Jordan Lutz excused. Other Attendees: Jake Walcisak, Larry Brandl, Brian Wilson Star News, Jill Nemec-Zoom Approve Minutes: Brooks moved to a pprove the minutes of the August 5 th, 2022, meeting; Seconded by Gebauer. Motion carried. Approve A genda: Thums moved to approve the agenda of 13 items; Seconded by Brooks. Motion carried. Approve Bills: Walcisak presented the monthly bill spreadsheet. Gebauer moved to app rove the bill spreadsheet as presented; Seconded by Brooks. Motion carried. Timber Sales Update: All timber sal es which will be bid this fall are field co mplete. Work on spring timber sales will begin next week. Walcisak gave updates on timber sales. There are seven (7) active timber sales. • #671, Big Kahuna, Gumz Logging: Sale was about 50% complete last winter. Moved in last week. Plan to finish this fall. • #681, Big K West, Czar nezki Forest Products : Moved into this sale two (2) weeks ago. They plan on working until end of September and then moving off to cut on private sale. Approximately 30% complete. • #682, Homestead Road, Gumz Logging: Cutting and s kidding completed last week. Final hauling and invoicing remain. No road work necessary. About two loads left to haul. Expect to close out next month. • #697, Lon gwood, Wi lson Forestry: Job is complete. Rec eived final payment yesterday. Except to close out next month. • #699, Fawn 21, Wil son Forestry: Cutting and skidding has been completed. Received final payment yesterday. One load of scaled wood left to haul. Will close out next month. • #701, Bermuda, Central Wisconsin Lumber: Cutting and skidding is complete. A few cords are left to be haul. Logging debris cleanup of North Loop Road remains. Will likely close out next month. • #702, Last Supper, Central WI Lumber: Sale is approximately 40% complete. Plan to work a few more weeks and move off to other sales nearing expiration. Timber Sale Close Out #693, County D Hardwood, Twin Forest Products: • Sale #693 Twin Forest Products : Total revenue was $30,892.83 , with a 2% volume underrun and 12% value underrun. Brooks moved to approve the close out of sale #693 with no pending items; Second by Beadles, Motion carried. 2021 Annual Accomplishment Report: Walcisak provided information on the 2021 a nnual accomplishment report. 2021 Forestry Department expense budget of $164,165. Actual expense 1% over budget a t $1 65,875.35. $1.16 million in departmen t revenue and closed out grant projects. Timber revenue of $688,945.84. By statute at least 10% of county forest timber revenue must go to the towns in which the county forest lies. $68,885.94 of county forest timber revenue to towns in 2 021. County Forest Acreage share payment, (state funds) paid towns an additional $11,168.64. Total to towns in 202 1 was $80,054.58. Total o f $55,056.50 of timber revenue went to replenish land acquisition account. Thi s replenishment was necessary due to recent purchases, such as Wellington Lake house and the homeless shelter on 4th Street. $430,041.54 of Forestry revenue went to the County ge neral fund in 2021. This means 72% of County Forest revenue was either distributed to towns or transferred to the County general fund. 2021 had the lowest expense ratio on record at 0.24. Walcisak re viewed graphs prepared by Lutz w hich illustrate the annual trends of timber sale establishme nt, bid values, and timber rev enue. This report will be posted on the County Forest portion of the county website. Brooks made a motion to approve the 2021 annual accomplishment report; Seconded by Beadles, Motion carried. 2023 Proposed Department Bud get: Walcisak presented and reviewed the proposed 2023 department budget. Reduce equipment maintenance by $1,000 to ref lect average hours of us e, multiplied by DOT rates over 4 years. Reduce vehicle and equipment insurance b y $200 to reflect average over 4 years. Increase equipment use revenue by $1,0 00 to reflect average revenue over 4 years. New to the budget is occupational safety item of $400 for annual hearing test, fire extinguisher test, and pe rsonal protective equipment. Increase telephone expense by $500 to provide cell phone allowance t o both forestry depar tment e mployees. Increase membership dues by $138 to include Society of American Foresters membership. Increase travel expenses by $ 2,500 to account for increased fuel costs. Increase forestry supplies by $500 to account for increased forestry paint cost. Increase P irus Range budget by $250 for ad ding a small dumpster in September, October, November. This is needed to reflect increased range use. Walcisak was able t o tighten the budget in a few areas but is not enough to offset increased costs of fuel and forestry pa int. Proposed 2023 operational budget has an increase of 2. 1% versus 2022 budget . Brooks made a motion to approve budget and s end it to Finance and Personnel Committee for final approval; Second by Beadles, Motion carried. Project bidding and Con struction Oversight Contracts for Camp 8 Dam and Chelsea Lake Dam: Walcisak presented a bidding and construction oversight proposal from Ayers Associations for Camp 8 Dam and Chelsea Lake Dam replacement proj ects. Thums made a motion to approve Camp 8 bidding and construction oversight proposal of $23,028 pending review by Corp counsel; Seconded by Gebauer , Motion carried. Brooks made a m otion to approve Chelsea Lake Dam bidding and construction oversight proposal of $24,740 pending review by Corp counsel; Seconded by Beadles, Motion carried. Accomplishment Updates: Walcisak provided the following updates. • DNR Funding Meetings for ORV and Snowmobile on August 30th and 31st. ▪ Successful in securing an additional $171,550 in grants. • Miller Dam Sluice Gate project completion August 22nd. • Camp 8 Flowage fishing and fish habitat improvement recommendations. ▪ Walcisak distributed an email from DNR Fisheries Biologist Jeff Scheirer. Jeff suggested installing artificial habit at such as fish cribs and shoreline tree drops as well as install a fishing pier near the dam. ▪ Walcisak will assist DNR with a fish survey next week. This will help determine the current species co mposition and size structure of all species as well as survival of stocked trout. • County Forest roads sign project. ▪ $1,150 in materials for U-channel posts. Installation approximately $600. ▪ $1,350 in materials for Round-posts. Installation approximately $1,200. Brooks mad e a m otion to get started on signs on the County Forest ; Seconded by Gebauer, Motion carried. • Wisconsin C ounty Forest Association ( WCFA) Board of Directors meeting Tuesday, September 27th, 1:00 pm, at The Waters of Minocqua. DNR County Forest Liaison Re port: Jill Ne mec pr ovided a report . Coun ty time standards updated target hours for fisc al year 202 3, 785 hours. An incr ease from 773 hours in 2022. Current hours for fiscal year 2 023, through August 27 th, 2022, 189.25 hours (24.4%). August accomplishments: assisted County staff w ith completing two (2) timber sales (marking and cruising) for fall bid package and completed dozer site prep work on the Field Pine plantation site. All work was compl eted under “dozer training hours” so no charge will be assessed to the county for the work. Hours will be l ow for the month of September due to local staff on vacation. Expect to fill Medford County Forest Li aison vacancy through a hiring process that is already underway . Ne mec is hopeful to have some one hired in November. The a nnual DNR/County Forest Partnership meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 21st, 2022. Additional Items: None. Next Committee Meeting: The next meeting of the Forestry & Recreation Committee will be Friday, October 7th, 2022, at 10:00 am in the County Board Room, third floor. Adjournment: With no further business, Gebauer moved to adjourn the meeting; Seconded by Brooks. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 11:19 a.m. Secretary: Karyn Gebert, Taylor County Forestry Dept. Camp 8 Flowage Fish Survey Update: Walcisak assisted Wisconsin DNR Fisheries B iologist Jeff Scheirer and Fisheries Tec hnician Kendal Patrie on Wednesday September 7 th, 2022. This electro -shocking survey was conducted at night. The entire 0.8-mile shoreline was surveyed. Species present included (listed in order of abundance, with average length): Blue Gill (5.43”), Large Mouth Bass (11.83”), W hite Sucker (15.27”), and Black Crappie (7.6”). The largest fish surveyed was a Large Mouth Bass at 20.9”. A surprising amount of large White Suckers were surveyed. White suckers ranged from 11.8 ” to 17.5”. No trout were s urveyed or o bserved. Surface wat er temperatures ranged from 72 to 76 degrees. Scheirer will be writing up a report of our findings an d include his recommendations for future fisheries management. Forestry & Recreation Committee August 5, 2022 3rd Floor County Board Room Call Meeting to Order: The meeting was called to order at 10:00 am. by Scott Mildbrand. Members Present: Scott Mildbrand, Myron Brooks, Gary Beadles, Rollie Thums, Jim Gebau er, Jim Metz. Members Absent: None. Other Attendees: Jake Walcisak, Jordan Lutz, Brian Wilson Star News Approve Minutes: Thums moved to a pprove t he minutes of the June 3 rd, 2022, meeting; Seconded by Gebauer. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Gebauer moved to approve the agenda of 13 items; Seconded by Brooks. Motion carried. Approve Bills: Walcisak presented the monthly bill spreadsheet. Brooks moved to approve the bill spreadsheet as presented; Seconded by Gebauer. Motion carried. Timber Sales Update: Lutz gave updates on timber sales. There are six (6) active timber sales. Conditions have been very dry which means logging has been very productive and busy. • #682 Gumz: Over 75% complete. He will finish this month. • #693 Twin Forest Products: Completed harvesting 2 week s ago. Final hauling and invoicing remain. • #697 Wilson: Finished harvesting last week. Final hauling and invoicing remain. • #699 Wilson: Finished harvesting last week. Final hauling and invoicing remain. • #701 Central WI Lumber: Finished harvesting this week. Final hauling and invoicing remain. • #702 Central WI Lumber: Started on sale this week. Walcisak presented to the Committee the status o f Northwest Har dwoods contract non - compliance. The Forestry Committee took action in June 2022, placing Northwest Hardwoods on a 2-year bidding ban . Lutz and Wa lcisak have worked with four different law enforcement officers to determine the options availab le. All four officers agre ed t he evidence met the necessary elements of timber theft. They also all agreed there could be signif icant pushback from Northwest Ha rdwoods and the subcontracted trucker due to the severity of this citation within the forest industry. Walcisak and Lutz recommendation is to not issue a citation to either individual and to attempt gaining compliance through the contract. The Forestry Dep artment has issued penalties for poor utilization, missed cut to length p ieces and logs hauled without being scaled by the County. Northwest p romptly paid these penalties . Future a ctions by the committee may include contractor ban (subcontracted loggers or truckers), additional penalties, etc. In a related issue , Northwest Hardwoods sent a release of liability request to the Forestry Department for sale #683. Lutz contacted Corp counsel Ruthann Koch. She advised not to sign this form. Sale #683 will be closed out through the standard department process. June’s meeting Thums requested to require all saw log mills to provide mill scale after County scale. Walcisak polled the County Fore st Administrators and found that no count y requires mill scale of logs wh en they are scaled by the County. Also, many Counties do not require a haul ticket when transporting county scaled woo d. Taylor County does requi re a haul ticket . Requiring mill scale is not necessary/redundant if County scales wood prior to hauling. This also places an additional burden on logging contractor and mill s. Counties and sawmills utilize two different scaling pro cedures. County scales logs in large piles, uses woods run sca ling, and applies deduction s when they ar e visible. Sawmill s lay out and roll each log individually to produce a graded scale. The county log scale can’t be tied to individual loads since many loads of logs typically exist in one pile on the landing. The industry expectation is woods run scale is higher than mill scale. Contractors bid accordingly. Timber Sale Close Out #704 and #683: • Sale #704 Czarnezki Forest Products: This was a 7-acre direct sale for a lump sum of $2,634.10. This sale was a new road installation to avoid a bad stretch of existing road which included sev eral deep wetland s. This required a n easement from the Zettler’s, which was acquired prior to the timber sale. Gebauer moved to approve the close out of sale #704 with no pending items; Second by Thums, Motion carried. • Sale #683 Northwest Har dwoods: Total revenue was $62,389.97, with a 10% volume underrun and 12% val ue u nderrun. All prior pen alties have been paid, including: poor utilization, missed bunch piles, and hauling logs without being scaled by the County . Brooks mov ed to appr ove the close out sale of sale #683 with no additional penalties; Second by Beadles, Motion carried. 2022 Gravel Contract Termination/Reassignment: Walcisak provide information on the 2022 Gravel contract. On April 8th, 2022, Forestry Committee awarded contract to Brody Brunn er for 2,850 cubic yards of crushed gravel, delivered for $41,335.50. June 28th Brody Brunner contacts Walcisak and reque sts the termination of his contract and return of his performan ce bond ($4,133.55). Brody indicates he no longer works with his grandfa ther Bill Brunner who owns the pit and has control of the gravel Brody crushed for Taylor County Forestry. July 8 th, Walcisak speaks on the phone with Bill Brunner. Bill is interested in taking over the contract from Brody and depositing his own performance bond. Walcisak spoke with Corp Counsel several times and received guidance on this issue. Corp Counsel a pproved the fol lowing as options for the committee to consider: ▪ Maintain contract with Brody Brunner until th e end date of November 30 th, 2022. ▪ Terminate contract with Brody Brunner. ▪ Retain all, a portion or none of the bond. ▪ Assign contract t o Bill Brunner pending receipt of performance bond and insurance certificates. ▪ Do not assign contract to Bill Brunner. ▪ Purchase stockpiled gravel from Bill Brunner without a contract. ▪ Purchase gravel on open market. Gebauer made a motion to transfer con tract to Bill Brunner pen ding receipt of performance bond and insurance certificate and to return Brody Brunner’s performance bo nd in the full amount of $4,133.55; Seconded by Thums, Motion carried. Miller Dam Sluice Gate Replaceme nt Project: Walcisak gave an update on Miller Dam Sluice Gate replacement project. The p roject started onsite M onday July 18 th. Forestry Department, Buildings/Ground/Parks Department a nd County Boar d Supervisors have received complaints and concerns from several citizens regarding the lake level and claims the lake would be drawn down 5 feet from its current elevation during construction. ▪ 4-year average lake elevation in July is 1,259.0’ MSL. ▪ The lake level on July 8 th was 1,258.9 feet MSL. The water eleva tion needed to be brought down to 1,258.7’ MSL for the construction crew to access the sluiceway without obstru ction from cascading water over the slide gates. Slide gates were partially opened to achieve the required elevation. ▪ On July 19 th an elevation o f 1,258.7’ was reached a nd the sluice plug was installed. Water levels were maintained at 1,258. 65 to 1,258.7’ for two more days. ▪ All slide gates were c losed and not opened since the afternoon of July 21st. Water levels have started to increase. The Sluice plug was installed, old gate and pedestal remov ed, new gate and pedestal installed, sealed around new gate. Nordic Group met the contract requirement of substantial completion before July 31st, 2022. Leak testing today. The sluice plug will be removed upon a successful leak test. Taylor County ATV Tr ail Maintenance: Walcisak gave an update on the Taylor County ATV trails. Counties in Wisconsin apply for and receive trail maintenance funds from DNR whic h are derived from ATV/UTV registration and gas tax on 25 gallons of fuel per registered machine annually. Counties then contract with local clubs to compl ete the maintenance as specified by DNR. Taylor Made ATV club is experiencing a m embership shortage. I informed the Forestry Committee of this possibility in February 2022. In 2021, Taylor Made ATV Club utilized 18% of all trail maintenance funds provided by the state. Forestry Department utilized the re maining 82% on the ATV trail sys tems. It is the ex pectation the club utilize all funds availabl e on an annual basis. Walcisak read a statement from the F ebruary meeting: “We are receiving more request each year to assist ATV and snowmobile clubs with trail maintenance. Specifi cally brush ing, grading and culvert replacements. This has required additi onal st aff time, truck mileage , equipment hours, etc. I be lieve this trend will continue. Volunteer labor is decreasing as club members get older and are not rep laced by younger generations. We should expect to allocate more time and equipment to these eff orts in the future. Examples m ay include hiring an LTE and/or purchasing additional equipment.” In 2022 Walcisak has worked on the Camp 8 ATV Trail system extensively, over 60 hours. This includes project planning, operating Forestry Department equipment (brushing, mowing, grading) and hiring local heavy equipmen t contractors (Dozer, excavator, grader, gravel trucks). All wage, benefits, equipment, and materials are reimbursable. This model is n ot su stainable given the department’s current staffing level . W hile Walcisak hopes for club membership to return/increase, he is also planning for this to be a new workload on the de partment. Mildbrand made a motion to work with the ATV club as much as pos sible, hire contractors and for Walcisak to make his be st judgment on what trails need to ge t done and to a llocate all the grant funds . Walcisak explained that all miles must be main tained annually to comply with the contract between DNR and the County for funding. A roll call vo te cast, six (6) aye, motion carried. Accomplishment Updates: Walcisak provided the following updates. • Camp 8 Flowage fish habitat improv ements. Walcisak is working with DNR Fis heries Biologist Jeff Scheirer for a professional opinion. • Pirus Range Update. Concrete block divider wall between 50 yd and 100 yd range tipped ov er this spring. Jordan Lutz, Joe Svejda, and Jim Bauer are working o n stabilizing the base and rebuilding the wall. This wall was constructed in 2017 and this is not a planned expense. • Walcisak was interviewed by the Wisconsin ATV Association regarding tr ail construction and maintenance on County Forest Land. The interview was crafted into a 6-page article in their quarterly magazine. • Illegal ATV use on Pine Line. Working with Sheriff’s Department. • Damage to Wood Lake County Park. Working with Sheriff’s Department. • Trail Farm property, 230 acres, adjacent to County Forest has sold. DNR County Forest Liaison Re port: Jill Nemec provided Walcisak a report . Coun ty time standards status update target hours for fiscal year 2022 773 hours, final hours for fis cal year 2022 through June 18th, 2022, 796.5 hours. Target hours for fiscal year for 2023 785 hours, total hours for fiscal year 2023 through July 30th, 2022, 90.25 hours. July accomplishments and August workload: Completed 4 acres of pre-sale scarification with dozer on the Bermu da timber sal e. Will have completed site prep work on the Field Pine timber sale site by August 12th. Local dozer operator and one addi tional operator helped with this. Currently marking on a timber sale by Camp 8. Approximately 30 acres left to mark. Assi st county staff with additional timber sale marking on other sales and FRM (regeneration surveys). Annual DNR/County Forest Partnership Meeting is scheduled September 21 st. Open recru itment currently in process for Forester vacancies – closing date is August 7 th. E xpect to fill Medford Forester va cancy through this recruitment, starting date sometime this fall. Additional Items: None. Next Committee Meeting: The next meeting of the Forestry & Recreation Committee will be Friday, September 2nd, 2022, at 10:00 am in the County Board Room, third floor. Adjournment: With no further business, Thums moved to adjourn the meeting; Seconded by Gebauer. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 11:23 a.m. Secretary: Karyn Gebert, Taylor County Forestry Dept. Please Note: July 1, 2022 meeting of the Forestry & Recreation Committee was cancelled. Forestry & Recreation Committee June 3rd, 2022 3rd Floor County Board Room Call Meeting to Order: The meeting was called to order at 10:02 am. by Scott Mildbrand. Members Present: Scott Mildbrand, Myron Brooks, Gary Beadles, Rollie Thums, Jim Gebauer. Members Absent: None. Other Attendees: Jake Walcisak, Jordan Lutz, Larry Brandl, Brian Wilson Star News, Jill Nemec WI DNR, Rebekah Luedtke Wisconsin C ounty Forest Association, Chuck Zenner, Ty ler Oestreich from Northwest Hardwoods and Steve Pilgrim from Northwest Hardwoods. Approve Minutes: Thums moved to a pprove t he minutes of the May 13 th, 2022, meeting; Seconded by Gebauer. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Thums moved to approve the agenda of 14 items, adding a new agenda item to reconvene in open session after closed session; Seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Closed Session: A motion was m ade by Gebauer, seconded by Brooks, at 10:08 am, to go into closed ses sion pursuant to Section 19 .85 (1)(f), Wisconsin State Statutes, to consider fi nancial and business histories of a party contracted with the County, which if discussed in public, would be likely to have a substant ial adverse effect upon t he reputation of t he contracted party referred to in such histories. A roll call vote cast, five (5) voting aye, motion carried. Open Session: A motion was made by Brooks, seconded by Gebauer, to go into open session at 11:48 am. A unanimous vote cast, motion carried. It was moved by Thums , seconded by Beadles to put Northwest Hard woods on a biddi ng ban for 2 years, assess double st umpage for missed cut to length pieces, $500 pen alty for poor utilization, and pursue the potential of a timber theft citation or warning with law enforcement. A voice vote cast, five (5) voting yes, motion carried. Approve Bills: Walcisak presented the monthly bill spreadsheet. Brooks moved to approve the bill spreadsheet as presented; Seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Introduction to t he Wisconsin Coun ty Forest Ass ociation: Walcisak int roduced Rebekah Luedtke, WC FA Ex ecutive Director. Luedtke gave a presentation on the Wisconsin County Forests Association (WCFA). WCFA was established in 1968 to provide support to the growing county forest programs statewide and acts as a collaborative plat form for members to discu ss issues, procedures, and policies of the county forests. Instead of each individual county dealing with issues on th eir own, WCFA a cts as the single point of contact for its m embers. WCFA is a not-for-profit, quasi -government organization whose membershi p is m ade up of the 30 counties in Wisconsin. Presentation items included: turn of the century logging history, C ounty Forest Reserve Law, County Forest Law ss 28.11, forestry economics and employment impacts, forest certification, DNR partnership, association priorities, and legislative items. Walcisak mentioned that Chuck Zenner, Myron Brooks, and the late Mike Roiger have all served on the WCFA Board. Taylor County Forestry Committee has had board representation for over 30 years. Contract Extension Timber Sale #675 – 1 Year Request: Lutz presented a request received from Steve Dassow. He is a requesting a 1-year extension for sale #675. This sale was purchased in June 201 9, pre-COVID and pre -Verso closure. Sale is winter access only; this is the 1st extension request. Wit h this request , the sale will be 4 years old on June 30 th, 2023 . Motio n made by Thums to appr ove the 1-year extension, no stumpage increase, and only char ge the $50 renewal fee. Second by Beadles. Motion carried. Approve Timber Sales for Advertising: Lutz presented the spring timber sale bids. All four (4) sales received qualifying bids with a total bid value of $282,756.65 on 266 acres. • Tract #1-22, Wilderness Quercus: There were two (2) qualifying bids. Central Wisconsin Lumber had the highest bid of $32,242.60. • Tract #2-22, Bermuda: There were two (2) qualifying bids. Central Wisconsin Lumber had the highest bid of $30,220.55. • Tract #3-22, Last Supper: There were three (3) qualifying bids. Central Wisconsin Lumber had the highest bid of $172,521.00. • Tract #4-22, Trembling Trout: There were two (2) qualifying bids. Gumz Logging had the highest bid of $47,772.50. • Total bid value of $282,756.65, which is 81% over the advertised minimum sale value. Motion mad e by Brooks to approve the h ighest bidder for tracts #1-22, #2-22, and #3-22, Central Wisconsin Lumber pending favorable reference checks; se conded by Beadl es. Thums voted no. Motion carried. Motion made by Thums to approve the highest b idder for tract #4 -22, Gumz Logging; second by Beadles. Motion carried. DNR County Forest Liaison Re port: DNR Forestry Team Leader Jill Nemec p rovided the following update regarding the County Forest Liaison vacancy and time standards. DNR was not successful in filling the va cancy through a lateral transfer. The position is now pl anned to be filled with the next forester hiring cla ss sometime this fall. Time standards as of May 21st are at 748 hours with approximately 25 hours rema ining. Time standards for this fiscal year end on June 18th. Additional Items: Thums would like to discuss requir ing log mills to provide mill slips on County scaled wood. Mildbrand would l ike to discuss fisheries improv ements for Cam p 8 Flowage. Accomplishment Updates: Walcisak provided the following updates. • WCFA Board of Directors meeting will be June 22nd, and Summer Tour June 23rd and 24th in Ladysmith, Rusk County. ▪ Brooks is a di rector o n the board . W alcisak is the Vice Pr esident, Bu dget Committee chairman, Executive Committee member , and Legislative/Certification Committee member. o Brooks, Beadles and Walcisak are attending the Summer Tour. Thums would also like to attend. • Medford High School mentorship Program. Quinton Tlusty’s last day was May 23rd. • Walcisak presented at a book club meeting Wednesday , Ju ne 1 st for “Eager; T he Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter.” • Lutz met with Dave Kafura WCFA Assistant Executive Dir ector as the East Lemke Creek site to discuss options for replacing the crossing. Dave is a retired DNR Forest Hydrologist. • Chelsea Lake Dam and Camp 8 Dam grants have been approved by DNR. Next Committee Meeting: The next meeting of the Forestry & Recreation Committee will be Friday, July 1st, 2022, at 10:00 am in the County Board Room, third floor. Adjournment: With no further business, Thums moved to adjourn the meeting; Seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 12:11 p.m. Secretary: Karyn Gebert, Taylor County Forestry Dept. Forestry & Recreation Committee May 13th, 2022 3rd Floor County Board Room Call Meeting to Order: The meeting was called to order at 1:08 p.m. by Scott Mildbrand. Members Present: Scott Mildbrand, Myron Brooks, Gary Beadles, Rollie Thums, Jim Gebauer. Members Absent: None. Other Attendees: Jake Walcisak, Jordan Lutz, Jim Metz, Larry Brandl, Brian Wilson Star News, Doug Brown WI DNR, Jill Nemec WI DNR, Adam Schneider Ayres Engineering (Zoom), Rebekah Luedtke Wisconsin County Forest Association (Zoom). Chairman Mildbrand apologized to the committee and other attendee s for being late . The Finance-Personnel meeting went over schedule. Approve Agenda: Gebauer moved to approve the agenda of 16 items; Seconded by Brooks . Motion carried. Mildbrand announced he would be jumping around th e agenda to be sure the committee covered everything that w as important. Mildbrand also announced a County Board initiative to limit meetings to between an hour and an hour and 15 minutes. Approve Minutes: Brooks moved to a pprove t he minutes of the April 8 th, 2022, meeting; Seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Introduction of New Members: Each of the new members introduced themselves. Approve Bills: Walcisak presented the monthly bill spreadsheet. Mildbrand requested the bills to be provided in advance of meetings in the future. Brooks moved to app rove t he bill spreadsheet as presented; Seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Timber Sales Updates: #683: Finished harvesting late winter and just started hauling again, from wood that was decked through spring break up. #704: Wood has been decked up through spring break up and just beginning to haul first loads. Per committee chair request, Lutz exp lained the following informative handouts: information pertaining to average historical bidding acreage, allowable cut, current sales and contractors on the books, and a location map and sheet with proposed fall timber sale locations. Approve Timber Sales for Advertising: The following sales were proposed for advertisement. • Tract #1-22: 44 acres, northern hardwood, with summer opportunity. Minimum bid value: $19,083.00 • Tract #2-22: 36 acres, with summer opportunity. Minimum bid value: $16,368.00 • Tract #3-22: 99 acres , northern hardwood, summer ground opportunity. Minimum b id value: $82,543.50 • Tract #4-22: 87 acres, aspen, Minimum bid value: $38,363.00 Four sales on 266 acres , total minimum bid: $156,357.50. Motion made by Gebauer to approve sales for advertising, as presented. Second by Beadles. Motion carried Taylor C ounty Dams Update: Mildbrand asked Finance Director Larry Brandl to provide an update regarding the gra nts a nd financial s tatus for the three current county dam projects. Brandl differed the question to W alcisak. Walcisak provided two handouts sh owing the cost incurred to date, cost to finish, reimbursable costs and pending grant awards for each project. In total these projects ar e estimated at $729,800. Cost to complet e all three proj ects $62 7,950. Dam grant award and pending awa rds $31 4,000. All projects reim bursable to date $51,000. County Dam account balance $275,2 00. This results in a $12,000 surplus, pending the award of the Camp 8 and Chelsea Lake gra nt applications. The County has adequate funds budgeted to complete all three projects as planned. The County will likely be notified by DNR regarding grant award or denial in late May to early June. Mildbrand expressed his concern with r ising material and labor cost in all industries. Schneider explained increased costs have been incorporated into these projects and their respective grant applications. Mildbrand would l ike to dis cuss the possibility of dredging Camp 8 Flowage and placing fish cribs while it is drawn down to create a better trout fishery. Miller Dam Sluice Gate Contract Extension Request – Nordic Group: Walcisak and Schneider provided a project background and timeline for the committee. Replacement of the Miller Dam sluice gate was first discussed at the Forestry Committee in 2019 and brought to County Board in 2 020. The current project deadlin e is June 1 st, 2022. Nordic Group is req uesting a 60-day extension due to a gate manufacturing delay and seasonally high-water levels. Thums moved to approve Nordic Group’s 60-day extension request; Seconded by Brooks. Motion carried. Disaster Damage Aid Grant – Flooding Damage to County Forest Roads: Lutz presented a grant opportunity, Disaster Damage Aid Grant (DDA) , to pursue potential reimbursement of damage that occurred on county forest roads. A heavy rain event, on April 12- 13, in combination with frozen ground conditions caused flooding and road w ashouts, with an estimated damage amount of $11,00. There are 4 proposed eligible sites located on Camp 8 road (2), Trou t Avenue (1), and East Lemke Creek (1). A DDA petition was present ed by Lutz showing estimated costs and location map. Brooks moved to appr ove pursuing the DDA grant as proposed. Seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Review and Approve Reforestation Site Preparat ion Bids: No bids were received for the site preparation of an 1 1-acre reforestation project. This project was bid out with Marathon and Oneida Counties to help promote greater interest in potential contractors. Site preparation work will now be conducted inter nally with depar tment staff and equipment as w ell as with DNR equipment and operators. Walcisak e xplained h ow dozer site prep is less desirable than disc trenching. Mildbrand asked what the cost would be for this project. Walcisak stated the most recent site preparation conducted with DNR was a 4 3-acre project for less than $1 ,700. DNR annual time s tandards and DNR dozer training hours were applie d to reduce the cost of th is previous project. Walcis ak informed the committee the total cost of re forestation is approximately $500/acre which includes site preparations, seedlings and planting. No action required. Introduction to the County Fores t Program: Walcisak invited DNR County Forest Specialist Doug Brown and DNR F orestry Te am Leader Jill N emec to provide a presentation to the committee regarding the County F orest program. This includ ed Wisconsin state s tatute 28.11 County Forests. Key points of the law: permanent p rogram, timber production, multiple use for maximum public benefits, compensation to Counties (DNR’s responsibility to counties), revenues to towns (DN R and County Forest re sponsibility). Key DNR roles: work collaboratively with County in managing the resources, manage forest certifica tion, approval of every tim ber sale, annual work pla ns, comprehensive land use plan (15-year plan). DNR provides direct f inancial assistance through grants and loans. D NR also provides te chnical assistance at no cost , known as time standa rds. Tayl or County receives approximately 770 h ours per year. This is accomplished primarily through the DNR County Forest Liaison position. DNR also provides free access to specialists: forest health, wildlife biologists, ecologists, IT/GIS specialists, Silviculturists, forest products specialists, hydrologists, forest economists, etc. Brown and Nemec responded to several questions by the committee. Walcisak thanked Brown and Nemec for their presentation. DNR County Forest Liaison Report: Jeff Sorenson provided a written report. I apologize for not being able to attend today’s meeting, but I have my post-surgical follow-up appointment for my ACL reconstruction surgery at 2 p m today here in Waus au. With my surgery, I have not been able to do much in the fie ld but had been mentoring Quint on Tlusty almost ev ery morning up until my surgery on May 2nd. I want to again thank the T aylor County Fores t committee f or being forward thin king and giving back to the community in this fashi on. The fo rest industry and all its partners need smart, motivated young people to join our rank s and this mentoring program is a great way to recruit qu ality individuals into the natu ral resources field. As far as monthly time standard, the DNR has approx imately 50 hours remaining with a month or so left to fulfill our commitment. Jona than Knusta ha s been, and will be, working on setting up a fall timber sale with Jordan L utz and is al so working on a TSI project so meeting ti me standards should be fairly easy. It is with much bittersweet emotions, that I have to inform you that I have accepted a late ral transfer to the Wausau offic e and will now be the Marathon County Forest liaison and private lands forester. I live in Wausau so the change will be good for me in terms of commuting. I can’t begin to tell you how fulfilling and great it has been wo rking with Jake and Jordan here in T aylor County. Both of the se men are hardwor king, knowled geable and motivated foresters. Our partnership is based on teamwork, and I can’t thank them both enough for all the help they have given me over the last 2 ½ years to fulfill our annual work goals. DNR Forestry Team Leader Jill Nemec provid ed the follow ing update regarding the County Forest Liaison vacancy and time standards. DNR is currently tak ing lateral transfers, with a new forester possibly in place as early as June or July. If an existing DNR employee doesn’t transfer into the positio n it will be filled with the next forester hiring class sometime this fall. In the interim, to help with any Taylor County Forest needs, my self and the Wausau area team will be coming over to assist whenever necessary. Additional Items: None. Accomplishment Updates: Walcisak provided following updates. • Acreage Share Payments increased from $0.30 to $0.63 per acre. Payments will be distributed to towns (Rib Lake and Westboro) June. • 1st annual road grading will occur next week. • Completed 2020 Sustainable Forestry Grant. Replant 43 acres. Forest health issue. Grant for $19,600. Expenses $22,300. Forest regeneration account will cover the balance. • Spring 2022 Grant Applications Total $587,000. Representing $946,000+ in projects. • Pine Line Marathon was April 23rd. • Pine Line Commission spring meeting was April 26th. • Walcisak has been elected as the Vice President of the Wisconsin County Forest Association. • ATV trails opened this morning at 8:00 am. County Forest and USFS trails. • 2nd annual CDAC meeting was May 3rd. Council approved the preliminary recommendations from the first meeting as final. ▪ Reduce harvest quota from 3,100 bonus antlerless in 2021 to 2,750 in 2022. o 2021 public 300. 2022 public 250. Reduction of 17%. o 2021 private 2,800. 2022 private 2,500. Reduction of 11%. ▪ Harvest authorizations stayed the same as 2021 at 11,200. • Statewide Deer Advisory Committee meeting was May 12th. Walcisak is a member and attended virtually. This allowed Walcisak to keep the office open as Lutz and Gebert were both scheduled off. It also saved the County approximately $170 in mileage and unproductive drive time. • WCFA Board of Directors meeting will be June 22nd, and Summer Tour June 23rd and 24th in Ladysmith, Rusk County. ▪ Brooks is a director on the board. Walcisak is the Vice President and Budget Committee chairman. • Walcisak invited Wi sconsin C ounty Forest Association (WCFA) Executive Director Rebekah Luedtke to provide a presentation on WCFA at the June 3rd, 2022 Forestry Committee meeting. Next Committee Meeting: The next meeting of the Forestry & Recreation Committee will be Friday, June 3rd, 2022, at 10:00 am in the County Board Room, third floor. Adjournment: With no further business, Beadles moved to adjourn t he meeting; Seconded by Gebauer. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 2:43 p.m. Secretary: Jake Walcisak and Jordan Lutz, Taylor County Forestry Dept. Forestry & Recreation Committee April 8th, 2022 3rd Floor County Board Room Call Meeting to Order: The meeting was called to order at 10:00 a.m. by Chuck Zenner. Members Present: Chuck Zenner, Myron Brooks, Gary Beadles, Mike Bub. Members Absent: Gene Knoll, excused Other Attendees: Jake Walcisak, Jordan Lutz , Karyn Gebert, Jim Metz, Larry Brandl, Brian Wilson Star News, Jeff Sorenson WI DNR, Jill Nemec WI DNR. Approve Minutes: Brooks moved to approve the minutes of the March 11th, 2022, meeting; Seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Bub moved to approve the agenda of 13 items with striking item number 10 (as recommended by Walcisak); Seconded by Brooks. Motion carried. Approve Bills: Walcisak presented the monthly bill spreadsheet. Brooks moved to approve the bill spreadsheet as presented; Seconded by Bub. Motion carried. Timber Sales Updates: Lutz gave updates on timber sales. There are two (2) active timber sales: • #683 Northwest Hardwoods: Final hauling remains. Waiting on road restrictions to lift. • #704 Czarnezki Direct: This is a s even (7) acre direct , lump sum sale. Finished cutting and skidding befo re road restri ctions went on . Final haul ing remains . Waiting on road restrictions to lift. • Lutz pres ented calendar y ear 2021 annual accomplishment reports from DNR regarding the County Forest program statewi de. Lutz highlighted Taylor County and how we compare to other County Forest programs. Timber Sale Close Out #665 and #691: • Sale #665 Steve Dassow: Close out sale pending final payment. Total revenue of $11,590.01, with a 4% volume underrun and 7% value underrun. Bub moved to approve the close out of sale #665; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried • Sale #6 91 Wilson: Close out p ending final payment with total revenue o f $32,490.98, with a 3% volume overrun and 11% value overrun . Brooks moved to approve the close out of sale #691 pending final payment; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried Resolution for participati on in the Wisconsin DNR Municipal Dam Grant Pr ogram: Wisconsin S tate Statute has been updated since the last application perio d in 2020 . A n ew resolution authorizing participation in the department of natural resources municipal dam grant program is required. Walcisak provided the updated resolution to the Committee. Bub moved to approve the new resolution as presented; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried . This resolution will be presented to County Board on April 19th, 2022. Review and Approve Gravel Bid s: Walcisak presented the gravel bid results of the 2022 County Forest Gravel Project. There were four (4) qualified bids. Lowest bid was Brunner with a total of $41,335.50 , Wicso Materials at $43 ,227.00, Haas Sons Inc. at $44,110.50, Randy Thums Trucking at $45, 097.50. Haas Sons Inc. submitted a second bid with 1.25” crushed gravel as an alternative for 2” crushed gravel with a bid total of $40,750.50. Brooks moved to award the contract to Brunner for $41,335.50; seconded by Bub. Motion carried. Accomplishments Updates: • DNR Sustainable Forestry Grant award. Improve forest roads to allow for summer logging access. $14,860. • County Forest Administration Grant Award. $39,250. • DNR and Federal Recreation Grant Applications. $532,900. o Snowmobile Maintenance o ATV Maintenance o Winter ATV Maintenance o ATV Route Maintenance o New Snowmobile Miles o New Winter ATV Miles o Camp 8 ATV Trail Rehab o Rib Lake Area Ski and Snowshoe Trails Maintenance o Chelsea Lake Dam o Camp 8 Dam o Spring 2022 applications total $587,000. Representing $946,000 in projects. • Pirus Range opened Wednesday March 30 th. We are s eeing a high amount of use already. • Schlosser potential land acquisition. Walcisak m ailed an offer to purch ase for the appraised value of $15 6,000. Walcisak’s letter re quested a respon se by March 31 st. No response was received. Walcisak also left a voicemail with the seller but did not receive a response. Walcisak will pursue alternative land acquisition opportunities. • First annual CDAC meeting was held Wednesday March 30th. o Walcisak and Brooks are both representatives on this committee. o County Forest update: Forest Regeneration Metric data collection con tinues to show deer br owse damag e is wides pread and c hronic in Taylor Count y. The County Forestry Department operates 5 Snapshot WI cameras. In the last 12 months t hese cameras h ave shown near ly a do ubling in images captu red over previous years. One camera documented 23 unique bucks in November 2021. Field o bservations of deer by Lutz, Walcisak and Sorenson have increased considerably in the past 1 2 months. DNR Wildlife Biologist Emma Doden off ered County Forestry staff to participate in Operation Deer Watch this fall. o Preliminary CDAC recommendation to reduce h arvest quota from 3,100 bonus antlerless in 2021 to 2,750 in 2022. ▪ 2021 public 300. 2022 public 250. Reduction of 17%. ▪ 2021 private 2,800. 2022 private 2,500. Reduction of 11%. o Public comments will be received April 9th – 17th. o 2nd annual CDAC meeting will be Tuesday May 3rd @ 7:00 pm MASH theater. This will be a hybrid meeting, offering both in-person and virtual attendance. • Pine Line Marathon April 23rd. DNR County Forest Liaison Report: Jeff Sorenson reported they are at approximately 90% of county f orest time sta ndards for the DNR fiscal year . Jeff will be working with the County Forestry Department’s student intern to accomplish t ime standards as Jeff is restricted to the office du e to an inj ury. Fire season is off to a slow start with limited s taff needs to date. Ji ll Nemec was introduced as the new DNR Forestry Team Leader for Taylor, Lincoln, and Marathon Counties. Ji ll introduc ed herself and pro vided the Committee with her ba ckground and work duties as the Team Leader. Additional Items: None. Next Committee Meeting: The next meeting of the Forestry & Recreation Committee will be Friday, May 6th, 2022, at 10:00 am in the County Board Room, third floor. Adjournment: With no further business, Beadles moved to adjourn t he meeting; Seconded by Brooks. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 10:51 am. Secretary: Karyn Gebert, Taylor County Forestry Dept. Forestry & Recreation Committee March 11th, 2022 3rd Floor County Board Room Call Meeting to Order: The meeting was called to order at 10:00 a.m. by Myron Brooks. Members Present: Myron Brooks, Gary Beadles, Mike Bub, Gene Knoll-Zoom. Members Absent: Charles Zenner – excused. Other Attendees: Jake Walcisak, Jordan Lutz , Karyn Gebert, Jim Metz, Larry Bran dl, Emily Gojmerac Star News, Jonathon Knusta WI DNR, Les Lewis, Kyle Noonan. Approve Minutes: Bub moved to a pprove the minutes of the February 11th, 2022, meeting; Seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Approve A genda: Bub moved to approve the agenda of 14 items; Seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Approve Bills: Walcisak presented the monthly bill spreadsheet. Bub moved to approve the bill spreadsheet as presented; Seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Timber Sales Updates: Lutz gave updates on timber sales. There are five (5) active timber sales: • #665 Steve Dassow: No change with this sale since last month. Final bill ing pending receiving final mill slips. • #675 Steve Dassow: Contractor p lans on shutting down cutting and skidding today. Cut approximately 14 acres. • #683 Northwest Ha rdwoods: No change w ith this sale since last month . Still waiting on final mill slips to generate final stumpage invoice • #691 Wilson: This contractor started 2 weeks ago to finish what they started last summer. They will finish cutting and skidding on Monday. • #704 Czarnezki Direct: This is a s even (7) acre direct , lump sum sale . Sale is a road improvements project and recently acquired Zettler easement. In addition to road project there was a 6-acre hardwood stand that was added to sale. Timber Sale Close Out #674 and #661: • Sale # 674 Wiitala-Vozka: Total revenue was $141,423.77, with a 28% vol ume overrun and 31% value overr un. They bought this sale two years ago , on high stumpage. Bub moved to approve the close out of sale #674 pending final road work and re-installing the gate; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. • Sale #661 Steve Dassow: This sale closed out last week with a total revenue of $48,245.61, with a 20% volume overrun and 18% value overrun. This sale was the oldest sale in our book s. B ub moved to ap prove the close out of sale #661 pending final payment; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Approve Gravel Bid Ad vertisement: Walcisak presented to the Committee information regarding the 2022 Co unty Forest gravel projects. These proje cts include the Ca mp 8 ATV trail rehab, Emil Drive turn -around, and Zuther Mill Grade improvements . All material must me et Wisconsin DOT Specifications; 2” dense graded base-2,400 yards and 3 ” clean fractured stone - 450 yards. This material is to be delivered onto roads and ATV trails owned by the Taylor County Forest in the town of Rib Lake . Mat erial is to be delivered betw een the date of award and November 30th, 2022, depending on weather conditions. Contractor must provide minimum of four (4) trucks. Bids are due by 3:30 p m on Thursday, April 7th, 2022, and bids will be opened at 3:30 pm on Thursday, April 7th, 2022. A certificate of insurance and a 10% performance bond will be required within 30 days of a s uccessful award. Bub moved to approve the gravel bid advertisement as presented; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Approve Site Preparation Bid Advertisement: Lutz presented to th e Committee information regarding site preparation for tree planting in 2023 . Contractor agrees to perform the following spray and disc trench 11 acres on the Taylor County Forest in Sections 8 and 4 of T33N-R2E. The goal is to prepare the s ite for refores tation. Bub moved to approve the site preparation bid advertisement as presented; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. LTE – Summer Intern (Occasional Employee): Walcisak provided information regarding an opportunity to in vest in a local high sc hool senior who is interested in pursuing a career in natural resources. The recent shift in department authorizations, 2.5 to 2.0 employees, has placed additional workload on permanent staff. This position will accomplis h a portion of the departments basic skills/core workload and will allow permanent staff more time to focus on complex projects and tasks. T his in tern may also assist occasionally with parks mainte nance. Surrounding county f orestry departments pay $12.00 to $14.00/hou r for 1 st year LTE’s. Golden Sands RC&D has asked Taylor County Forestry Dep artment to partner with them to apply for a Federal LSRI grant. If successful , this individual would be e mployed and pa id by Golden Sands while contracted to work for Taylor County. The grant application is due April 15th, 2022 and will be announced either the 1 st or 2 nd week in Ju ne. Forestry dep artment had excess revenue in 2021 in the Equipment Use Revenue Account and can utilize those carry-over funds to fund this position if th e grant application is not succe ssful. Bub m oved to approve the LTE – summer intern position and provide as a recommendation to Personnel Committee ; seco nded by Beadles. Motion carried. Administrative Support Position Description Update: Walcisak has concerns with t he changes approved by Zoning Committee on February 17th. Most notably the striking of (shared full time) and strikin g the word “Forestry” from the Department served. Walcisak is not concerned about s triking of the wor d Forestry from i mmediate s upervisor or combining common shared duties. Walcisak stated he believes any changes to a job description that serves two ( 2) di stinct departments should be r eviewed by bo th departments impacted, even if supervision is held within only one of those departm ents. Walcisak has noticed changes in the function of this position since the start date in April 2021. Walcisak read the minute s from several Zoning, Forestry and Personn el meetings for reference. Several key items documented in the minutes of these m eetings included: on ly the supervisor and department authorizations would change, operations would stay the same, time would be tra cked and billed to Fore stry, and there was to be a 6-month trial and then reviewed. Tracking of hours and the 6-month trial and reviewed have not occurred yet although Walcisak would like to see that happen . Zoning asked to focus Karyn ’s work with them for the first two (2) or thr ee (3) months for proper training. This short-term focus has not changed and thus far has been working for the Forestry Department. Walcisak’s tracking of this position ’s tim e sp ent on forestry prior to the change came to 7.5 hours per week (Christina Schuld). Walcisak’s tracking now shows utilization of this position 1.5 hours per week (Karyn Gebert). Walcisak handed out t he draft change s t o the position as approved by Zoning Committee. Walcisak also highlighted and struck job duties that are currently bei ng conducted by Lu tz and Walcisa k due to the decrease in hours from the administrative support position . Walcisak is con cerned the stru ck language by Zoning Committee, lack of tracking, lack of trial basis and review are measures intended to remove this position from the Forestry Department in the future. Lewis and Noonan were asked to shorten up the job description and it is not intentional for it to look like administrative support position was being taken away. No action taken. Accomplishments Updates: • Road restrictions for Taylor County effective Tuesday, March 15th at Noon. • Snowmobile Trails Update: March 7th closed all trails south of Trail 64, also closed portion of G trail between 64 trail and Run -Down Bar. Conditions are icy and snow base is limited. Weather forecast looks very poor starting this Sunday the 13th. Trails will likely be closed early this coming week. • Schlosser land appraisal conducted by Chippewa Land Specialists and paid for by the Ice Age Trail Alliance came back at $156,000. Taylor Count y’s first offer was $1 43,000. Walcisak will contact th e landowner , present the appra isal and make another off er to purchase, contingent upon full county board approval. • Received letters of confirmation from WI DNR for approvable dam plans of both Chelsea and Camp 8 Dams. This confirms we have met the ranking requirements for the additional 20 points on each application. • February 2 8th was the WCFA Legislative /Certification meeting in Merrill at the Lincoln County Service Center. Walcisak attended in person. • March 8th was WCFA B OD meeting whic h Myron B rooks a ttend in person and Jake Walcisak attend via Zoom. Strategic WCFA Strategic Direction Plan draft was re viewed and approved. Report from DNR showed the county forest program statewide closed out 664 timber sales at 45,500 acr es for $45 million in stumpage in 2021. This was a 32% increase from 202 0. 2022 Summer Tour is in Rusk County June 22 nd, 23rd and 24 th. The tour will be based in Ladysmith . Tours will include Christie Mountain, Dairyland Dam , wood pellet mill, drone presentation, etc. DNR County Forest Liaison Repo rt: Jeff Sorenson and Jo nathan Knusta have c ompleted establishment of their spring County timber sale. Jonathan is working on general forest recon. Once the snow melts, they will start working on fall County Forest sale. Jonathan is anticipating fire season to start in early April. Approximately 80% of the annual County Forest time standards are complete with a goal of 90% completion by the end of the month. Additional Items: None. Next Committee Meeting: The next meeting of the Forestry & Recreation Committee will be Friday, April 8th, 2022, at 10:00 am in the County Board Room, third floor. Adjournment: With no further business, Beadles moved to adjourn the meeting; Seconded by Bub. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 11:03 am. Secretary: Forestry & Recreation Committee February 11th, 2022 3rd Floor County Board Room Call Meeting to Order: The meeting was called to order at 11:00 a.m. by Charles Zenner. Members Present: Charles Zenner, Myron Brooks, Gary Beadles, Gene Knoll, Mike Bub. Members Absent: N/A Other Attendees: Jake Walcisak, Jordan Lutz, Jim Metz, Larry Brandl, Brian Wilson Star News and Emma Doden WI-DNR Wildlife Biologist (Zoom). Approve Minutes: Bub moved to a pprove t he minutes of the January 7th, 2022, meeting; Seconded by Brooks. Motion carried. Approve A genda: Bub moved to approve the agenda of 13 items; Seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Approve Bills: Walcisak presented the monthly bill spreadsheet. Bub moved to approve the bill spreadsheet as presented; Seconded by Knoll. Motion carried. Timber Sales Updates: Lutz gave updates on timber sales. There are four (4) active timber sales going on. • #665 Steve Dassow: Finished cutting and skidding on February 7th. This is the 2nd oldest sale on our books. Only hauling and final billing remains. Will likely be able to close it out next month. • #674 Wiitala-Vozka: Finished the sale on February 8 th. This was a high-volume sale an d was completed quickly with 30+ load s bei ng haul ed per week. Fi nal hauling and final payment remain. Likely to close it out next month. • #675 Steve Dassow: Froze down roads and moved equipment in this week. Plans to work on job until s pring break up. He will likely not fin ish this winter and require an extension in June 2022. This sale requires frozen ground for access. • #683 N orthwest Ha rdwoods: Finished cutting and skidding last week. They have a limited mixed hardwood pu lp marke t and indicated the d ecked woo d would likely stay until after spring breakup. Lutz s caled these piles last week for invoicing. Contin ued issues of non -compliance including rutting, mis sed b unch piles and wood accountab ility. Lutz will address the Committee when more information is available. Timber Sale Close Out #661 – Pending Final Payment: All wood has been hauled and roads are cle an. Only a small amount of billi ng and final payment remains. Lutz expec ts a 15-20% overrun on value an d volume and a sale value of approximately $47,000. Lut z will presen t a revenue report next month when vo lumes are final. Brooks moved to approve the clo se out of sale #661 pending final payment; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Surety Bond Policy : Walcisak provided a report regarding the curren t po licy, the new policy/template, and the reasons for a proposed change. • Taylor County has accepted surety bonds since the fall of 2017. • Corp Counsel reviewed and approved the acceptance of surety bonds in 2017. • Recent concerns have necessitated a more well-defined policy. • Walcisak handed out the new policy and template which are currently being reviewed by Corp Counsel. Knoll moved to approve the surety bond policy and surety bond template as presented, pending final review by Corp Counsel; seconded by Brooks. Motion carried. Medford H igh School Mentorship Program : Walcisak presented to the Committee information regarding Department participation. • The Department was presented the opportunity by teacher Lisa Porten to host a student through the school’s Me ntorship Program. This is semest er long (approx. 19 weeks) program for the first two periods of each school day, 8:00 to 9:30, with opportunities for occasional longer days. • Quinton Tlusty is our Mentorship student. He is genuinely interested in the work w e do and has done well on all assigned tasks. He started on January 19th. • The Committee praised the Department for engaging with this opportunity. Knoll moved to approve participation in the Medford High S chool Mentorship Progr am; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. WI Department of Safety and Professional Services – Safety Training Aud it: Walcisak provided information regarding an upcoming safety training audit. • DSPS received a complaint that training requirements are not being met. • DSPS inspector is working with Taylor County HR and several individual departments to review all training records from 2020 to present to ensure compliance. • An in-person audit will occur Wednesday February 16th. Accomplishments Updates: • We are receiving more request ea ch year to assist ATV and snowmo bile clubs with trail maintenance. Specifically brushing, grading and c ulvert replacements. This has re quired additional staff time, truck mileage, equipment hours, etc. I believe this trend will continue. Volunteer labor is decreasing as club members get older and are not replaced by youn ger generati ons. We should expect to allocate m ore tim e and equipment to these efforts in the future. Examples may include hiring an LTE and/or purchasing additional equipment. Bub commented that he doesn’t want this to increase expenses to taxpayers. Walcisak clarified that expenses would not exceed grant funding. • Snowmobile Trails Update. Grand Opening of Taylor-Price Trail. County trails are in fair to good condition. Lack of snowfall has limited the ability to groom, f ill in rough areas and rejuvenate road crossings. Snowfall from last ni ght is the first significant snow in several weeks. • Travel Wisconsin Destination Assessment recommendation. Met with Jeff Anderson from Travel Wisconsin on February 1 st. There is a n opportunity for all recreational resources countywide to work together in promoting Taylor County. This i ncludes Tourism Committee, Chamber of Commerce, Forestry Department , Parks Department, and clubs. Walcisak currently publ ishes snowmobile t rail and cross-country ski trail conditions on Travel Wiscon sin website. The Committee supports taking this item to the Tourism Committee. • Schlosser appraisal. IATA hired, at their expense, an appraisal for the S chlosser property. Appraisal will take plac e next week wi th a r eport by the end of February. Committee is thankful for the willingness of the IATA to fund this appraisal. • Dam Grant Appli cations. Walcisak approved both dam grant applications on February 2nd. Ayres mailed us hard co pies of the applic ations to sign and send to the DNR. This occurred on February 10th. Application deadline is March 4th. • Finite Carbon – Provided Finite with al l necessary data for their analysis. Anticipate receiving project analysis results mid-February. Reviewed NDA with Corp Counsel Koch. One addition requested regarding Wiscon sin open records law. Finite Carbon Corp Counsel is reviewing our request. • Government Days at Medford High School February 15 th. Zenner and Walcisak, al ong with several other department heads and County supervisors, will be attending. DNR County Forest Liaison Report: Jeff and Johnathan have completed establishment of their spring County timber sale. They both have significant fire training this month and were unable to attend today’s meeting . N ext week they will have time to cruise timber for general re con updates. Jordan is meeting with Jeff next week to discuss/assign new tasks. Walcisak introduced E mma Doden via Zoom. Emma is the new Rusk and Tay lor C ounty DNR Wildlife Biologist. Emma addressed the Comm ittee with her background and education. Emma was able to take a County Forest tour with Walcisak and Sorenson this past fall. Emma provided an update to the Committee on CWD, with 143 negative tests and 0 positive test for wild deer in 2021. Emma informed the Committee that she has been working on otter and elk surveys this winter. Al though no elk are currently known to be in Taylor County. Knoll as ked several questions regarding grouse population dy namics. Emma is excited t o work with Depar tment staff on upcoming wildlife and forestry projects. Additional Items: None. Next Committee Meeting: The next meeting of the Forestry & Recreation Committee will be Friday, March 11th, 2022, at 11:00 am in the County Board Room, third floor. Adjournment: With no further business, Bub moved to adjourn the meeting; Seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 12:02 pm. Forest Administrator: Jake Walcisak, Taylor County Forestry Dept. Forestry & Recreation Committee January 7th, 2022 3rd Floor County Board Room Call Meeting to Order: The meeting was called to order at 10:00 a.m. by Charles Zenner. Members Present: Charles Zenner, Myron Brooks, Gary Beadles, Gene Knoll, Mike Bub. Members Absent: N/A Other Attendees: Jake Walcisak, Jordan Lutz, Karyn Geber t, Jim Metz, Larry Bran dl, Brian Wilson-Star News and Jeff Sorenson (Zoom). Approve Minutes: Bub moved to approve the minutes of the December 10th, 2021, meeting with the c orrection of next meeting Friday, January 7 , 2022; Seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Approve Agenda: Knoll moved to approve the agenda of 12 items; Seconded by Bub. Motion carried. Approve Bills: Walcisak presented the monthly bill spreadsheet. Knoll moved to app rove the bill spreadsheet as presented; Seconded by Brooks. Motion carried. Timber Sales Updates: Lutz gave updates on timber sales. There are four (4) active timber sales going on. • #661 Steve Dassow: Has moved back into the sale last wee k. He has approximately 5 acres left and should finish the sale by the end of January. • #671 Gumz Logging: They have cut approxi mately 60% of the sale. Steeper terrain and expiring timber s ale contracts on other ownerships has forced them to move. • #Wiitala-Vozka Logging: They moved in to the sale last week. The y have completed approximately 30% and likely to be finished in February. • #683 Northwest Hardwoods: They moved back into the sale 2 weeks ago. They have approximately 11 acres remaining and likely to finish by the end of January. Approve Planting Bids: Lutz presented the planting bids. There was one (1) qualified bid from Superior Forestry from Arkansas. Total bid at $4,190.78 which is $97.46 per acre ($0.11 per tree). The County purchased the trees from PRT Nursery at $0.26 per tree. This bid is less tha n the budgeted amount of $106 per acre for plant ing. Taylor C ounty received a Sustainabl e Forestry Grant two (2 ) years ago for $19,600. Total project costs will now com e in over bud get b y approximately $1,800. Knoll moved to approve Superior Forestry’s planting bid ; seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. Snowmobile Trails Report: Walcisak provided an update for the snowmobile trails. • Pine Line and all trails that are both north of County Tr ail M and East of the Pine Line opened Friday, December 31st at 8:00 am. • All other trails EXCEPT West of State Highway 73 as well as south of County Trail A and east of County Highway E will open at 8:00 am on Saturday, January 8th. • Price, Rusk, and Lincoln County trails are open . Marathon and Chippewa County are partially open while Clark County trails remain closed. DNR Time Standards Review: Walcisak provided an overview of the DNR time standards. Time standards calculations are on a 5-year cycle. Time standards follow the state fiscal year of July 1st to June 30th. • The Department provides technical assistance to Counties having lands entered in the County Forest program in a variety of ways, including a dedication of Department employee time working on projects on each County Forest. The County Forest time standards were established to provide each County with a specified amount of technical assistance to be provided by the Department each year. The time standards worksheet was developed and refined over time to fairly allocate the level of assistance provided among the Counties enrolled in the County Forest Program. The worksheet helps calculate the average number of hours that the Department shall spend on many different activities which may occur annually on a County Forest. The purpose of the time standards worksheet is to quantify the Department’s technical forestry assistance commitments on County Forest lands. • Calculated hours are very similar to the previous 5-year cycle (773 hours). Accomplishments Updates: • Dam Grant Applications. o Approvable plans and specification are due February 4th. Walcisak has submitted to the DNR on December 29th. o Walcisak has been in contact with Corp counsel Ruthann Koch and Ayres regarding the submission of applications for Camp 8 and Chelsea Lake dams. Ayres has agreed to submitting the applications at their expense. o Full applications due March 4th. o Governor’s budget has increased the grant by 150% to $10,000,000. • Finite Carbon is a carbon developer that is interested in projects the size of the Taylor County Forest. Walcisak asked the Committee for guidance to pursuing the scoping of a forest carbon project. The Committee asked for Walcisak to pursue a project scoping with Finite Carbon. • Walcisak testified before the Joint State Committee on Forestry and Finance on December 15th in Madison. He was one of seven individuals invited for expert testimony on the state of Wisconsin’s forest industry. • County Financial Audit – Interim fieldwork was this week. Successfully completed. Auditors will return this summer for the full audit. DNR County Forest Liaison Report: Sorenson gave a brief report. Working on spring timber sale establishment and forest recon updates. Time standard hours, completed to date, are a little lower than Sorenson would like them to be at this time of year. Approximately 55% of hours have been completed as of year-end, 50% of the way through the state fiscal year. Sorenson and Knusta will be spending a significant amount of time on fire training in February. Additional Items: Lutz and Walcisak presented a potential land acquisition of the Mary Ann Schlosser property. Lutz mailed Schlosser to notify her the County would be conducting a timber harvest adjacent to her land. This is common practice and oc curs whenever the County harvests timber adjacent to private lands. Schlosser responded to Lutz’s letter and further informed Lutz she would be inter ested in sellin g h er property to the C ounty. Schlosser did not provide an asking price bu t did indicate she wanted to transact the property without a real tor. The Schlosser property is 89.32 acres, located at SWNE, N WNE, Section 9, T33N -R3E, Town of Rib Lake. Fair market value as determ ined by the County Forestry Department is $140,000 to $178,000. The 2021 assessed value was $169,700. The property is enrolled as open in the MFL program with 2021 taxes at $182.21 ($2 per acre). The annual post-purchase revenue would be approximately $2,794.83. Walcisak ex plained the revenue breakdown. The land is adjacent to County Forest on three sides, wi thin the County Forest blocking boundary and identified as a priority acquisition in the County Forest 15-year management plan. While almost every acre is productive, not all acres may be accessible due to terrain, soil types or may not be salable due to current markets. Northern Hardwood 48 acres, selection harvest. Hemlock/Swamp Conifer 30 acres, thinning and seed tree ha rvest. Swamp ha rdwood 11 acres, clearcut wi th rese rves. The property also has a small lake less than one acre. Good access via existing County Forest logging roads and roads within the property. Summer ground logging opportunity on approximately 48 acres. Sustainable timber harvest potential of approximately $10,000 in 2022 within additional timber income in the future. The property does not have deeded access and relies on access via a County Forest logging road. Knowles-Nelson Stewardship fund eligible fo r 50% of apprai sed value and appraisal costs. $163,000 estimated acquisition cost (assuming a purchase pr ice of $159,000). Knowles -Nelson Stewardship cont ribution $81, 500. First sustain able timber harvest $10,000. County cost $71,500. County Forest has adequate funds in the land acquisition account to cover costs. Next Committee Meeting: The next meeting of the Forestry & Recreation Committee will be Friday, February 11th, 2022, at 11:00 am in the County Board Room, third floor. Adjournment: With no further business, Knoll moved to adjourn the meeti ng; Seconded by Beadles. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 11:14 am. Secretary: Karyn Gebert, Taylor County Forestry Dept.