It might seem that there has been constant logging around the North End trails over the past four or five years, and that is not too far from the truth. Bayfield County Forestry tries to plan timber sales in any one area so that there is a break between sale activity. The reality is, however, that while the logging contractor has two years plus possible extensions to work the sale, many factors such as weather, oak wilt restrictions, and timber markets can affect exactly when sales are completed. This is what has transpired in the North End area and as a result, the succession of the recent sales has only just now wrapped up. Except for one smaller unit along the Tony Wise Trail, all timber management along the core North End Trails has concluded.
When exiting the sale area, the contractor is required to make a best effort to smooth the trail out. There is often mixed results, however, and even when well done, the trail will still require additional work. The greatest impacts along the trail have resulted from hauling cut timber out of the sale. Large logging trucks had to drive the trails to haul timber out to Timber Trail Rd. Recent rains compounded the impacts with a few muddy areas resulting. We are confident, however, that the work done will leave us with reasonable conditions as we ease into the ski season. Some remedial work may still need to be done, but the window during which to do that work is closing as the ground freezes. The longer range plan, however, is to do a thorough rehab effort of all of the trails impacted by recent logging. This will be done in the spring and will include smoothing the surface of the trail, draining/filling muddy spots, seeding the trail, mulching hills, and possibly some tree planting.
Upon first viewing, aesthetic impacts from the recent sales may appear significant and harsh. The county has, however, taken several measures to attempt to mitigate those impacts. The North End Trails are in the Cable Block of the county forest, and comprise a Special Management Area (SMA). Within this area special consideration is given when establishing timber sales. In northern Bayfield County, the Mt. Ashwabay Block of the county forest has similar Special Management Area designation, and also has a fully developed management plan.
While the long term goal is to manage the entire block of the forest over time to some degree, in the SMA the presence of the trails colors exactly how that is done. And were it not for the SMA and the trails, there would be few measures in place to mitigate impacts.
Principal among these measures are exclusions from management activity in areas with steep side slopes, wetlands, conifer stands, and individual large pines. An area such as the North End Trailhead would also likely be excluded. Other deliberate measures include “leave” trees – individual trees that are excluded from the harvest. Usually along the edge of the trail, leave trees are indicated by a pink/purplish paint slash on the trunk of the tree.
Establishing “reserve islands” is another more significant measure intended to mitigate aesthetic impacts. Clusters of balsam trees could comprise a reserve island, but more typically a larger stand of mixed hard woods is reserved, or excluded from the sale. An effort is made to site a reserve island on a hillside or strategically to shield some of the larger sale from view. There may still be a harvest area between the trail and the reserve island, as the county is averse to establishing buffers immediately along the trail. Reserve islands are indicated by red paint slashes on trees that delineate the border of the reserve area.
Whether these mitigating measures actually have a satisfying effect is a subjective judgement and in the eye of the beholder, but we must keep in mind, that were it not for the SMA, none of these measures would exist and all leave trees and reserve islands would also be harvested.
None the less, those of us who spend a lot of time on the trails still feel a real sense of loss when a major timber sale occurs along the trail and there is a dramatic change to the landscape as we knew it.
To learn more about logging in our area, please refer to the following:
Timber Sale Map 35-21– North End Area