MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers sent a letter to the Trump Administration urging immediate action to prevent funding and staff cuts that will impact Wisconsin’s forests and the state’s critical forestry industry. Wisconsin ranks first in the nation in paper production and exports over $850 million in paper products annually. Overall, Wisconsin’s forestry products industry contributes $42 billion to the state’s economy and 126,000 jobs, which could experience significant consequences and impacts caused by reckless cuts to federal investments and mass firings of federal workers. In a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke L. Rollins, Gov. Evers urged the Trump Administration to recognize the importance of Wisconsin’s forests as valuable resources that are crucial to ensuring Wisconsin’s current and future economic success.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin is home to 17 million acres of forestlands and millions of urban trees that significantly enhance quality of life throughout the state of Wisconsin and are a key factor in supporting the state’s economy. According to the governor’s letter, federal cuts to wood products research and development, including staffing and funding cuts to the Forest Products Laboratory, would disproportionately impact Wisconsin and harm the innovative work currently being done in Wisconsin to develop new markets and opportunities for forest products while also protecting the health and sustainability of the state’s forestlands.
The governor’s letter comes as, earlier this month, the Wisconsin Council on Forestry sent a letter to Wisconsin elected officials, including lawmakers on the state Senate Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry and Assembly Committee on Forestry, Parks and Outdoor Recreation, expressing concerns regarding threats to federal funding and staffing and emphasizing the importance of the state’s forests to the state’s way of life, economy, and future.
A copy of the governor’s letter to USDA Secretary Rollins is available here, and a transcript of the letter is available below.
Dear Secretary Rollins:
Wisconsin’s forests play a crucial role in our state’s environmental, social, and economic success, and I am deeply concerned about the potential for funding cuts and mass staff firings by the Trump Administration that will impact Wisconsin’s forests and our state’s critical forestry industry. I have heard these same concerns from experts and professionals in our state’s forestry industry, including the Wisconsin Council on Forestry, with a diverse membership representing forest products, conservation, workforce, paper and pulp, and private landowners. All Wisconsinites can agree that our forests, from the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest to the millions of acres of private forestland, are valuable resources, and we all must continue our work to protect and foster this resource.
About 60 percent of the nearly 17 million acres of forestland in Wisconsin is private forestland, which makes potential cuts to programs that support private woodland owners, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), particularly alarming. Cuts to EQIP will reduce the number and availability of tools to assist Wisconsinites in protecting the health of their forestland from threats like invasive species and erosion. Additionally, Wisconsin ranks first in the nation in paper production and exports over $850 million in paper products annually. Long term, sustainable forest health is crucial to supporting this major industry. Cuts to other wood products research and development, including staffing and funding cuts to the Forest Products Laboratory, will also disproportionately impact Wisconsin and harm the innovative work currently being done in Wisconsin to develop new markets and opportunities for forest products while also protecting the health and sustainability of our forestlands.
Recognizing the value and importance of our state’s forests, I have made supporting this industry a top priority across my administration and in my recent state budget proposal, including providing $775,000 for the development of a forestry industry strategic plan and roadmap, as recommended by my Blue Ribbon Commission on Rural Prosperity. This strategic plan and roadmap will help to identify new markets and help retain existing forestry businesses, as well as increasing state funding for various forestry grant programs, including the: County Forest Administration Grant Program to support salaries for county forest administrators, the Sustainable Forestry Grant Program to support sustainable forest management projects on county forest land, the County Wildlife Habitat Grant Program to support forest wildlife habitat improvement, forest inventories, and wildlife education activities, and the Wisconsin Forest Landowner Grant Program to assist private forestland owners in promoting forest, soil, and water health. I also proposed bolstering the forest industry workforce by providing $1.3 million over the biennium for the Wisconsin Forestry Careers Pathway Program and the Learning, Experiences, and Activities in Forestry (LEAF) Program at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
We must work together to ensure Wisconsin’s forests and forestry industry remain healthy and thriving. I have stepped up in this work, and I ask that you do the same and reverse and prevent any funding and staffing cuts that will threaten Wisconsin’s forests and critical forestry industry.
Respectfully,
Tony Evers
Governor
An online version of this release is available here.
