Changes in Wisconsin’s Large Private Forests, 1999–2015: Land Ownership, Conservation, and Recreational Access

ABSTRACT

Forestland divestment by vertically integrated forest products companies (VIFPCs) has spurred significant forest ownership change. To illuminate these dynamics, we examined land sales after VIFPC divestment, subsequent acquisitions of conserved land, and trends in recreational access in Wisconsin. We documented changes from 1999 to 2015 with analysis of tax program records and profiles of the state’s largest investor owners, Plum Creek and The Forestland Group. Nearly all VIFPC land was sold to investors, public agencies, or smaller corporate and private owners. State tax and land acquisition programs buffered these changes: 70% of large private ownership land was retained in the forest tax program and another 16% was acquired by public and nonprofit owners. More than one-quarter of divested forestland was placed in conservation easements. Nonetheless, large private forestland open to public recreation declined by almost one-third. Investor strategies and conservation programs shaped the provision of forest benefits during ownership transitions.

KEYWORDS:

• Investors
• real estate investment trusts
• timber industry
• timberland investment management organizations
• working forests

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Sarah Scott and Megan Howell of UW–Madison for technical support, interviewees from the forestry sector, and Jerry Crow and other staff of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and three anonymous reviewers for helpful input.