Ho-Chunk Nation Forestry Management Plan Act

(Written by Marlon WhiteEagle – Staff Writer) 

The Ho-Chunk Nation will soon have its first Forest Management Plan which is required by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for all trust lands. The Ho-Chunk Nation is one of the last tribes in Wisconsin to implement a Forest Management Plan.  Mark Gawron, Forester for the Division of Natural Resources of the Ho-Chunk Nation’s Heritage Preservation Department, and Nathan Goodwin, Environmental Scientist for Environmental Express Services, Inc., have been working together preparing the plan for the Ho-Chunk Nation.

The Forest Management Plan was developed in accordance with the 53 Indian Affairs Manual, Chapter 2, Forrest Management Planning, Release #128, September 1, 2006. A written description of the plan ensures that forest management is environmentally sensitive, sustainable, and economically viable. Without a Forest Management Plan in place, only six activities are allowed on trust lands: preparation of a Forest Management Plan, Emergency sale of timber on allotted land, free use cutting without permit, fire management measures, trespass protection and prosecution, and insect and disease control.

The plan will set standards and guidelines, is based on our current resources, and aims to benefit all the Ho-Chunk Nation’s forestland. The plan hopes to help maintain all indigenous species in their natural range. The management plans to reduce any excessive woodcutting and will plant new trees in the event of flooding, fire, lightning, disease, or excessive woodcutting. The management will also implement, maintain, and improve practices, guidelines, and regulations to stay up to date.  Most importantly, the management will be cultural aware when dealing with forestland near and around the Ho-Chunk Nation cultural sites and resources. Recreation and tourism use of forestland will be sought after options.

The Forest Management Plan is aligned with the Ho-Chunk Nation goals and objectives as follows: 

1. To preserve Ho-Chunk Traditions through natural resource management. Where soils permits, grow more: black ash, tamarack, basswood, red maple, sugar maple, silver maple, white oak, northern white cedar, jack pine, black oak, bur oak, northern pine, red oak, swamp white oak, and white oak.
2. Maintain the health and vigor of the Ho-Chunk Nation forest through sustainable silvicultural practices on over-mature or neglected forest stands; establish and maintain annual allowable cut to ensure a portion of the forest is regenerated through commercial timber sales; lands with heavier soils will be managed for high quality oak and northern hardwood sawlogs; lands with sandy soils will be managed for quality red pine, white pine, jack pine, white oak, boltwood, and sawlogs; continue with management objectives stated in Kickapoo Valley Reserve management plan.
3. Protect and preserve unique cultural features of Ho-Chunk Nation lands (to include): the springs on the O’Conner parcel, Hopinkah allotment spring, forty acres of Pine Barren off of Brockway Road in Jackson County, Black River Falls and Wisconsin Dells powwow grounds, the mounds at Kingsley Bend, Kimball I, and Muscoda, and the petroglyphs at Nine Eagles by providing a shoreline buffer.
4. Maintain quality white-tail deer habitat that is open to all Ho-Chunk members by executing sustainable forestry management.
5. Allow for removal of trees when housing or business developments are desired or warranted.

The Ho-Chunk Nation Forest Management Plan is a Category 2 plan.  The plan’s content will include an inventory, requires Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal Resolution approval, Tribal Goals and Objectives, forest description, protection, forestland management, forest history, social and economic benefit assessment, document retention, and compliance of other federal mandates.

An inventory will be completed using the U.S. Forestry Service’s Forest Inventory & Analysis program, which ensures a forest’s sustainability. Forest description will include resource assessment and general location map. Forest history will have chronology of events, harvest record, and maps and charts.  Social and Economic benefit assessment will include income, Indian benefits, non-indian benefits, regional economic impacts, economic trends, and a social assessment.  Document retention will require archival copies of the plan and supporting documents in a central office.

The Ho-Chunk Nation lands currently consist of 12,760 acres; with 4,014 acres of land in trust status, 5,117 acres of fee simple lands, and 3,629 acres of individually owned allotment/homesteads. The Forest Management Plan will cover all 12,760 acres.