Forestry & Recreation

NOTICE OF TIMBER SALE

The Ashland County Forestry Committee will accept sealed bids for the following tracts of timber stumpage - #1-24, #2-24, #3-24, #4-24 and Mellen School Forest (MSF 1-23) up to 12:00 NOON, Tuesday, June 4, 2024 and then be publicly opened at 1:00 PM the same day at the Ashland County Forestry office, 304 West Michigan Street, P O Box 155, Butternut, WI 54514. THE BIDS WILL BE REVIEWED AND AWARDED AT THE FORESTRY AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING ON WEDNESDAY, June 5, 2024 at the Butternut Village Hall 301 W. Michigan St. Butternut, WI 54514. Contact the county forest office for bid sheets, sale maps or for more information. Phone - (715) 769-3777.

BIDDING AND FINANCING:

1. Persons desiring to bid on more than one sale must submit a separate bid, in separate envelopes, for each tract. Use official bid sheets. Bids not submitted on official bid sheets may be rejected. Mark envelope in lower left corner with "Tract Number.” All bids must have a legible Company name, contact name and phone number attached. Bids delivered to the Courthouse or any other County office will not be considered.
2. A CERTIFIED CHECK, CASHIER'S CHECK, MONEY ORDER OR LETTER OF CREDIT must accompany each bid (NO PERSONAL or COMPANY CHECKS) in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the bidder's sale value and/or not less than $100.00 on each and every sale, which shall serve as a performance bond. Checks shall be made payable to Ashland County Forestry Dept. When contracts are awarded, an advance payment in the amount of fifteen percent (15%) of the total bid value shall be required before any cutting is commenced.
3. Successful bidders will be required to sign contracts for term of 4 years with the Committee reserving the right to grant one or more one-year extensions. Sample contracts are available for inspection at the Forestry office. Signed contracts shall be returned to Ashland County Forestry Department within 10 business days of receipt of contract.
4. The Forestry Committee reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

UTILIZATION:

1. All timber marked or designated for cutting shall be cut and utilized whether the quantity is more or less than the estimate.
2. Utilization will be to a minimum top diameter of four inches for all species unless otherwise stated in the cutting specifications.
3. All merchantable wood cut or pushed over during road construction must be utilized. No new roads will be constructed without prior approval of the County Forest Administrator.

SCALING:

1. All products shall be scaled on the sale area and shall not be removed from the sale area until paid in full unless other arrangements are made with the County Forest Administrator.
2. All harvested hardwood with a minimum small end diameter of 10 inches inside bark, at least 50% sound, and with a minimum of 30 BF, after deductions, shall be scaled as a log. All harvested softwood with a minimum small end diameter of 9 inches inside bark, at least 50% sound, and with a minimum of 30 BF, after deductions, shall be scaled as a log. All scaling will be done in Scribner Decimal C. All pulpwood shall be scaled on Ashland County’s ticket system. All tickets shall be purchased in advance. Each ticket must be filled out completely and the white copy must be dropped in the lock box before the load leaves the sale area. The yellow copy must be given to the scaler at the destination mill.
3. Logs will be yarded for scaling. If logs are decked, the log lengths will be marked on the small end of the log with lumber crayon. Logs shall be piled with the small end facing the road. The piles will be no more then 8’ in height.
4. All pulpwood will be piled for scaling; piles will be level and square with at least two cords per pile. At least 20 cords or the equivalent in logs will be piled before a scale is requested.
5. The standard unit of measure for cordwood is measuring 4’x4’x100” of unpeeled wood. Peeled wood will be converted to the standard cord by adding 12.5% peeled wood to the gross volume measured. A pulpwood tree contains at least one (1) 100” stick with a minimum top dib of 4”.
6. All wood harvested from the sale area must be accounted for and payment made, including firewood.
7. The face of all pulp piles and logs will be free from debris and excessive snow.
8. Requests for scaling must be made to the Forest Administrator a minimum of 3 working days in advance.

ROADS AND CAMPS:

1. Location of roads, landings and camps must be approved by the Forest Administrator.
2. Road entrances must be cleaned up of all roots, stumps and down trees at time of construction and kept neat and in good repair during the contract period.
3. Camps and sale roads will be kept neat clean and free of garbage, oil cans, plastic bottles, and miscellaneous trash throughout the contract period.
4. The use of public road rights-of-way for skidding, landing or decking of forest products is prohibited.
5. Purchaser is responsible for securing access across any land not owned by the County prior to bidding.
6. Road bans and restrictions are the responsibility of governing agencies managing those roads. Contact the town chairman for further information on town roads within the county forest.
7. Berms must be replaced and gates locked whenever sale is inactive and upon completion of the sale.
8. Wisconsin’s Forestry Best Management Practices for Water Quality, Invasive Species and Woody Biomass Harvesting shall be followed on all timber sales on the Ashland County Forest.
9. The purchaser agrees to take all steps and precautions to avoid and minimize soil disturbances, such as soil compaction and rutting.
10. As a SFI and FSC certified forest, the Forestry Department requires SFI training standards to be met before the timber sale contract is signed.

Successful bidders agree to furnish Ashland County with a certificate of insurance of current coverage under the Worker’s Compensation Law, Chapter 102, Wisconsin Stats.

There are 5 tracts of timber for sale - #1-24, #2-24, #3-24, #4-24 and MSF 1-23. Ashland County Forest tracts comprise 585 acres and contain the following species and estimated volumes:

MxHw pulp- 3,390 cds
Basswood pulp- 200 cds
Aspen pulp- 2000 cds
Balsam pulp- 44 cds
Spruce pulp- 12 cds
Red Pine pulp- 220 cds
Ash pulp- 410 cds Hard Maple logs- 155 MBF
Mx Hardwood logs- 108 MBF
Basswood logs- 87 MBF
Red Maple logs- 70 MBF
Ash Logs- 160 MBF
Mellen School Forest (21 Acres) Estimated Volumes:
MxHW pulp- 160 cds
Aspen pulp- 80 cds Basswood pulp- 65 cds
Balsam Fir pulp- 8 cds
Hardwood Logs- 1.26 MBF
Basswood Logs- 4.9 MBF
Ash Logs- 1.26 MBF

(No Bid Bond Required for this sale, Performance Bond of $1,000.00 required within 6 weeks of bid opening, DNR Foresters will administer sale)

NOTICE OF TIMBER SALE

The Ashland County Forestry Committee will accept sealed bids for the following tracts of timber stumpage - #3-23, #4-23, #5-23, #7-23, #8-18,
#8-23, #9-23, & 10-23 up to 12:00 NOON, TUESDAY, December 5, 2023 and then be publicly opened at 1:00 PM the same day at the Ashland County Forestry office, 304 West Michigan Street, P O Box 155, Butternut, WI 54514.  THE BIDS WILL BE REVIEWED AND AWARDED AT THE FORESTRY AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING ON WEDNESDAY, December 6, 2023 at the Butternut Village Hall

301 W. Michigan St. Butternut, WI 54514. Contact the county forest office for bid sheets, sale maps or for more information.  Phone - (715) 769-3777.

BIDDING AND FINANCING:

      1. Persons desiring to bid on more than one sale must submit a separate bid, in separate envelopes, for each tract. Use official bid sheets.  Bids not submitted on official bid sheets may be rejected.  Mark envelope in lower left corner with "Tract Number.”  All bids must have a legible Company name, contact name and phone number attached. Bids delivered to the Courthouse or any other County office will not be considered.

      2. A CERTIFIED CHECK, CASHIER'S CHECK, MONEY ORDER OR LETTER OF CREDIT  must accompany each bid (NO PERSONAL or COMPANY CHECKS) in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the bidder's sale value and/or not less than $100.00 on each and every sale, which shall serve as a performance bond. Checks shall be made payable to Ashland County Forestry Dept.  When contracts are awarded, an advance payment in the amount of fifteen percent (15%) of the total bid value shall be required before any cutting is commenced. 

      3. Successful bidders will be required to sign contracts for terms of 6 months to 2 years with the Committee reserving the right to grant one or more one-year extensions. Sample contracts are available for inspection at the Forestry office. Signed contracts shall be returned to Ashland County Forestry Department within 10 business days of receipt of contract. 

     4. The Forestry Committee reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

UTILIZATION:

    1.  All timber marked or designated for cutting shall be cut and utilized whether the quantity is more or less than the estimate.

    2.  Utilization will be to a minimum top diameter of four inches for all species unless otherwise stated in the cutting specifications.  

    3.  All merchantable wood cut or pushed over during road construction must be utilized. No new roads will be constructed without prior approval of the  County Forest Administrator.

SCALING:

     1. All products shall be scaled on the sale area and shall not be removed from the sale area until paid in full unless other arrangements are made           with the County Forest Administrator.

     2. All harvested hardwood with a minimum small end diameter of 10 inches inside bark, at least 50% sound, and with a minimum of 30 BF, after deductions, shall be scaled as a log. All harvested softwood with a minimum small end diameter of 9 inches inside bark, at least 50% sound, and with a minimum of 30 BF, after deductions, shall be scaled as a log. All scaling will be done in Scribner Decimal C. All pulpwood shall be scaled on Ashland County’s ticket system. All tickets shall be purchased in advance. Each ticket must be filled out completely and the white copy must be dropped in the lock box before the load leaves the sale area. The yellow copy must be given to the scaler at the destination mill.

     3.  Logs will be yarded for scaling. If logs are decked, the log lengths will be marked on the small end of the log with lumber crayon. Logs shall be piled with the small end facing the road. The piles will be no more then 8’ in height.

     4. All pulpwood will be piled for scaling; piles will be level and square with at least two cords per pile.  At least 20 cords or the equivalent in logs will be piled before a scale is requested.

     5. The standard unit of measure for cordwood is measuring 4’x4’x100" of unpeeled wood. Peeled wood will be converted to the standard cord by adding 12.5% peeled wood to the gross volume measured. A pulpwood tree contains at least one (1) 100” stick with a minimum top dib of 4”.

     6. All wood harvested from the sale area must be accounted for and payment made, including firewood. 

     7. The face of all pulp piles and logs will be free from debris and excessive snow.

     8. Requests for scaling must be made to the Forest Administrator a minimum of 3 working days in advance.

 ROADS AND CAMPS:

     1. Location of roads, landings and camps must be approved by the Forest Administrator.

     2. Road entrances must be cleaned up of all roots, stumps and down trees at time of construction and kept neat and in good repair during the contract period.

     3. Camps and sale roads will be kept neat clean and free of garbage, oil cans, plastic bottles, and miscellaneous trash throughout the contract period.

     4. The use of public road rights-of-way for skidding, landing or decking of forest products is prohibited.

     5. Purchaser is responsible for securing access across any land not owned by the County prior to bidding.

     6. Road bans and restrictions are the responsibility of governing agencies managing those roads. Contact the town chairman for further information on town roads within the county forest.

     7.Berms must be replaced and gates locked whenever sale is inactive and upon completion of the sale.

     8. Wisconsin’s Forestry Best Management Practices for Water Quality, Invasive Species and Woody Biomass Harvesting shall be followed on all timber sales on the Ashland County Forest.

     9. The purchaser agrees to take all steps and precautions to avoid and minimize soil disturbances, such as soil compaction and rutting.

  10. As a SFI and FSC certified forest, the Forestry Department requires SFI training standards to be met before the timber sale contract is signed.

Successful bidders agree to furnish Ashland County with a certificate of insurance of current coverage under the Worker’s Compensation Law, Chapter 102, Wisconsin Stats.

 There are 8 tracts of timber for sale - #3-23, #4-23 #5-23, #7-23, #8-18, #8-23,

#9-23, & #10-23. The tracts comprise 525 acres and contain the following species and estimated volumes:

MxHw pulp- 3,835 cds

Basswood pulp- 450 cds

Aspen pulp- 2,132 cds
Balsam pulp- 369 cds

Spruce pulp- 545 cds
Tamarack Pulp- 10 cds

Red Pine- 225 cds

Hard Maple logs- 108.5 MBF

Mx Hardwood logs- 62.8 MBF

Basswood logs- 75 MBF

Yellow Birch logs-15 MBF

NOTICE OF TIMBER SALE

The Ashland County Forestry Committee will accept sealed bids for the following tracts of timber stumpage - #5-22, #1-22, #4-21, #9-20, #8-18,
#8-21, up to 12:00 NOON, TUESDAY, December 6, 2022 and then be publicly opened at 1:00 PM the same day at the Ashland County Forestry office, 304 West Michigan Street, P O Box 155, Butternut, WI 54514.  THE BIDS WILL BE REVIEWED AND AWARDED AT THE FORESTRY AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING ON WEDNESDAY, December 7, 2022 at the Butternut Village Hall

301 W. Michigan St. Butternut, Wi 54514. Contact the county forest office for bid sheets, sale maps or for more information.  Phone - (715) 769-3777.

BIDDING AND FINANCING:

      1. Persons desiring to bid on more than one sale must submit a separate bid, in separate envelopes, for each tract. Use official bid sheets.  Bids not submitted on official bid sheets may be rejected.  Mark envelope in lower left corner with "Tract Number.”  All bids must have a legible Company name, contact name and phone number attached. Bids delivered to the Courthouse or any other County office will not be considered.

      2. A CERTIFIED CHECK, CASHIER'S CHECK, MONEY ORDER OR LETTER OF CREDIT  must accompany each bid (NO PERSONAL or COMPANY CHECKS) in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the bidder's sale value and/or not less than $100.00 on each and every sale, which shall serve as a performance bond. Checks shall be made payable to Ashland County Forestry Dept.  When contracts are awarded, an advance payment in the amount of fifteen percent (15%) of the total bid value shall be required before any cutting is commenced. 

      3. Successful bidders will be required to sign contracts for terms of 6 months

          to 2 years with the Committee reserving the right to grant one or more one-year extensions. Sample contracts are available for inspection at the Forestry office. Signed contracts shall be returned to Ashland County Forestry Department within 10 business days of receipt of contract. 

     4. The Forestry Committee reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

UTILIZATION:

    1.  All timber marked or designated for cutting shall be cut and utilized whether the quantity is more or less than the estimate.

    2.  Utilization will be to a minimum top diameter of four inches for all species unless otherwise stated in the cutting specifications.  

    3.  All merchantable wood cut or pushed over during road construction must be utilized. No new roads will be constructed without prior approval of the                       County Forest Administrator.

SCALING:

     1. All products shall be scaled on the sale area and shall not be removed from the sale area until paid in full unless other arrangements are made with the County Forest Administrator.

     2. All harvested hardwood with a minimum small end diameter of 10 inches inside bark, at least 50% sound, and with a minimum of 30 BF, after deductions, shall be scaled as a log. All harvested softwood with a minimum small end diameter of 9 inches inside bark, at least 50% sound, and with a minimum of 30 BF, after deductions, shall be scaled as a log. All scaling will be done in Scribner Decimal C. All pulpwood shall be scaled on Ashland County’s ticket system. All tickets shall be purchased in advance. Each ticket must be filled out completely and the white copy must be dropped in the lock box before the load leaves the sale area. The yellow copy must be given to the scaler at the destination mill.

     3.  Logs will be yarded for scaling. If logs are decked, the log lengths will be marked on the small end of the log with lumber crayon. Logs shall be piled with the small end facing the road. The piles will be no more then 8’ in height.

     4. All pulpwood will be piled for scaling; piles will be level and square with at least two cords per pile.  At least 20 cords or the equivalent in logs will be piled              before a scale is requested.

     5. The standard unit of measure for cordwood is measuring 4’x4’x100" of unpeeled wood. Peeled wood will be converted to the standard cord by adding 12.5% peeled wood to the gross volume measured. A pulpwood tree contains at least one (1) 100” stick with a minimum top dib of 4”.

     6. All wood harvested from the sale area must be accounted for and payment made, including firewood.

     7. The face of all pulp piles and logs will be free from debris and excessive snow.

     8. Requests for scaling must be made to the Forest Administrator a minimum of 3 working days in advance.

ROADS AND CAMPS:

     1. Location of roads, landings and camps must be approved by the Forest Administrator.

     2. Road entrances must be cleaned up of all roots, stumps and down trees at time of construction and kept neat and in good repair during the contract period.

     3. Camps and sale roads will be kept neat clean and free of garbage, oil cans, plastic bottles, and miscellaneous trash throughout the contract period.

     4. The use of public road rights-of-way for skidding, landing or decking of forest products is prohibited.

     5. Purchaser is responsible for securing access across any land not owned by the County prior to bidding.

     6. Road bans and restrictions are the responsibility of governing agencies managing those roads. Contact the town chairman for further information on town roads within the county forest.

     7.Berms must be replaced and gates locked whenever sale is inactive and upon completion of the sale.

     8. Wisconsin’s Forestry Best Management Practices for Water Quality, Invasive Species and Woody Biomass Harvesting shall be followed on all timber sales on the Ashland County Forest.

     9. The purchaser agrees to take all steps and precautions to avoid and minimize soil disturbances, such as soil compaction and rutting.

  10. As a SFI and FSC certified forest, the Forestry Department requires SFI training standards to be met before the timber sale contract is signed.

Successful bidders agree to furnish Ashland County with a certificate of insurance of current coverage under the Worker’s Compensation Law, Chapter 102, Wisconsin Stats.

There are 6 tracts of timber for sale - #5-22, #1-22 #4-21, #9-20, #8-18, #8-21. The tracts comprise 698 acres and contain the following species and estimated volumes:

MxHw pulp- 3,855 cds

Fir pulp- 99 cds

Aspen pulp- 7 cds,
Basswood pulp- 708 cds

Spruce pulp- 15 cds

Ash pulp- 380 cds
Maple pulp- 975 cds

Hard Maple logs- 275 MBF

Yellow Birch logs-15 MBF
Mx Hardwood logs- 66 MBF

Basswood logs- 287 MBF

Ash logs- 195 MBF

The Ashland County Forest work plan gives direction and meaning to the proposed County Forest Budget. The plan further defines and supplements the Comprehensive Fifteen Year Plan and emphasizes the current needs of the County Forest and Recreation System.

Firewood, Balsam Bough and Christmas Tree Permits can be obtained by contacting the forestry office at 715-769-3777, or by stopping by our office from 8:00 am till Noon, Monday-Friday. 

Ashland County Forestry provides a wide variety of outdoor recreational opportunities. One of the most used recreational aspects of the county forest are the 6 Hunter Walking Trails that are walking only access trails. These trails encompass about 20 miles of trail and 11 acres of wildlife openings.  These trails are maintained by annual mowing and are tilled and reseeded every 4-6 years. 

The Forestry Department has timber sales available for bid twice a year. Once in spring (May or June) and then again in December. If you want further information about up coming timber sale bid prospects, contact our office during our regular office hours.   

Sealed bids will be received by the Ashland County Forest Administrator, at the Ashland County Forest office, 304 West Michigan Street, P O Box 155, Butternut, WI 54514, UP TO 12:00 NOON, TUESDAY, May 31st, 2022 and then be publicly opened at 1:00 PM the same day at the Ashland County Forestry office, 304 West Michigan Street, P O Box 155, Butternut, WI 54514. THE BIDS WILL BE REVIEWED AND AWARDED AT THE FORESTRY AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING ON WEDNESDAY, June 1st, 2022 at the Butternut Village Hall 301 W. Michigan St. Butternut, Wi 54514.

A timber sale prospectus, maps, bid forms, sample contract, detailed information on the tracts and bidding information can be obtained by contacting the Ashland County Forest office, or calling 715-769-3777. Bids delivered to the courthouse or any other county office will not be considered. Bids not submitted on official bid sheets may be rejected. Ashland County now requires SFI training standards to be met before the timber sale contract is signed. Questions and comments regarding aesthetic considerations or environmental concerns on these sales will be received by the County Forest Administrator up to the time of the bid opening. There are 7 tracts of timber for sale-#8-18, #3-20, #9-20, #11-20, #5-21, #7-21, #8-21. The tracts comprise 542 acres and contain the following species and estimated volumes: MxHw pulp- 3,340 cds, Red Pine pulp- 75 cds, Fir pulp- 129 cds, Aspen pulp- 22 cds, Basswood pulp- 713 cds, Spruce pulp- 130 cds, Ash pulp- 100 cds, Maple pulp- 1,780 cds, Hard Maple logs- 331 MBF, Yellow Birch logs-15 MBF, Mx Hardwood logs- 97 MBF, Basswood logs- 362 MBF, Ash logs- 87 MBF and Red Maple Logs- 28 MBF.