Preserving More Than 14,000 Acres of Forest Land Approved

Under the Deal the Land Would be Open to Public Uses

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Legislature’s budget committee has approved spending more than $4 million to purchase more than 14,000 acres of forest land in northern Wisconsin under the state’s stewardship program.

The land in Iron County would be preserved for public access and protected from development under the $4.3 million purchase approved by the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee on Tuesday. The purchase is one of the largest in the 30-year history of the state’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program.

The land is in the towns of Knight, Carey and Mercer as well as Iron County.

The majority of the 14,000 acres contains productive forest. There is also about 17 miles of streams and lake frontage.

Under the deal, the land would continue to be logged by its private owners but it would be open to public uses including fishing, hunting, trapping, hiking and skiing.