Forest Health

A drone shot of the Namekagon River shows vibrant fall colors on the trees

Healthy forests mean healthy waters

Covering over 2.75 million acres and over half the watershed, our forests play a critical role in keeping the waters of the St. Croix clean and healthy.

Learn more about how your trees make a difference for the entire St. Croix watershed and what you can do protect water quality on your land. Every landowner can be a woodland steward. All it takes is a desire to do what is best for your woods, some thoughtful planning and a commitment to putting your management plans into action. No matter the size of your land or the nature of your ownership, active stewardship can make a huge impact.

Land Protection

We are here to help

Support

Learning about your woodland

We provide tailored information from our resource library to help landowners learn about their woods and options for managing it. We also connect woodland owners with experts and peers for advice and guidance.

Education

Hosting woodland ownership workshops and webinars

From connecting landowners with one another to hosting training and workshops for both woodland owners and service providers, we aim to help grow strong, connected communities focused on the forests of the St. Croix watershed.

Guidance

Helping you find the right options for your woods

Planning for your woods is step one. Good forest management requires those plans to be put into action. We help landowners learn about responsible practices and connect them with trained experts to carry out projects and practices in their woods.

A volunteer group poses in front of the CWMA rental trailer after a day of clearing garlic mustard

Tackle buckthorn and other terrestrial invasive species on your land

Wild Rivers Conservancy coordinates the St. Croix–Red Cedar Cooperative Weed Management Area (SC-RC CWMA), a collaboration of invasive species professionals in Barron, Burnett, Polk, St. Croix, and Washburn counties in Wisconsin.

The St. Croix – Red Cedar CWMA operates a tool trailer available for free, public use on invasive species management projects. The trailer is intended for invasive species community work days, training events and demonstrations, and other similar activities.

The Tool Trailer is available at no charge to community groups and organizations for workdays, training events and demonstrations but is only available to Wisconsin residents in Barron, Burnett, Polk, St. Croix and Washburn County.

Reserve the Trailer