Administration of county forests.
Purpose. The purpose of this section is to provide the basis for a permanent program of county forests and to enable and encourage the planned development and management of the county forests for optimum production of forest products together with recreational opportunities, wildlife, watershed protection and stabilization of stream flow, giving full recognition to the concept of multiple-use to assure maximum public benefits; to protect the public rights, interests and investments in such lands; and to compensate the counties for the public uses, benefits and privileges these lands provide; all in a manner which will provide a reasonable revenue to the towns in which such lands lie.
Visitors spent over $52 million in Bayfield County in 2020
Tourism directly supports 1 in 4 jobs in Bayfield County
See the entire document with detailed maps.
More than half of the respondents said that the deep woods/wilderness-like environment influenced them to choose the CAMBA trails.
Logging was identified as the most serious threat to the trails.
page 27: (Emphasis added)
"Improving recreational opportunities has some direct benefits to the county i.e. revenues from the new yurt projects, but most of the benefit derived from recreation is indirect.
Improved recreational access has the potential to attract users and draw people to certain areas. The better the attraction and experience, the more use an area will receive. If the county provides enough good, as well as diverse, recreational opportunities, areas will start to attract people interested in recreation-based day trips or longer stay vacations. More use has the potential to increase spending (which benefits local communities), which increases sales tax revenue and thus directly benefits the county. Clearly, recreational opportunities reach beyond the economic potential. It provides opportunities for individuals and families, whether local or transient, to get out and enjoy our beautiful natural resources. And there’s a lot to enjoy. With nearly 500,000 acres of public land, Bayfield County has more public forests than any other county in Wisconsin."
Excerpts:
Section 745 of the County Forest Land Use Plan States: "The County recognizes two distinct areas that provide unique and diverse recreational opportunities for the public, in relatively small, concentrated portions of the County Forest: the Low Motorized area in the Cable block; and the Low Motorized area near Mt. Ashwabay."
Section 820.2
Stands are removed from future management considerations for a variety of reasons, some of which include: excluded as part of a riparian management zone (RMZ); located on steep or inoperable slopes; located on highly erodible soils; retained for other purposes (i.e. reserve and/or green tree retention); or removed as part of a unique resource or special management area (SMA). For more information on SMA’s, refer to Section 830.
Section 830.3
3. Special Management Areas (SMA): SMAs are described in greater detail in the 800-152 section below. In some SMAs, all stands have been removed from future harvest considerations. Similar to RMZs, if the stand was removed from the harvest schedule it would be managed passively (not harvested) and provide additional opportunities to naturally evolve through the various successional stages and develop old growth characteristics.
Section 830.3.2
2. Lost Creek Falls Scenic Management Area (420 acres) : Future management of the Lost Creek Falls SMA will be passive in nature 800-156 to encourage the development of late successional species, as well as old growth structure and characteristics. All stands located within this SMA will be removed from the harvest schedule and not considered part of the suitable timber base. However, the presence of disease, excessive mortality due to insect infestations, or other natural events (i.e. storm damage) may result in some levels of active timber management, as determined by the Administrator.
835.1
AESTHETIC MANAGEMENT Aesthetic management strategies may be applied in areas of high visibility or high public use. Altered management, visual screens, slash disposal, conversion to other species, no cut zones or other methods may be employed, depending on the circumstances of the specific site. See Chapter 700 for more information on aesthetic management.
Definition of Special Management Area (contained in Land Use Plan)
Map of Mt. Ashwabay SMA (2,377 acres)
Map of Cable SMA (2,243 acres).
Plan calls for additional investment in bike and ski trails in both SMAs
Recommended Improvements at Cable CAMBA Cluster:
Rehabilitate and improve Esker Trail
Wild River Trail: construct connecting trail from abandoned railroad grade to abandoned snowmobile ntrail.
Rehabilitate and improve Danky Dank and Treasure’s Trace trails
Develop Bike Park, Downhill/Gravity trails on Mt. Telemark (pending resolution of propertyownership).
Develop stacked loop trails starting from Birkie Start area that will provide easier and intermediate
connections to Ojibwe Trail, which will also be suitable for NICA race course, collegiate racing and other events.
Encourage the development of on-trail camping, shuttles, and guide services.
Recommended Improvements at CAMBA Trailhead Ski Hill Road (p.51)
• CAMBA Ski Hill Road Trailhead: gravel and grade parking lot; install trailhead gateway structure; install restroom/changing facility
• Create easy, entry-level trail as part of the CAMBA bike trail system at Mt. Ashwabay
• Develop downhill/gravity trails to complement CAMBA bike trail system
Recommended Improvements at Mt Ashwbay Ski and Recreation Area (p.53)
All Uses:
• Use trail digital apps. to develop and deliver online trail maps.
• Install radio repeater on top of the mountain to support radio communication from all locations. This will facilitate operations, grooming, but most importantly safety and emergency response.
• Lodging opportunities in summer and winter. Cabins and yurts.
• Camping opportunities in summer. Tent and RV
• Shower facilities in summer can be sauna facility in winter.
Alpine Skiing:
• In the near-term, re-furbish the ski chalet, including upgrade of restrooms.
• Long-term, replace the ski chalet while preserving key historic features as appropriate.
• Update ski hills to accommodate more diverse skiers and facilitate maintenance and grooming.
Nordic Skiing:
• Warming shelter and trail check-in at trailhead.
• Expanded and improved trails to provide for classic and skate skiers of all skill levels and across a variety of terrain.
• Work with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to develop the historic Nourse Sugarbush Cabin for public use as a trail destination and possible warming hut. Consider including addition of a pit toilet.
• Improve the Jerry Jolly trails from Star Route and along Pike’s Creek to make grooming easier and more efficient.
• Develop nordic trail connections with Valhalla ski area.
• Installation of bridges and/or culverts across drainages and wet areas.
Snowshoeing:
• To address current conflict between snowshoeing and skiing, update Jolly plans to construct snowshoe trail along south bank. Currently the X-ski trail is too narrow for multi-use and because of drainage issues it's probably best to make a separate snowshoe trail paralleling the X-ski trail.
• Expand snowshoe trail opportunities near the Mt. Ashwabay trailhead. This could include a snowshoe trail to Pike’s Creek.
Mountain and Fat Biking:
• Add up to 5 miles of additional purpose built singletrack trail to improve trail navigation and access the Mt. Ashwabay ridge and vistas for a variety of abilities.
• Expand fat biking opportunities using shared trail, decommissioned Nordic and logging trails and areas of singletrack to expand the current network along the Mt. Ashwabay ridge incorporating connections to the yurt access trails providing yurt guests access to the groomed fat bike trail for both biking and snowshoeing.
• Continue with spot singletrack maintenance and remediation on an ongoing, as needed basis to maintain the highest quality single track mountain biking experience.
• Improve on trailhead experiences and services at both Ski Hill Rd. and Whiting Rd. mountain bike trailheads.
• Ongoing trail signage and mapping updating.
• Expand trail network to provide a range of experiences while remaining compatible with skiing andhiking activities.
• Develop biking trail connection with Valhalla. Hiking (and snowshoe and xc ski):
• Develop a trail connection from the State fish hatchery on Pike’s Creek at Highway 13 to the Mt. Ashwabay trail network, most likely at the Jerry Jolly trails.