Special Management Areas for Recreation

There are two areas  in Bayfield County designated as "Special Management Area (SMA) for Recreation, Aesthetic Management Zone A".  the Mt. Ashwabay SMA (2,377 acres) , and the Cable SMA (2,243 acres). Combined, these areas represent about 2.5% of the total Bayfield County Forest (176,000 acres). 

Summary of Plans for Logging at Mt. Ashwabay through 2035

Beginning in Spring 2023, and continuing through 2035, Bayfield County plans to log portions of the "Ashwabay Block" or Ashwabay SMA, which covers 2,353 acres.  Of the total acreage 1,661 acres will be managed with future timber harvests, and the remaining 692 acres have been removed from future management to protect riparian areas,  due to steep slopes, or because of erodible soils that make these areas unsuitable for logging.    ***Plans for logging in 2023 were delayed due to the spongy moth infestation

The Long Term Plan for Ashwabay lays out five different sales, occurring in 2023, 2025, 2027, 2030 and 2033.  Scroll down to see a map showing the five sale areas. They county plans to log 783 acres during these 5 sales, which constitutes 47% of the land in the Ashwabay block that has been designated for future management (1661 acres).  Of this 246 acres will be clear cut, which is about 31% (246/783) of the area to be logged in this time period.  

Ashwabay contains 1% of the actively managed forest land in the county. (1661/163,380). 

1049 acres are scheduled to be clearcut, which constitutes 63% of the forest that will be managed at Ashwabay (1661 acres), and 45% of the total county forest land at Ashwabay (2353 acres). The time period for the scheduled clearcuts is not indicated in the plan

In the past decade 364 acres, or 22% (364/1661) have already been clearcut ( reported average age of trees is 0-10 years).   

1413 acres will be clearcut in total (either in the past 10 years or in the future), or 85% of the managed forests at Ashwabay.  

Currently 25% (406/1661) of the trees in the Ashwabay Block are over 90 years old . The next five sales calls for logging primarily in areas where the average age of the trees is over 90 years.  

*All of the numbers cited above are in the Ashwabay SMA Long Term Plan.  Note that we use the term "clearcut" rather than "even aged harvest" because it is more familiar to the public and it is our understanding that these terms are comparable.  

Response to Public Input on Ashwabay Logging. 

ABC Trails presented the signed petition with over 200 signatures to the members of the Bayfield County Forestry Committee in April 2023.  The County had an online public comment form, Approximately 40 concerned citizens attended a Forestry Committee Meeting in which they were voting to approve the first timber sale, which impacts bike and ski trails at Mt. Ashwabay.  Many citizens spoke at the meeting, filling up the 30 minutes allocated for public comment.  The Bayfield County Forestry Committee voted unanimously to move forward with the first sale, scheduled for 2023.  After a bid as accepted, due to an infestation of spongy moths, that sale was postponed.  

Summary of Plans for Logging in the Cable Area through 2035

The Bayfield County Forestry Department is in the process of developing the plans for logging in the Cable Special Management Area.  They have stated that a draft plan will be ready by late spring 2024.  There have not been any public meetings, public information sessions, or County Forestry Committee discussions related to the goals or strategies that will guide the development of this plan.

ABC Trails Priorities 

1. Maintain the aesthetic experience of bike and ski trails in Bayfield County by establishing uncut buffers along the trails, with the aim of maintaining mature forests with minimal human impact along trail corridors.

2. Maintain a quality trail surface that doesn't suffer from excessive drying and melting due to increased sun exposure, or drifting of sand and snow due to decreased natural wind breaks. 

Additional Details of the Long Term Plan for Logging Ashwabay

As per the Special Management Area Plan for Mt. Ashwabay, nearly all of the planned logging is in areas where the average age of the trees is 100 years old or older.  These trees give the user the experience of a mature and natural forest.  Currently 50% of the trees in the Block are over 80 years old, and about 50% are under 50 years old.  

See additional details on the first sale planned for 2023.  The County has also posted additonal documents related to the sale here. 

The current long term plan (through 2035)  includes significant sections of clearcutting across the bike and ski trails 

• Sale #1 has a clear cut area on a significant portion of Dirt Lip and Diesel Bear bike trails, and smaller clearcut areas on The Buzz ski trail.  

• Sale #4 has two clear cuts that cross ski trials:

  • Sugar Bush Classic (see photos of current state of trail, this trail was already heavily thinned in 2008)

  • Oppeadals (see photos of current state of trail)

There are also significant portions of each sale that call for thinning along trails, most notably:

• Sale #1 along The Buzz and Dirt Lip.  This section of the forest has not been managed, and is one of the more natural feeling sections of trail on county land.  

• Sale #2 on Jolly.   

• Sale #3 on Deer Path,  The Buzz, Hot Saw, Lady Slipper and Hootin' Hollow.

• Sale #5 on Northern Lights and Tsuga Daddy.  This section was thinned in 2014, so the density of the remaining trees has already been reduced. 

User Experience

The user experience of trails is impacted by the quality of the trail itself, as well as the aesthetics of the surroundings.  Natural forest cover is a major draw for trail users.  The 2020 CAMBA Economic Impact Study by UW Extension found that  92% of respondents rated "quiet, natural surroundings" as either an important or very important trail characteristic. The survey also found that 52% of respondents cited the "deep woods/wilderness like environment" as the primary reason they chose the CAMBA trails.

"Logging Activity" was the most commonly cited problem CAMBA users experienced, with 17% of respondents citing it as a moderate or serious problem.  Examples of open ended comments from a trail user related to logging include:

"The logging has been really disruptive the past few years damaging the trails and the overall environment. It is horrible and unattractive to see the destruction and it totally impacts the core reason to come bike the CAMBA Trail system. There should be a buffer zone so the areas by trails are not disturbed..."

"Logging activities is a MAJOR buzz kill for me on CAMBA trails."

Financial Considerations

The total revenue from the planned sales in the Ashwabay SMA is relatively small in relation to the budget, because the Ashwabay block is less than half of one percent of county forest lands.  Nothing in the current plan acknowledges the positive regional economic impact of recreation tourism related to trail use and the need to balance these competing economic considerations.  

2020 CAMBA Study on Economic Impact of Recreation

In 2020 CAMBA conducted study on the economic impact of the bike trails.   The survey also found that each non-local visitor expected to spend $200 per day during their visit to the area.  

The study found that the total economic impact on Bayfield and Sawyer Counties from the CAMBA trails in 2019 was estimated at $7.8 million dollars.  A 2014 study by the same author estimated that the annual impact of silent sports in the region (biking, running and skiing) was $16.7 million dollars.  

Carbon Offset Reserve Fund

The planned Carbon Offset Reserve program, set to begin in 2023,  will bring in significant additional revenue to the county and provides an opportunity for the Forestry and Parks Department to achieve carbon sequestration goals, maintain revenue, and enhance recreational opportunities by removing sections of the forest from the timber harvest schedule.   The stated goal of the Forest Carbon Offset Reserve is to  "protect, sustain and enhance the natural resources of the Forest, for generations to come, as well as foster and facilitate outdoor recreation within Bayfield County."  

See additional information on the Carbon Offset Reserve Fund proposal here.