Congratulations to Jim and Diane Mroczenski of Marathon County on being selected as the 2008 Wisconsin Tree Farmers of the Year.  They purchased 49 acres of woodland in 1990 for the purpose of hunting and recreation for themselves and their three sons.  This piece of property was part of the Fromm Corporation, originally a group of brothers who started a silver fox, mink and ginseng dynasty known world wide.  It was logged heavily in 1976 and was growing unmanaged.  In 1997, an adjoining 80 acres was harvested for the purpose of removing only saw logs.  The Mroczenski’s tried without success to purchase a portion of this 80.  The seller would not split the property, so finally in 1998 Jim and Diane purchased all 80 acres with the idea of selling off 40 acres.

Once they owned the woodland, they could not bear to sell any of it and today the Mroczenski Family Tree Farm consists of 130 acres. Family and friends refer to the tree farm as the North Forty, Middle Forty and South Forty. The woodlot includes a wide variety of tree species and the west branch of the Little Rib River runs across the property.
   
The Mroczenski’s follow a written management plan and directions provided by a private consulting forester as well as Department of Natural Resource foresters.  They want to do everything they can to make the woods the best it can be and the most productive.  Their objective is to enhance the capabilities and to improve diversity of the woodlot, create a bounty of wildlife habitat, generate more income, and provide a place to recreate, including hunting, sightseeing, hiking, snowshoeing and a place to take many photographs.

Their enthusiasm and admiration for their tree farm is very evident in their willingness to open their woodland for field days and site visits.  They are eager to learn more about practicing sound forest management and are very willing to share the knowledge they gained over the years since they owned the property.  They actively participate in woodland organizations and are willing to take on responsibility to help out when they can.  They are excellent ambassadors for forestry.  Nominating forester for the Mroczenski’s is Shirley Bargander.

Some of the accomplishments made on their land include upgrading easements by adding culverts and additional road base.  They seeded ditches and hand placed rocks and mesh for erosion control.  Old logging roads were cleared and leveled to improve trails for walking and hiking and they now mow and maintain 5 miles of trails.  A soil test was obtained prior to planting trees and food plots.  They planted 14 acres of red and white pine as well as some red oak. White oak was planted in a harvested area to help re-establish white oak in the woods.  They band sprayed and mowed the plantation as well as utilized tubes and cages to protect the oak from deer browse.  They started a bird house program for blue birds, constructed brush piles for wildlife, and cleaned up debris.  Dead falls are left for grouse and they removed old wood tree stands and eliminated trees with nails.  Wild ginseng is re-seeded to promote regeneration.  They monitor growth and change through photography. Landmarks have been established for this purpose.

Timber harvesting is a big part of their management.  The aspen stand was clear-cut when it matured.  They cleaned up 55 acres of tree tops left by the prior owner/logger and utilized it for fire wood and some pulpwood.  They harvested 15 acres in the Middle Forty as recommended in their management plan and completed all mandatory practices as recommended in the North Forty.

In addition to keeping busy in their woodlot, Jim and Diane are very active with efforts to persuade and encourage other woodland owners to practice good woodland management. They are both members of Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association (WWOA) since 2001.  In 2006 Jim moderated the North Central Chapter Winter Conference and introduced the various speakers. In the fall of 2007, the Rural Living Section of the Record Review, a local newspaper, ran a full two page article of their woodland along with colored photos. Also in the fall of 2007 Jim and Diane hosted the North Central Chapter field day on their property.  They served on the 2007 National Tree Farmer Convention planning committee and managed “The Store” during the convention. (“The Store” sold Tree Farm shirts and caps).  They were members of the 2008 WWOA North Central Chapter Winter Conference planning committee. At the winter conference in February, Jim and Diane teamed up to make a presentation to the group about the management of their tree farm.  On Arbor Day, 2008, they planned a tree planting and educational event for St. Mary’s School in Marathon.  The children were scheduled to come to their property but the weather did not cooperate, so they put together a power point and other educational tools and took their program to the school.  They hosted the spring picnic for the North Central Chapter WWOA and many members came to their tree farm for a picnic and a work day in preparation for the state conference fall field day. They are members of the 2008 WWOA state conference planning committee.  As part of the conference they will be hosting a tour of Menzner Lumber and Marth Wood Shavings on Friday, September 19, 2008.  They will also be hosting a tour of their tree farm on Sunday, September 21, 2008 for the same conference.  Jim is on the ballot and running for the WWOA board.  Diane is seeking the Secretary/Treasurer position for the North Central Chapter WWOA board.

Jim and Diane truly earned the recognition of 2008 Wisconsin Tree Farmers of the Year.  They work hard on their tree farm as well as working hard to encourage others to do the same.  They are not afraid of taking on tasks to help others.  They sincerely care for their woodlot and take much pride in it.  They are very dedicated individuals.