Ross Prior of Marinette County was selected as the 2024 Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year. 

Ross has been a tree enthusiast his entire life. Over the years Ross & his wife Mary have been able to purchase several wooded properties in Marinette County and now have over 300 acres total. Their properties include a seventy three acre stand of oak & maple called “The Oaks”, a fifty two acre red pine plantation call “The Pines”, and a 184 acre property he calls “The Hardwoods”.

 

All of these properties are enrolled in the Managed Forest Law and has been working with the DNR foresters & private foresters.

 

Ross has heated his house with firewood off these properties for almost 40 years. He burns about 4 full cords a year in his high tech Tarm basement wood boiler. Ross says there is nothing like firewood cutting to keep one in close contact with the forest.

 

Ross has a yearly routine. He does planting site prep in April, plants tree seedlings in May, sprays thistles in June (40 plus acres), does brush removal projects in July - September, cuts firewood in October and deer hunts in November!

 

Ross loves to share his passion about forestry with other landowners with strong interests in their forests so he joined WWOA. He has been very active in WWOA and hosts many field days and presents on a variety of topics on each of his properties. Ross loves to learn and share what he has learned with others. Ross’s love of learning and sharing has even lead to the University of Minnesota doing research on his property!

 

Ross has had numerous timber sales over the years harvesting many cords and boards.  He has hired professional foresters to mark the sales as well as conducting his own marking.  He has had contractors completing his harvests as well as purchasing a small forwarder to complete smaller projects and salvage clean ups.

 

All of Ross’s forest management has met or exceeded Wisconsin’s Water Quality Best Management Practices for forest management. The Hardwood’s property has a stream called Twin Creek which Ross has a no-management area designated along it that exceeds BMP requirements. The Pines & Oaks properties have no ponds or streams. All wetlands are protected with frozen ground logging.

 

Ross has several food plots along with planted apple trees and installed water tanks have attracted wildlife to the property. Trail cameras have photographed deer, bear, wolf, coyote, bobcat, fisher, turkeys and some birds Ross is still working on identifying

 

Ross maintains trail systems for his access & future logging access. Ross loves to hunt and he has others that hunt the properties as well.

 

Ross has been a member of WWOA since 1985, currently serving on the Board of Directors and is also the President of the Phoenix Falls Chapter until March, 2024. He has published two articles for the WWOA magazine and has hosted 6 field days.

 

Ross loves to learn everything he can about forest management, and he loves to share what he has learned even more.