Basically, it’s young trees and shrubs growing together thickly. Young forest can be an old field coming up in saplings like popple and white birch, a wetland thick with tag alder and other shrubs, or trees springing back up on a wooded tract following a timber harvest.

Generally, about 10 to 20 years. After that, it becomes older forest. Having forest with a mixture of different-aged patches (young, middle-aged, and old) benefits the widest variety of wildlife. We recommend creating new areas of young forest every 5 to 20 years, depending on the size of your forest property.

Generally, about 10 to 20 years. After that, it becomes older forest. Having forest with a mixture of different-aged patches (young, middle-aged, and old) benefits the widest variety of wildlife. We recommend creating new areas of young forest every five to 20 years, depending on the size of your forest property.

Depending on the site, even-age timber harvesting can be a cost-effective way to make young forest. Timber harvests give us a way to mimic natural disturbance by opening the leaf canopy, removing mature trees and disturbing the soil. When managed properly, a timber harvest can enhance forests to benefit human and wildlife populations. Conservationists and landowners may also plant native shrubs for food and cover, and mimic natural events like wildfires and windstorms by using controlled burning and heavy-duty machines to knock back older growth and stimulate the dense regrowth of trees and shrubs.

It is important for a landowner/manager to know what kind of soils, topography, and conditions exist on their land, and which kind of forest management is best applied in those circumstances. In Northern Wisconsin, many locations are well suited for hardwoods or pine and should be managed for those species. Other areas could be effectively managed for young forest; some are already dominated with aspen or alder and just need some well-planned management to improve them.

Clearcuts can look raw and desolate, but that’s only temporary. Shoots and saplings soon green up and reforest the land. Individual trees and clumps of trees can be left behind, which helps with aesthetics. Young forest can be quite attractive in the way that it reveals the land’s contours. Plus, wildlife love it! Those reserved trees make for wonderful perches for songbirds to sing off of.

Check out these habitat projects at www.youngforest.org/wisconsin/habitat-projects, including ones on public lands, where interested citizens can see young forest, learn how to make this vibrant and important habitat, and hunt and observe the diverse, abundant wildlife attracted to those places.

The best way to determine if making young forest is a good option is to contact us for a site visit. A professional conservationist will visit your property, suggest management options, and discuss with you whether creating areas of young forest makes sense based on your objectives for your land.