Landowners preserve Iowa’s forest legacy

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This article appeared in the Fall 2005 edition of INHF's magazine.

by Cathy Engstrom

Darrel Mills/INHF

Ed and Vickie Staheli's northeast Iowa land, shown here, is among three Iowa sitess recently protected by the federal Forest Legacy Program. Each of these private easements adjoins public land, helping to buffer and extend their natural resource value.

Three northeast Iowa families have protected Iowa’s “forest legacy” through a federal program being used in Iowa for the first time.

The families enrolled their land in the Forest Legacy Program, which prohibits housing or business developments that could fragment natural forested areas.

Mike and Randi Kluesner protected 191 acres bordering Effigy Mounds National Monument and Yellow River State Forest near the Great River Road outside Marquette. Ed and Vickie Staheli protected 35 acres bordering the national Upper Mississippi River Wildlife Refuge and overlooking that river near Lansing. Floyd and MaryLou Sollien protected 165 acres bordering the Upper Iowa River Wildlife Area overlooking the Upper Iowa River near Decorah.

The program is federally funded by the USDA Forest Service and administered locally by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Forestry Bureau. The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation provides extensive technical assistance and helped facilitate two of the transactions.

“Iowa’s northeast corner has thousands of contiguous acres of woodland,” said John Walkowiak, Iowa DNR Forestry Bureau chief. “By permanently protecting sites where landowners may practice sustainable forestry, these private working forests can continue to serve both the local agricultural economy and the natural resources.”

Each easement site remains in private ownership with any selective tree harvesting conducted under an approved state forestry stewardship plan. The easements’ public benefits include scenic beauty, water quality protection and wildlife habitat. Moreover, because all three sites border existing public areas, those public resources are stabilized and enhanced.

Each family received between 65-75 percent of the appraised value of their permanent conservation easement. They donated the remainder of their easement’s value to help meet federal funding requirements. The Iowa DNR foresters will permanently monitor the easements.

“Bringing the Forest Legacy Program to Iowa required many people,” said Dennis Michel of Iowa DNR Bureau of Forestry. “In addition to the landowners and organizations already mentioned, we had significant support from Iowa’s congressional delegation, including Senators Harkin and Grassley and Representatives Latham and Nussle.”

The partner agencies are now working with landowners on three other sites in northeast Iowa, hoping to complete more Forest Legacy Program easements by 2006. Other applications have been evaluated for 2007 funding.

“The Forest Legacy Program is complex, time-consuming and requires an owner in-kind donation to help match the federal funding, so it’s not for every landowner or forested tract,” said Darrel Mills of INHF. “However, for high quality sites like these—sites that border public natural areas—the program provides a valuable buffer.”

For more information on Forest Legacy click here.

Cathy Engstrom is INHF's Communications Director.

For more information, e-mail Cathy Engstrom, Director of Communications, or call (515) 288-1846.