Dahlby Conservation Services LLC

05/06/2026

Between prescribed burning, tree planting, prairie planting, and MFL forest plans, spring is by far our busiest time of year!

Our crew recently completed a tree planting in southern Eau Claire County of 39,000 trees (mostly White Oak!!!!!). This brings our spring tree planting total to about 50,000 trees.

This single project equates to about 64 miles of tree planting rows!

04/11/2026

03/31/2026

Our burn crew is taking full advantage of the burn windows that Mother Nature gives us! A few photos from the last 10 days:

03/25/2026

Our 2026 spring burn season started today! 4 units, 2 properties, lots of happy pollinators.

Wisconsin Prescribed Fire Council

03/01/2026

Conditions have been favorable for improvement of timber stands and wildlife habitat! We recently completed timber stand improvement in an oak stand where the understory was dominated by undesirable plants that were severely limiting regeneration of more desirable oak and white pine. The cold weather also allowed us to cut a stand of over-mature tag alders for the purpose of stimulating them to regenerate through stump sprouting. It is scary to invest 10's of thousands of dollars in the equipment needed to do this work (not to mention maintenance!!!) but the resulting land management sure eases the stress!

01/16/2026

We recently finished a grassland/barrens restoration project in the Augusta Wildlife Area for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. These habitat types are critical for species like the federally endangered Karner Blue Butterfly! Check out this video showing the final product. We cannot wait to see how this site changes in the coming years!

01/01/2026

Earlier this week, a Guest (Historian and Author) on a WPR show was sharing history about logging, loggers, and logging camps of the late 1800's and early 1900's. The Guest was factual and very knowledgeable about the subject. The show was interesting and informative. I'm looking forward to reading her book. Images of the loggers and the logging, as portrayed in the discussion and as they were in reality, were less than positive and comforting! Here is a link to the show: https://www.wpr.org/books/author-chops-down-historic-myths-northwoods-lumberjacks

I was hauling a compact excavator out to the woods to build a haul road. Regretfully, I could not call in. My desire to call in was to be sure that listeners who love nature and forest understand that the loggers (and the logging practices) being discussed were not very comparable to the skilled, professional, business men and women who are the ones implementing sustainable forest management today!

It's difficult for us to express our gratitude and respect for professional loggers. It has been our experience that the average woodland advocate (i.e. bird watchers, fishermen and fisherwomen, hikers, hunters, woodland land owners, etc..) does not understand the personal sacrifice, investment, and risks that logging professionals make to advance forest health at the scale that is needed. Considering anticipated impacts of climate change, I (Mike) would be scared as hell of a future without a healthy forest products industry.

Please remember...."Wood is Good". Buy wisely.

12/25/2025

Happy Holidays from the staff at Dahlby Conservation Services! We are all looking forward to another great year of helping our prairies, forests, wetlands, and streams

12/13/2025

Yesterday was a bad day for tag alder in a few select areas along Otter Creek in Dunn County. It will be a good day for American Woodcock when they return to find the new (and much needed) habitat! You may ask why..........

American Woodcock is a species of Special Concern in Wisconsin. They nest in a scrape on the ground in young, primarily aspen, forests or in upland shrubs in proximity to forest openings or clearings for singing, and moist shrubby areas (alder thicket, shrub-carr) for foraging.

The American Woodcock population has declined over the last few decades. This is commonly understood to be the result of habitat loss, primarily due to aging forests and urbanization/development. They need early-successional habitat (dense, low, brushy) near moist soil. A preferred food source is earthworms.

The Ruffed Grouse Society reports (https://ruffedgrousesociety.org/the-importance-of-alders-for-grouse-and-woodcock/) that “Once alder shrubs mature past a certain point, it becomes a game of diminishing returns as far as value for wildlife. For example, alder canopies generally open up more as stem density decreases, which allows the understory to become dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants again. This limits movement for woodcock and grouse and makes the habitat less desirable. When limbs start growing horizontally, it’s likely that the stand is not providing high quality habitat any longer (Wildlife Management Institute 2009).

Winter management encourages dense and healthy regrowth in the summer because all the food reserves are stored dormant in the root system. “

We have completed projects on numerous properties over the last several years. Our observations of the site's (and associated wildlife) response to the management has convinced us of the value of this management activity!!!

11/20/2025

We recently invested in a mulching head for our tracked skid loader to more effectively and efficiently help our clients manage invasive species and unwanted vegetation.

It first deployment is at the "Wissota Woods" neighborhood in Chippewa County near Lake Wissota.

Over the past few years, there has been growing community concern in this neighborhood about wildfire protection and fuel loading in the community owned park parcels. Mechanical treatments like this are a standard, science based tool that can help mitigate fire risk in a fire adapted landscape.

We are working with the Wissota Woods Neighborhood Association to:
- Reduce "ladder fuels" that allow fire to crawl into the canopy
- Reduce fuel continuity that allows fire to move more freely through a landscape
- Reduce natural fuel loading that will decrease fire intensity in the event of a wildfire
- Create defensible spaces in the neighborhood to slow fire spread and decrease intensity
- Create access within the community natural spaces to allow access to firefighters/equipment in the event of a fire

These treatments seem intense, fast, and loud, but they also help improve overall forest health, improve wildlife habitat, and reduce hazard trees for users.

We applaud the Wissota Woods Neighborhood Association for their farsighted approach to fuel and wildfire management in their community owned greenspaces and parks!

PS- If you are in the area, please stay far away from our crews! Chainsaws and heavy equipment can throw debris much farther than you might think!