Wayside, Hwy. 45, 3 mi. S of Antigo, Langlade County

By the 1920s, the once vast forests of Wisconsin had been reduced from more than 30 million acres to about 2 million through farm clearing and lumbering practices that left large cut-over areas. In 1927 the Wisconsin legislature passed the County Forest Reserve Law, which permitted counties to acquire lands because of tax delinquency or other reasons for the purpose of establishing county forest reserves. On November 6, 1928, the voters of Langlade County passed a referendum to establish the first county forest in Wisconsin, leading the way for a permanent pro-gram of county forest management. The Langlade County Forest now totals over 125,000 acres. An additional 27 county forests statewide totaling nearly 2.3 million acres have helped once threatened forests develop into highly productive lands. These county forestry programs provide a stable basis for the state's forest products and recreation industries and serve to enhance water quality, improve wildlife envi­ronment, and ensure public enjoyment of a vital Wisconsin resource.

Note: We were informed in July 2010 by staff of the Historical Marker Database (www.hmdb.org) that this wayside has been closed and the marker moved to Veteran's Memorial Park, Deerbrook, WI.

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[Source: McBride, Sarah Davis. History Just Ahead (Madison:WHS, 1999).]