Hwy. 32, 1 mi. S of Laona, Forest County

In 1927 this tract of land was purchased for the Laona School Forest, the first in Wisconsin and the United States. It was dedicated April 22, 1928. Motivated by the suggestion of Dean H.L. Russell, of the College of Agriculture, University of Wisconsin, and by the encouragement of the Forest County land use planning committee, the people of this county adopted the idea of school forests to activate a reforestation program. The Laona School Forest, consisting of 80 acres, was logged off in 1921-1922. In 1928, this area, like much of northern Wisconsin, was covered with blackened stumps left by previous fires and cuttings. Today, this growing forest and others like it are living memorials to the interest and work of students and adults in many communities.

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