It has been said many times, the heart of the Northwoods is the forest itself.
It was the forest that birthed the lumber and paper industries which remain a bedrock of the Rhinelander area.
Scientists, seeking to ensure the health of the forests of the Northwoods for years to come, are continuing to study the effects of so-called greenhouse gases on the Northwoods? forest canopy.
According to U.S. Forest Service biologist Ron Teclaw, a monitoring tower for an international study of the impact of elevated carbon dioxide and ozone levels in northern forests may soon be placed in the town of Woodboro.
The U.S. Forest Service wants to set up the 50-foot tower on county forest land near Nose Lake where an aspen stand has been located.
Teclaw said aspen is the preferred tree for the study because of its availability and value.
Aspen is a tree species often used in the paper industry and thus its future health is important to the state?s economy.
?We might just be able to forecast how the future forest will grow,? Teclaw said.
Teclaw said the project should be minimally invasive to the neighborhood (some scaffolding will have to be constructed) and will only involve the monitoring of carbon dioxide and water vapor levels in the forest canopy.
Teclaw said work on the project will begin this spring if an agreement can be reached with the county for the use of the land.The Rhinelander Daily News
