Photo By Scott Sturkol | Charles Mentzel, Fort McCoy forester, talks over the radio while overseeing a...... read more read more
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Depending on the time of year, he’s used to hearing the crunch of the snow underneath his snowshoes or the swishing sound of boots moving through mud as he makes his way around the tens of thousands of acres of forest land on Fort McCoy. But it’s all okay, because it’s another day in his outdoor “office” for Forester Charles Mentzel.
Mentzel, who was the post forestry technician from 1992 until April 11, knows the woods of Fort McCoy from one end to the next. Mentzel said managing the forest land, a large part of the post’s 60,000 acres, is a continuing effort that never gets dull. He officially became the installation’s newest forester April 12.
“I think someone who has worked in forestry as long as I have has to love it,” said Mentzel, a 1991 graduate of the forestry program at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and native of New Lisbon, Wis. “No matter what the weather is outside, it’s always a great day to come to work. We have a great forestry program, which, in addition to the rest of the natural resources programs at Fort McCoy, provides much care and management for our environment here.”
The forestry program at Fort McCoy is part of the Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch. According to Mentzel, more than 40,000, or about 66 percent, of Fort McCoy’s acreage are forestlands. And approximately 40 percent of the forested land (32 percent of Fort McCoy’s total land area) is commercially valuable.
“All of our forest acreage is tracked using computer programs to enhance multiple-use, sustained-yield forest management,” Mentzel said. “From 4,000 to 5,000 acres are re-inventoried each year.”
To do those inventories and to manage all that acreage means getting out in the field, which is where Mentzel has spent the majority of his time. “I’ll go out when its 20 degrees below zero in the middle of winter or when it’s 105 degrees in the heart of summer,” Mentzel said.
Field work means using a number of tools, including a radio; a diameter tape for measuring circumference of trees; and a clinometer, used to measure tree height.
“A clinometer measures angles of slope, elevation or depression of an object with respect to gravity,” said Mentzel. “In forestry, it helps us measure the height of trees quickly using the measured angles and trigonometry.”
Other items Mentzel may carry for work include paint to mark trees for a future timber sale, a handheld computer to input measured forestry data and a GPS device.
“With a GPS unit, we can achieve great location accuracy in preparing a land tract for a timber sale,” Mentzel said. “The unit we have is worn in a backpack style and is strong enough to pick up a satellite signal beneath the tree canopy. Achieving accuracy in our readings is crucial to the overall management of our program.”
The GPS unit is also compatible with the handheld computer, which has applications designed specifically for forestry management. While a forestry technician once used pencil and paper to do his or her work, it’s now completed with the latest technology. Mentzel said the computer is the most important tool available.
“Compared to when I started in forestry, the tools we have now make the work more efficient and accurate,” Mentzel said. “Our computers and GPS capabilities are our best tools in use now.”
Even with the best tools available, Mentzel said the toughest part of his job is not the technology or the science of forestry — it’s the weather.
“When it comes to weather, it can go from one extreme to another here,” Mentzel said. “During Wisconsin winters, we have the snow and cold temperatures. In summer, we can have high humidity and temperatures over 100 degrees as well as rain and severe thunderstorms. The weather, by far, plays a big part in how we approach our work.”
In addition to weather, the landscape and terrain can also provide challenges. For example, if he has to mark trees with paint in a land parcel for a timber sale, Mentzel said he prefers to do it in the winter versus the summer.
“In summer, the undergrowth can grow very thick, which makes it hard to move around,” Mentzel said. “You also have the insects like mosquitoes and ticks, which can make it difficult to be out there in those swampy areas. So, it’s best to go out to the swamps in winter when the ground is frozen and there aren’t any insects to be found.”
Mentzel’s schedule keeps him busy year-round. From January to March, he and his staff are marking trees for harvest for future timber sales throughout the post. On average, the post will have eight to 10 timber sales in a year.
The value of standing timber at Fort McCoy, Mentzel said, is estimated at more than $13 million. More than 282,000 cords and 48 million board feet of commercial timber currently are growing on Fort McCoy. And, on average, timber sales produce annual revenue of approximately $200,000 or more that goes into an Armywide forestry account. Monies from the account can then be requested to fund forestry projects on Fort McCoy.
During the spring, summer, and fall, Mentzel also supports forest fire prevention efforts with others around the post. “This means we go out and conduct prescribed burning,” he said.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources defines prescribed burns as a way to “improve wildlife habitat, control invasive plant species, restore and maintain native plant communities and reduce wildfire potential.” It’s all those reasons and more why Mentzel and others go out and perform the prescribed burning.
“By doing this, it helps reduce wildfire potential in areas all around the post — especially in places where military training is taking place,” Mentzel said. “We make sure our firing ranges and training areas are at the lowest risk possible during spring and summer, which is our busiest time on post for military training.”
Mentzel’s Forestry Office also manages opening areas for firewood collection to the public. People can purchase firewood permits online at iSportsman or at the DPW Permits Sales Office in building 2168 when open. The cost is $10 for a daily permit to collect firewood and $50 for a 30 day permit.
Julie Steinhoff, Permit Sales coordinator, described how she works with Mentzel to manage the post firewood program.
“We manage the permit sales here for anyone who wants to cut firewood within the Fort McCoy boundaries,” Steinhoff said. “Charles sets what areas are available for people to gather firewood. When people pick up their permit, they receive a map that Charles and I had coordinated on previously. We work together to update those maps monthly, if required, so our customers have the latest information.”
Mentzel added that the firewood program also helps with fire prevention and land management.
“When people collect firewood here, it has to be from dead standing or down timber,” he said. “By removing the dead wood, it removes overhead hazards for Soldiers and takes away possible fire fuel improving the land overall.
Whether it’s supporting timber sales, managing prescribed burns, scouting areas for firewood collection or working with customers, Mentzel said having a career in forestry is one he’s enjoyed and will continue to enjoy for years to come.
“I’ve been doing something in forestry for all of my adult life,” Mentzel said. “This is what I’m good at and what I enjoy. And, I’m glad I get to do it here at Fort McCoy.”
Recently retired Fort McCoy Forester James Kerkman said Mentzel will continue to do well with the program.
“Charles and I have been working together since 1987, when he started out here in the Junior Fellowship Program after graduating high school,” Kerkman said. “He worked during summers and breaks while attending UW-Stevens Point. Today’s forestry program is as much influenced by Charles as by myself. I don’t see any radical changes happening after I leave. Through the years, Charles has been doing a large part of the timber sale program and has a good rapport with the logging contractors. He also has a great working relationship with the many others on the installation we have worked with through the years. He’ll continue to do well.”
Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services each year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”
| Date Taken: | 05.22.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2020 16:52 |
| Story ID: | 370453 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 390 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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