CHUCK LEAVELL: On the next twoepisodes of America's Forests, I travel through the great state of Wisconsin - on a motorcycle!

First up, the magnificent Northwoods.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Man, these are some thick woods, pal, I tell you what.

The forests here are sanctuaries for birds like the ruffed grouse... [ruffed grouse drumming] ...and for people too.

GARETH: When I'm in the woods, I feel liberated.

I feel, like, free and I can just breathe, y'know?

CHUCK LEAVELL: Join me as we learn about the ancient ways of the Menominee Tribe and the modern joys of axe-throwing.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Look at that!!

That felt AWESOME!

CHUCK LEAVELL: Next on America's Forests CHUCK LEAVELL: Hi, I'm Chuck Leavell.

Y'know in addition to my beautiful family, there's two things in my life that I have a special interest in and love for; Music and Trees.

My wife Rose Lane and I own and manage our own forest land right here in Georgia, Charlane Plantation.

We grow Southern Yellow Pine as well as other species here.

And you know as I get to travel the world with The Rolling Stones or some of the other artists that I'm so privileged to work with, I get to meet all kind of folks that also have a passion and love for trees, forests, and the outdoors.

And now, I get to share their stories with you.

So join me as we journey through America's Forests.

[music: Coming Home ] [music] CHUCK LEAVELL: Riding a motorcycle through the Northwoods of Wisconsin is a dream come true for this Georgia boy.

[music] Th is is a landscape carved by the last Ice Age - with rolling hills and countless lakes and miles and miles of unbroken forests.

People in Wisconsin love to go "Up North" for the weekend and now, I'm lucky enough to be one of them.

My first stop is Minocqua.

My tour guide told me he'd be easy to find - just take a left at the big blue ox.

Now that's a sure sign I'm in Paul Bunyan country.

You must be Fred.

FRED SOUBA: I'm Fred.

Good morning Chuck.

How are you?

CHUCK LEAVELL: Good to see you, man.

FRED SOUBA: Good to see you.

Welcome to the Northwoods.

CHUCK LEAVELL: It's great to be here in Minocqua.

And, by the way, have you met my manager here?

[both laugh] CHUCK LEAVELL: He's a good man.

FRED SOUBA: He is.

He's been around a long time.

CHUCK LEAVELL: He has, hasn't he.

I can't wait to get out here and see some of these forests in this wonderful state of Wisconsin.

FRED SOUBA: Oh yeah.

I'm really excited to have you here.

We've got a lot of good forest land here in Wisconsin.

About half of our land is forested.

Lots of recreational opportunities, wildlife opportunities, forest industry.

It's really great to have you here to show you what we're doing here in Wisconsin.

CHUCK LEAVELL: All this, and guess what else?

FRED SOUBA: What?

CHUCK LEAVELL: We get to ride Harleys.

FRED SOUBA: Absolutely!

[music] CHUCK LEAVELL: Forests are big business in Wisconsin.

The industry generates more than $24 billion dollars a year making pulp, paper, lumber and furniture.

Recreation and tourism are also big drivers of the state's economy.

There are so many beautiful spots to visit, including this one tucked away by Carrol Lake.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Woo, Fred.

Look at this.

Wow!

FRED SOUBA: Isn't this beautiful?

CHUCK LEAVELL: This is just outstanding, man.

Just fantastic.

Fred, you know, I've got a personal connection to forestry.

As you know, Rose Lane and I are forest land owners in Georgia.

But I'm interested, what is your personal connection to forestry here in Wisconsin?

FRED SOUBA: Well, Chuck, I grew up in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

And my mother, at a very early age, found out that I could not stay inside very often.

[laughter] FRED SOUBA: So I loved the out of doors from the get-go.

Right in the Cities I'd camp out, build fires in the backyard.

I just had to get out in the woods.

So as I got older she said, "You know, you might want to try this forestry thing.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Good idea!

FRED SOUBA: So, that's how I got into it and it has been a great career.

My family enjoys the out-of-doors.

So it doesn't get a whole lot better than that.

CHUCK LEAVELL: That's right, man.

There's nothing like the great outdoors.

FRED SOUBA: That's for sure.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Tell me about some of the species here in Wisconsin.

FRED SOUBA: We're really blessed.

We have over 75 different species of trees.

What you're looking at here is a lot of hardwoods: aspen; birch; some maples; spruce.

So we have a variety, which is very good for the picturesque part of our state.

And also the species diversity allows us to have a variety of forest products industries that use hardwood and softwood.

So it's a good mix.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Fantastic.

CHUCK LEAVELL: You were telling me earlier that half the state is forested.

How does that equate in terms of acreage?

FRED SOUBA: About 17 million.

CHUCK LEAVELL: 17 million acres?

FRED SOUBA: Right.

17 million acres.

And it's a variety of ownerships.

Federal, state, private and county.

The largest ownership is small private forest land owners, I'm sure you can relate to that down in Georgia.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Oh yeah.

I ARE one!

FRED SOUBA: Yes, you are!

FRED SOUBA: And so we have 60% of that ownership and that's a lot.

So our goal in the division is to ensure sustainable forest management of all the forests.

So we need to work in partnerships.

[man counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ] CHUCK LEAVELL: One of those partnerships is with Wisconsin's private landowners.

For more than eight decades, the state has helped folks reach their own goals - to improve the health of their woods, to provide income, and to leave a legacy for the next generation.

FRED SOUBA: But the unique thing here, Chuck, that a lot of people don't understand is this is a working forest.

And with a working forest, we can do forest management, provide products to the industry.

We can also provide recreational opportunities and wildlife opportunities, ecological opportunities, and protecting the water.

And I think people miss that.

These aren't separate activities.

This can all be done together with proper forest management.

CHUCK LEAVELL: All of the above.

[laughter] [music] CHUCK LEAVELL: A working forest can be all of the above .

If we do it right, we can harvest trees to build our homes and offices.

And we can protect wilderness - both today and in the future.

Wisconsin is leading the way.

[motorcycles revving] [music] CHUCK LEAVELL: I say goodbye to Fred and ride east.

[music] My next stop is at a campground in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.

Wisconsin has more than 5,000 public campsites and that means a lot of maintenance.

I'm here to help out a crew of young folks who are clearing trails and restoring cabins.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Hi guys.

How y'all doing?

Hope I'm in the right place.

Are y'all the Job Corps folks?

CREW: Yes, sir.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Thank you so much for the hard work here.

I think you're gonna put me to work now, right?

What are you going to have me do?

EVAN MILLER: We're going to be staining in the cabin here.

CHUCK LEAVELL: I get a brush?

ALEXIS: You do.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Cool!

Ready to go?

Where are we starting?

EVAN MILLER: We're going to start on this side.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Slap it on there, right?

EVAN MILLER: Slap it on there as fast as you can and hope for the best.

[laughter] CHUCK LEAVELL: I'm glad it's not 95 degrees here like it is back home in Georgia.

CHUCK LEAVELL: This cabin has a long history.

CCC ARCHIVAL FILM: Stone and rustic construction are trademarks of the Conservation Corps CHUCK LEAVELL: The Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC, ran from 1933 to 1942.

It was a nationwide program that brought millions of unemployed young people out from cities and farms to the forests EVAN MILLER: The Civilian Conservation Corps began shortly after the Great Depression.

It was a way for individuals who, you know, didn't have a means to come out and work in the forest.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Get a job.

EVAN MILLER: Yup.

CHUCK LEAVELL: In Wisconsin, CCC members controlled forest fires, planted trees, and built trails, bridges and shelters that are still used today.

But most of all they forged a future for themselves and our country.

EVAN MILLER: Now we have the Job Corps centers where young individuals, they come up, they learn a trade and they come out and they're able to maintain the same structures that were built 85 years ago.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Well, that's great.

It just carries right on, doesn't it?

EVAN MILLER: Absolutely.

CHUCK LEAVELL: I love that.

CHUCK LEAVELL: The tradition carries on through a joint program of the Job Corps and the US Forest Service.

Together, they operate 28 Civilian Conservation Centers across the country.

Young people get room, board, a stipend, and training in various trades.

For many, working in the woods has changed their lives.

[music] DESTINY: I actually came from Chicago, Illinois, the South Side.

And I wasn't doing really well.

I found myself being here in Job Corps.

I found the person that I feel like I was actually supposed to be.

It felt like I was just stuck in one little circle and now I'm starting to explore and it's awesome, and I love it so much.

ALBERTO: It's kind of sad that some people don't get to experience the woods.

Cause you know, it's, it's breathtaking.

You see nature, you're in nature, you're at its finest.

Being out here in Job Corps, being surrounded by the woods, you know, it helps me focus on doing my best, and going to find a job after Job Corps.

GARETH: I love it, honestly.

I mean, I just love being out, out in the deep woods, I guess.

I was just going through a lot in my life I got expelled and stuff from high school.

So I needed something to give me the strength to really get through the dark times.

When I'm in the woods, I feel liberated.

I feel, like, free, and I can just breathe, you know.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Feeling free in the woods.

Now that's something I relate to.

And I feel proud that the work started by the Civilian Conservation Corps almost 100 years ago might be here 100 years in the future.

ALEXIS: It's pretty cool being a part of something that has been here for years and to be here for many more years.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Yeah.

ALEXIS: One day I'll be able to say, to my kids hopefully, I was a part of that, you know?

CHUCK LEAVELL: That's right.

ALEXIS: With you, Chuck.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Absolutely!

[laughter] CHUCK LEAVELL: I think we got this cabin looking pretty good so far, don't we?

ALEXIS: We sure do.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Am I hired?

You going to keep me on?

ALEXIS: [laughs] You're hired.

[waterfall sounds] [music] CHUCK LEAVELL: Next up, I'm heading to the small town of Tomahawk.

Here I will be meeting with Jon Steigerwaldt, who comes from a long line of Wisconsin tree farmers.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Jon?

JON STEIGERWALDT: Mr. Leavell!

Nice to meet you!

CHUCK LEAVELL: Yes sir, how are you?

JON STEIGERWALDT: Not too bad.

Welcome to the tree farm.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Jon's family owns about 200 acres of woods with an emphasis on diversity - from pines to spruce to aspens and oaks.

JON STEIGERWALDT: This is tree farm number 17 in the State of Wisconsin.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Wow.

JON STEIGERWALDT: My family has been in the tree farm program since the early 50s.

These trees that we're driving past right now are the beginning of that tree farm.

They were planted in 1948.

CHUCK LEAVELL: The Steigerwaldts are part of the American Tree Farm system.

And so am I.

The program began back in 1941 and today it helps landowners improve wildlife habitat, maintain clean water and harvest wood sustainably.

JON STEIGERWALDT: One thing that I love about the tree farm program is that it helps land owners become stewards.

It gives them the tools necessary to become stewards of the land on their own little piece of nature.

CHUCK LEAVELL: And it's a proud feeling, isn't it?

To be a private forest land owner.

It's in your blood, it's in your family.

And, for me as a rock and roller, it's a 180 degrees different from what I do when I'm out touring.

When I get home from that tour and I get to walk into those woods, man there's just nothing like it.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Each tree farmer I meet has their own passion.

For Jon, it s providing habitat for a special woodland bird - the ruffed grouse.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Man, oh man, these are some thick woods pal, I tell you what.

But I guess this was what those Ruffed Grouse are looking for?

JON STEIGERWALDT: What the grouse are looking for is they're looking for thick cover, both on the ground layer and above.

They're looking for the ability to evade predation.

Looking for a place they can overall be safe.

Some might call this a perfect habitat niche for ruffed grouse.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Yes, a sanctuary.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Ruffed grouse are particularly fond of aspen forests.

In the spring and summer, they can hide from predators in a dense stand of young aspen.

In the winter, they feed on the dormant buds of mature aspen.

JON STEIGERWALDT: These are quaking aspen and I love them because they're one of the only tree species that you can identify acoustically.

When you hear that chatter of the leaves, it kind of signifies fall here in Northern Wisconsin when you hear that chattering.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Well, I love it.

It's got its own song, doesn't it?

JON STEIGERWALDT: It does.

[aspen leaves chattering] CHUCK LEAVELL: Beautiful.

CHUCK LEAVELL: The aspen makes music and so does the ruffed grouse.

The male ruffed grouse has a behavior called drumming to attract a mate and defend territory.

He stands on top of a fallen log and lets it rip.

[ruffed grouse drumming] CHUCK LEAVELL: Sounds kind of like a Harley, doesn't it!

Jon and I are going to give the ruffed grouse a boost by cutting down a tree to make a drumming log.

And we're getting help from a professional woodswoman.

JON STEIGERWALDT: Chuck, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine who's going to be helping us out today.

Kate, this is Chuck.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Hey Kate.

KATE WITKOWSKI: Hi Chuck, nice to meet you, I'm Kate.

CHUCK LEAVELL: It's a real pleasure.

You are a real lumberjill!

[crowd cheering] STIHL TIMBERSPORTS ANNOUNCER: Wisconsin's own, Kate Witkowski JUDGE: Stand to your timber!

3 - 2- 1- GO!

CHUCK LEAVELL: Competitive timbersports is growing in popularity - both on college campuses and at professional tournaments.

[crowd cheering] Hayward, Wisconsin is home to the annual Lumberjack World Championship.

Lumberjacks and lumberjills of all ages compete in events like hot sawing, pole climbing, springboard chopping, and even axe throwing.

Kate has kindly agreed to give me some pointers.

KATE WITKOWSKI: With axe throwing, it's all about staying calm and loose.

So I like to take a good-- maybe not quite so loose!

I like to take a good exhale breath when I release the axe and that kind of just lets all of your energy follow through with the axe instead of stuck in your body.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Okay, all right.

I got this.

KATE WITKOWSKI: Okay, You got it.

I believe in you.

CHUCK LEAVELL: All right, here we go.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Oh man, I missed the whole thing!

KATE WITKOWSKI: Power.

You had power on that.

[laughter] CHUCK LEAVELL: A little bit to the right, I would say.

KATE WITKOWSKI: Yeah, I think it was back here.

So you want to give it a good stance.

Use your legs for your power.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Ok KATE WITKOWSKI: And just try to relax as much as possible and let the axe do the work.

That looks good.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Ok, here we go.

A little practice.

And here we go.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Look at that!

KATE WITKOWSKI: Woo-hoo!

CHUCK LEAVELL: Look at that, I'm a champ!

[laughter] CHUCK LEAVELL: That felt awesome!

KATE WITKOWSKI: Now you'll be a pro.

JON STEIGERWALDT: All right, enough screwing around you two, we got work to do.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Oh man, I was having fun.

JON STEIGERWALDT: Chuck, if piano playing doesn't work out, I think you can be a lumberjack.

[laughter] CHUCK LEAVELL: A second career.

How many points was that?

KATE WITKOWSKI: That'll give you 4 points.

CHUCK LEAVELL: 4 points?

I think I might retire now while I'm ahead.

[music] CHUCK LEAVELL: Our future drumming log is in the middle of an aspen stand that will grow up around it.

CHUCK LEAVELL: All right Kate, so you're going to do the face cut?

KATE WITKOWSKI: Yeah, yeah.

I'll put the face cut in and then I'm going to have you come in with a back cut and hopefully that'll fell the tree exactly where we want it to go.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Okay, very good.

Let's get started.

[music] [chain saw] [tree falling] CHUCK LEAVELL: It will take a few years, but eventually I hope a ruffed grouse will pick my log to drum on and the beat will go on and on and on.

[ruffed grouse drumming] [birds singing] [music] CHUCK LEAVELL: My final stop in the Northwoods is a visit to an ancient forest on the reservation of the Menominee Tribe.

Though the Menominee nation lost much of its homeland through treaties, they held on to more than 200,000 acres of forest -- one of the largest intact forests in the state of Wisconsin.

[music: Native American flute] Unlike much of the Northwoods that was completely clear cut, this forest has been managed since 1854 with a steady eye on sustainability.

You can feel the difference here - in the mix of ages, sizes and species of trees.

MARSHALL PECORE: The forest is probably the oldest managed forest land, large land base in the United States.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Marshall Pecore is the Menominee Forest manager.

MARSHALL PECORE: The tribe obviously understood the dynamics of forest and how forests change and what maintains forests.

That's a concept of sustainability which has prevailed today.

[chain saw] CHUCK LEAVELL: You might be surprised but that concept of sustainability involves cutting down a lot of trees.

[tree falling] CHUCK LEAVELL: The Menominee have cut the forest twice over.

Yet, they still have more timber volume today than when they started.

Marshall gave me a tour of the mill where they process their lumber.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Marshall, this is quite the mill.

How old is this mill?

MARSHALL PECORE: The mill was built in 1908 and the tribe built it with their own revenue.

They designed the village, the mill, everything themselves and paid for everything themselves.

But it's run a little differently than most mills.

It's run both for profit and for employment.

CHUCK LEAVELL: How many folks do you employ here?

MARSHALL PECORE: When we're running two shifts, especially in the winter months, is somewhere between 80 and 90 total.

About 95% tribal people here in the mill ... Menominee people.

CHUCK LEAVELL: I'll tell you what, it's really, really impressive.

MARSHALL PECORE: Yeah, it's a good deal.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Yes.

It is a good deal.

MARSHALL PECORE: It's a good deal for forestry here.

[music: Native American flute] CHUCK LEAVELL: The Menominee adhere to a business philosophy that puts the forest first.

not the market.

MARSHALL PECORE: In a lot of places what happens is they cut the biggest diameter and sometimes your best trees first and leave the worst.

What we do is we cut the worst trees first.

GARY SHAWANO: This is like a bad pole because he's not going to grow to a good healthy tree.

You can see all the...

It's crooked.

There's something wrong with it.

So, we want to take him out.

And we always want to look at the tops, make sure the crowns are healthy.

You want a nice straight tree left in the woods.

MARSHALL PECORE: Every time you remove the worst trees first, eventually the quality of the stand keeps coming up.

The forest improves.

GARY SHAWANO: What we're doing is going to affect our grandkids, and their grandkids.

So, we hope to help leave them a better forest.

MARSHALL PECORE: You can kind of have your cake and eat it too.

The thing you have to do though is practice restraint.

A lot of the management techniques that we use on the forest aren't real unique to Menominee.

What's unique to Menominee is the restraint that the tribe uses.

[music: Native American flute] The forest is worth probably millions and millions and millions of dollars.

The tribal members could say, "Let's liquidate and we'll all be rich" which has happened on many other lands.

In this case, they never look at it that way.

It's always for the seventh generation so it can go on and on and on.

[music: Native American flute] WADE FERNANDEZ: My Menonimee name is Wiciwen Apis-Mahwaew and it kind of translates into Walks With the Black Wolf.

My American type of name is Wade Fernandez and I'm part of the Bear Clan from the Menonimee tribe.

CHUCK LEAVELL: No road trip would be complete for me without a chance to play some music.

I was lucky enough to connect with Wade Fernandez, a Menominee musician, at the Audio for the Arts recording studio.

AUDREY MARTINOVICH: Buzz and Wade, we've got Chuck here.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Hi guys!

You Buzz?

BUZZ KEMPER: Welcome!

So nice to meet you, sir.

CHUCK LEAVELL: It s a real pleasure man.

Good to see you, too.

WADE FERNANDEZ: Hey, Posoh... CHUCK LEAVELL: And I been listening to you, man.

You sound great!

This is you here, isn't it?

WADE FERNANDEZ: Yes, it is.

CHUCK LEAVELL: Beautiful playing.

You ready for Wild Horses ?

WADE FERNANDEZ: Yeah, you know in Menonimee language it's paesekohkasiwak CHUCK LEAVELL: Ah, that's so beautiful.

That's great.

Let's go do it.

BUZZ: Excellent.

Let's roll.

AUDREY MARTINOVICH: Right this way BUZZ ON INTERCOM: [We are rolling and this is Vocal Take 1] [music Wild Horses ] CHUCK LEAVELL: In Wisconsin, they say "Up North" is not just a part of the state but a state of mind.

I will always remember my time here.

But I have to bid goodbye to the Northwoods and head south to see more of the magic that Wisconsin's forests have to offer.

I hope you will join me on the next episode as my journey through Wisconsin continues - from urban tree work in Milwaukee, [chain saw] to the Forest Products Lab in Madison, [loud snapping] to the legacy of conservation in the Baraboo Hills.

[music Wild Horses ] CHUCK LEAVELL: Thanks so much for watching.

And I hope you'll join us on the next episode of America's Forests, with me, Chuck Leavell.

In the meantime, enjoy the woods, and enjoy the music.