MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is seeking information from communities as it develops a proposal for consideration by the Governor and Legislature to relocate the Division of Forestry Headquarters.
As requested under WI Act 55, DNR is developing a proposal for the potential relocation of the Division of Forestry headquarters outside of Madison. As an initial step in the process, the department has issued a formal request for information, or RFI, to learn which communities may be interested in serving as home to the forestry headquarters and could meet the needs for a headquarters site.
"We're interested in learning more as we work to develop a proposal," said State Forester Paul DeLong. "We'll use the information we receive to identify locations for further assessment. In developing the proposal we also will evaluate relocation and operational costs. As part of the process, we have been working with the Council on Forestry to hear their ideas on preferred attributes of a northern location."
DeLong said municipalities have until May 26 to provide information, at which time the department will analyze the submissions and gather additional details. The resulting proposal will then go to Gov. Scott Walker and the Legislature for consideration as part of the 2017-2019 biennial budget, a process that will begin during the winter and spring of 2017.
To learn more about the forestry division, visit the DNR website, dnr.wi.gov, and search "forestry." View the RFI document (exit DNR), posted on the state of Wisconsin's public notice website. For the purposes of this proposal, the department will consider any municipality north of U.S. Highway 10.