Josh Pedersen
Forestry & Parks Administrator

517 Court Street
Room 103
Neillsville, WI 54456

Phone: 715-743-5140

Mission Statement: To establish, develop, protect, maintain, and manage county parks, campgrounds, dams, forests, fairgrounds, ski areas, and trail systems. Provide dependable multi-season recreational opportunities for the public, while also providing a sustained yield of forest products and associated amenities.

Operational Summary: The Forestry and Parks main office is located in the courthouse, while most workers report to our maintenance shop located on County Highway B in Hewett Township. The department employs 13 full time workers and as many as 30 seasonal workers.

The department manages one of the largest county forests in the state (132,852 acres) as well as many diverse programs and facilities; a summary of which may be found within our annual report. In general, all Forestry and Parks programs and facilities are funded and supported by three main revenue sources: timber revenues from the county forest, park and trail user fees, and state aid/grant programs. With the exception of the Clark County Fairgrounds, no direct tax levy is attributable to Forestry and Parks operations at the present time.

Management of the Forestry and Parks Department and its functions is governed by County Board rules and policies together with the Forestry and Parks Annual Work Plan, County Forest Comprehensive Land Use Plan, Outdoor Recreation Plan, county code, and related state and federal laws and regulations.