Regional Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year: Merlin and Georgie Becker of Wisconsin
What makes them outstanding?
The Becker Woodland goes back four generations in the family. The land has changed over the last century, but one thing that has not changed is the hard work and sweat equity the Beckers have poured into their land. Hard work teamed with stewardship programs and professional forestry advice has made this property a forest management showcase.
Since 1967, Ed Becker (Merlin’s
father) and Merlin Becker have concentrated their efforts on increasing the
productivity of the land. This has
continued up to the present. They have
exemplified the Tree Farm values through conducting sustainable forest
management, rehabilitation of their stream banks, creation of wildlife habitat
and documentation of hunting to aid in managing deer and turkey on the
property. The 4-B's, their family
hunting group, have assisted them with timber and wildlife harvesting on the
property with total harvesting of 312,114 bd.ft. and 865 cords of wood. The Beckers have received technical advice and
assistance from county, state and federal agencies and private consultants for
several projects they have conducted.
The Beckers are active Tree Farmers and members of many conservation and community organizations. Their leadership within their community and across the state gives them the opportunity to share their knowledge and passion for their land by hosting many forestry field days, presenting at forestry conferences, meeting with legislators and interviewing with radio and TV media. All of this makes them outstanding Tree Farmers with the dedication of time, energy, focus and hard work that Merlin and Georgie have applied to create a beautiful woodland that is not only enjoyed by their families but is shared with many others.
Tree Farmer Story
Merlin and Georgie Becker and their children, Scott and Brenda, are the 3rd & 4th generation owners on the Becker Woodland. Merlin’s grandfather, Gust Kapitzke, purchased the land on December 28, 1886. His family made their living as farmers. Ed and Esther Becker, Merlin’s parents, took over the farming operation as the next generation.
Ed Becker realized that the old growth timber on the land had trees dating back over 100 years. He felt the land was being wasted and not currently productive. Starting in 1967 with assistance from the Wisconsin Conservation Department forester, a harvest was established to remove some of the large over mature wolf trees. This created openings in the forest to start converting the single age large diameter stand into an uneven aged stand. Many of the early stewardship land practices completed on Becker Woodland were started by conversations with a Wisconsin Conservation Department forester sharing his knowledge with Ed Becker on sustainable forest management concepts.
The Becker Family continued to work with Wisconsin Conservation Department and later the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources foresters to improve their woodlands. After many decades of farming the agricultural land, much of the light soil was depleted of nutrients. Together, Merlin, Georgie, and his father Ed along with many other family members decided to plant trees in these areas. Within several years, the Becker’s planted over 33,000 trees and increased their woodlands to the 97 acres it is today.
To continue following sustainable forestry practices Merlin enrolled the forested land in Wisconsin’s Woodland Tax Law program in 1978 and then the Managed Forest Law program in 1993. These programs provided technical assistance from state foresters and required that the woodland be managed sustainably. The land continues to be enrolled in this management program, which is, designated a forest certification group under the American Tree Farm System and FSC.
The Becker family continued to work on converting the even-aged stand to uneven aged management through Timber Stand Improvement (TSI). Three TSI cuts were completed on 34 acres of hardwood stands. In 1969 the objective was to clean gaps created in the canopy when the large mature wolf trees were harvested. In 2000 and 2003, work was done to release trees from undesired vegetation, control disease, improve aesthetics and improve stand accessibility. Cost share programs, such as Stewardship Incentive Program (SIP) and Wisconsin Forest Landowner Grant Program (WFLGP) were used for technical guidance and cost share assistance to complete the work.
Over the last 37 years, Merlin and Georgie Becker have followed their forest management plan completing the scheduled forestry practices. This involved working with the state DNR forester, county conservationist, private consulting foresters and other natural resource professionals as well as loggers and truckers to complete the activities. The Becker family and the 4-B’s Hunting Group (Beckers Baldwin Mills Buck Busters) have also completed several harvests themselves through the years. Working together, they removed marked trees for harvest by dropping, limbing and forwarding them out of the woods and then piling them for pick up. The sweat equity churned out to complete the piles of boards and cords have made bonds as strong as ironwood.
Merlin has been active the last two years treating buckthorn on the Becker Woodland. Buckthorn has been competing with young hardwood sapling trees growing in the canopy gaps of the hardwood stand. Merlin’s next project is to fight the invasive spotted knapweed, he has been eying up in his small forest opening scattered throughout the woodland. Merlin’s purpose of combatting invasive plants is to maintain native plants providing better wildlife habitat.
Merlin and the 4-B’s enjoy hunting the property and the comradery that goes with it. The 4-B’s Hunting Group has helped to manage the wildlife resources on the property for over 40 years. Merlin has tracked every white-tailed deer and turkey removed from the woodlands since 1967. This has helped to minimize the amount of deer browse damage in their woodlands. In 2012, Merlin’s grandson, Cody, harvested his first deer off the property. As an upcoming 5th generation owner, Cody has completed a hunter safety course and readily teases his grandpa that he will out hunt him.
In 1986, Becker Woodland was designated a Wisconsin Century Farm for 100 years of family ownership. While the trees were growing in the woodland, providing habitat for the local wildlife, Merlin and Georgie were busy learning more about their woodlands and spreading the good news of sustainable forestry. The Beckers have attended hundreds of Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association and other educational events to learn more about managing their woodland. Merlin is a graduate of the Wisconsin Woodland Leadership Institute and UW-Madison’s The Coverts Project as well as being leaders in several local and statewide conservation organizations and groups. Merlin has given presentations about managing their land at conferences, Society of American Foresters meetings, and interviews with print, radio and TV media. He has testified at public hearings on bills affecting woodlands. Merlin has been a Ties To The Land workshop facilitator. They have staffed exhibits on sustainable forestry for many fairs, conservation days, and expos such as Farm Technology Days.
For over four decades, Merlin, Georgie, and family have been actively sharing their land and experiences by hosting forestry educational and promotional events at Becker Woodland. In doing so the Becker’s have encouraged other landowners to practice sustainable forest management on their woodlands. It has always been a group effort in putting on these events. Merlin and Georgie with lots of helping hands from their children, relatives and friends have hosted many forestry field days, woodland tours and could not provide what they do without the help and service of all involved.
The Forestry Outreach that Merlin and Georgie have been a significant part of for the last 30 years has motivated and energized other landowners to do the same. Merlin believes the seed of education planted in the minds of people is equally important as planting a seedling in the ground.
Wood
When Merlin and his father, Ed Becker, met with the state forester back in the mid-1960’s, they did not realize the legacy of land stewardship that would be created during the next 45 years.
In 1968, the Beckers planted 12,000 trees as the initial planting. To date, Merlin and crew have planted 24,500 red pine, 5,000 spruce, 1,250 white pine, 500 cedar, 500 red oak, and 2,000 shrubs of different variety totaling 33,750 trees and expanding the Becker Woodland to the 97 acres it is today.
Merlin was certified by FISTA in chainsaw safety in 1988. All of the small timber sales of less than 50 cords were cut by Merlin with help from family and friends. This is one of the best ways, as Merlin sees it, to hand the land down to the next generation by including family members in his sweat-equity.
The Becker Woodland has had 12 different selection harvests and 12 different intermediate thinnings with several needed salvage cuts. Total volumes for these harvests are 312,114 board feet and 865 cords. A varieity of timber type are present ranging from pine on sandy soil to northern hardwoods on moist heavier soil.
Becker’s pine plantations were pruned to 9 feet and later up to 17 feet on selected pine boles as recommended in their management plan. Merlin said it was good practice getting ready for squirrel hunting. Pruning and trimming of trees is what he calls The Labor of Love.
Recently, Red Pine Pocket Mortality decline areas have developed in the oldest pine stand. Salvage of symptomatic trees occurred in 2012. Treatment of cut conifer stumps with an approved fungicide has been completed for the last 7 years.
Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) was completed three times on 34 acres of hardwood stands. Cost share programs were used.
Water
The beautiful South Branch of the Little Wolf River winds its way through the Becker Woodland. After years and years of farming the land, a small drainage that emptied into the South Branch of the Little Wolf River got bigger and bigger from unstable banks.
Merlin identified this problem and consulted with Waupaca Land and Water Conservation Department. Working together they developed a plan to secure the stream banks and prevent future sedimentation of the stream. Cost sharing was secured to assist with the project.
Merlin applied for permits in accordance with Wisconsin's Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Water Quality. After contoured placement of several tons of riprap rock and other material, the banks now provide stability so excessive soil does not escape into the river.
In the early 1990’s Purple Loosestrife, an invasive plant, found its way on the banks of the South Branch of the Little Wolf River. Merlin spent many laborious hours over 3 years pulling plants. The past two years Merlin has been growing beetles that feed on Purple Loosestrife. Golden Sands RC&D provided the beetles and material to use. Merlin raised a pair of beetles to multiply and as directed transported the beetles to the Purple Loose Strife pocket. After monitoring the pocket Merlin noticed a significant decline of the pockets size. Merlin continues to monitor the area for results and if any more pockets develop.
Merlin contacted the LWCD to construct wildlife ponds to create wildlife habitat and hunting opportunities. Plans and permits were approved. In 2014 with assistance from county LWCD and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 3 ponds were dug on the property.
Wood duck houses were installed by the ponds and the river to provide habitat. The maintenance and repair of the duck houses is one of Merlin’s annual stops.
Wildlife
Hunting on the Becker Woodland has been a tradition since 1967. Merlin loves getting together with family and friends for these events. They have established the 4-B’s hunting group. In 2012, Merlin and Georgie’s grandson, Cody, joined the 4-B’s after completing his hunter safety course. Cody has now tied Merlin in number of bucks taken with a bow.
Just as he has tracked the amount of cords and boards harvested, Merlin has a detailed record of the deer and turkey harvested since the beginning. More than 277 bucks and 106 does have been harvested for an excess of 45,032 pounds of venison. The 4-B’s gather to process the venison and share it among the families. More than 70 turkeys have been harvested producing 1,352 pounds of turkey.
Hunting is one way the Beckers do their part to help control the wildlife populations on their land. In 2012 they established a deer ex-closure in a canopy gap on the advice of their state forester. The ex-closure is 1/8th acre with a seven-foot high fence to encourage natural regeneration of hardwoods. A photo log of the vegetation within the ex-closure is kept through time.
One of Merlin’s most enjoyable times on the property is when he sees the eagles soaring in the sky or sitting by the nest. The eagle nest is located in a large white pine overlooking the South Branch of the Little Wolf River. The pair of eagles has hatched an eaglet in 2009 and 2012. Merlin will tell you that it makes his day whenever he happens to see them.
Merlin maintains three wildlife openings with various grasses. The berms on the three duck ponds were seeded with clover, brome and other native grasses creating a diverse habitat and stabilizing the pond banks.
Recreation
Trails throughout the Becker Woodland were developed in 1977 and are used often and for good reason. Over 1 ½ miles of trails are used for logging and have been maintained and mulched to prevent soil erosion. Merlin mows and maintains the trails. The trail system provides access to the different timber types on the property for forestry field days and other educational tours that have occurred on the property through the years.
The Becker Woodland, since 1986, has been designated as the Waupaca County Demonstration Forest through the Golden Sands RC&D (Resource Conservation and Development) Program. This is to showcase sustainable conservation practices to the public. The land is open to the public for self-guided tours with a map and management explanations at stations identified along the trail system. It is estimated that several hundred people have toured the Becker Woodland because of this designation.
The Becker family also enjoys spending time as a family on the property. They enjoy taking a hike or riding their ATVs on the trails. Stops might include the eagle’s nest, deer ex-closure, or one of the ponds. Granddaughter, Trisha, is known for her beautiful photography. Trisha has entered many of her photographs in several different contests.
The Becker’s allow adjoining neighbors to use the trail system for cross country skiing and snow shoeing.
Hunting and fishing is a passion Merlin has had for many years. Recently Merlin and the 4-B’s have been sharing their knowledge and skills with Merlin’s grandson Cody. Now the stories Merlin tells of the newest addition to the 4-B’s puts the biggest smile on his face.
