Aldo Leopold Legacy Center
A Part of the Land Community
“That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics.” -Aldo Leopold
Connecting us to history
The Legacy Center’s construction continues a 70-year tradition of land stewardship at the Leopold Shack and Farm. In 1935, Leopold chose a worn out and abandoned farm for a family hunting camp. Rather than seeking better land some place else, Leopold proposed to rebuild what had been wasted by others.
Each spring at “the Shack,” Leopold and his family planted thousands of trees in order to conserve the soil, provide habitat for wildlife, and return beauty and wildness to the exhausted land. Spending weekends and school vacations at the Shack, the Leopolds worked and played hard; they were an extremely close family who enjoyed and respected each other and the land.
Leopold’s respect for the land motivated him and his family to plant thousands of trees on a farm ravaged by the Dust Bowl. Leopold did not live to see the trees mature, but those pines have yielded strong and beautiful building material—a harvest we owe to Leopold’s foresight, persistence and patience.
Protecting forests for future generations
In 2003, foresters determined that the Leopold pines were overcrowded and were suffering from competition; drought, disease, wind throw, or an insect outbreak could kill large numbers of them. A careful thinning of the smallest trees was recommended, in order to allow a slow but steady improvement in the health of the forest. The white pines could survive another 150 years or more, providing many future generations with a living connection to the life and work of Aldo Leopold.
An oak woodland on the Leopold Memorial Reserve was also harvested to help sustain the oaks, which are an important but dwindling part of the southern Wisconsin landscape. The harvest provided quantities of red maple, cherry, and oak, while taking steps to restore the oak woodland community. Larger gaps in the forest canopy will promote the growth of native understory plants that were suppressed by heavy shading. Opening the canopy will also allow land stewards to conduct more effective prescribed fires, returning an important natural cycle to the oak woodland community.
Both harvests met the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). FSC is a world-wide program that sets high standards to ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable way. A forester from the Community Forestry Resource Center reviewed the harvest plan and conducted site visits during and after the logging, verifying that the activity protected the remaining trees and other vegetation, as well as soil, water quality, and wildlife.
By using small diameter trees in the round as trusses and other structural supports in the Legacy Center, we demonstrated a high value use for a typically low-value forest product. Wider use of these techniques can contribute to forest health by providing a market for trees from thinnings and other management—material that otherwise sells at a low price for firewood or pulp or is simply wasted.
Invaluable materials
These trees were planted on land that was considered a waste after the Dust Bowl, yet they produced an impressive volume of high-quality wood. Crafted into columns, beams and rafters, the trees now frame a beautiful space for discovering or exploring Aldo Leopold’s legacy. Displaying the beauty of many types of wood, including pine, cherry, and oak, the unique local materials provide an aesthetic touch not usually associated with green buildings.
Using locally-harvested wood also helps us achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification; LEED awards points for incorporating local materials in the building and using wood from FSC-certified sources.