The forest industry is the number two economic driver in the state of Wisconsin. According to the Wisconsin DNR, it provides more than 64 thousand jobs and has an output of $24.7 billion each year. Dennis Schoeneck, owner of Enterprise Forest Products, has worked in this industry for 43 years and wants people to understand the importance of forest management. “Most people think of us as loggers, I like to think of us as a sustainable harvesting technician. That is because of the machines we run, the science we put into making sure our forests are sustainable” said Schoeneck. Part of responsible forest management involves harvesting timber from blowdown areas - a job that is significantly more challenging and harder on equipment than normal harvesting operations. Crews like Dennis’s are doing their best to salvage as much damaged timber as possible before it goes to waste. Salvaging this usable timber speeds regrowth, putting the cycle of sustainability back into action sooner. There are thousands of jobs in the forest industry. Harvesting raw material is where it starts - but the products end up in every part of the state.