A new Vilas County forest administrator, Chad Keranen, began his duties last week to manage the 41,000 acre forest that provides a large variety of year around recreation opportunities as well as generating income from timber sales, which was $416,727 in calendar 2021.
Keranen was recently hired as the assistant forest administrator and choose to accept the county’s offer to advance with the resignation of Al Murray. He has extensive forest management experience working for 20 years with DNR as a forester and extensive experience with wild-land fires as an incident commander and engine boss.
“This is my home forest so to speak since I grew up here living in Land O’ Lakes and graduating from Northland Pines,” Keranen said. “It’s amazing I’m able to work where I grew up.”
One of his first priorities is finishing the 15-year comprehensive county forest plan and getting both the county board and DNR to approve it. The approvals generate state funding of half the forest administrator’s salary.
He says he’s “excited to work with talented staff, building new relationships, and making the Vilas County forest better than ever.” His goal is to develop trust and respect with the Forestry Committee, county board and public.
Keranen lives in Land O’ Lakes with wife Nicole, son Morgan and daughter Ella. If you don’t see him working in the trees, you can find him coaching 6th grade boys basketball for Pines.
