GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV)- According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, of Wisconsin's 35 million acres, sixteen million are forested. That's a total of 52 percent of the state's land is comprised of forests and managing them sustainably is no easy task but is important to do so. At the Great Lakes Logging Expo at the Resch Center in Green Bay, the Executive Director of the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association, Henry Schienebeck, caught up with Local 5 and explained the reasons why forests are managed sustainably. Rennes Health & Rehab Center holds pinning ceremony, honoring Veterans "Everyone loves a healthy forest and the way we get that in the Lake States region is we manage our forests and we manage them for a lot of different regions," says Schienebeck. "We manage them for wildlife habitat, clean water, clean air and recreation. Forestry really represents everything that everybody likes to do." Schienebeck says that it is a multi-step process to keep a forest sustainable and that there is always a plan for how to operate in that proper manner. The process begins with landowners or trained foresters developing that plan. Secondly, the timber goes up for bidding and finally, the loggers come in and implement the plan when doing the forest management. Since we are located in the 'Paper Valley', Schienebeck says industries rely on a healthy, sustainable forest. "Part of forest management is having a healthy forest industry. We make paper in this state, we make lumber in this state, we make those products in this region and it's all part of that process that keeps that forest healthy." Everything is connected, as Schinebeck explains that once they are done with operating the in the forest through the management plan, the trails are turned into ATVs, snowmobiles, bike paths and sawmills ensuring the use of all parts of the tree for its products. Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley unveils new additions, featuring new scoring machines To ensure safe and sustainable operations, loggers undergo specific training on invasive and endangered species and how to perform in that sustainable manner. The loggers also try to have minimal footprints on the landscape by using wider tires to not damage the soil. To find out more about the mission of the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association, head over to their website.