Mm-hmm.

Uh, the- the fur trade, uh, actually we have to go back before that and take a look at, uh- uh, the earlier, uh, aspects of this, because the history of Wisconsin's forest is complex and multifaceted.

Uh, we have a lot of human activity.

There was climate nature activity and cycles that have impacted our forests since the, uh, first Europeans arrived on the shores here in 17- in the 17th century.

If we think about the changes that have been wrought since 1854 in what Amable Greenyo's widow, Marie Barasa, called the Haute de Wisconsin, and I call the Middle Wisconsin River Valley, that is the lands acquired from its owners, the Menominee Nation and the, uh, Ho-Chunk Nation, by the Treaty of Cedars in 1836.

It sounds like a long time ago, especially in our 24/7 world where a year past, uh, can seem like an eternity, ancient history to many.

And why 1854? Well, the human history of Wisconsin's forests must begin with the narrative of the indigenous people who are- who the Europeans, quote, "discovered." And we must consider that a mere 172 years have transpired since the final treaty was signed between the Menominee Nation and the United States government that turned these lands over to the Europeans.

Mm-hmm.