Forest Management_Content Page_WisFIRS Intro

Wisconsin Forest Inventory and Reporting System (WisFIRS)

Launch the WisFIRS Public Lands application (for county foresters).

Launch the WisFIRS Private Lands application (for certified plan writers).

WisFIRS (Wisconsin Field Inventory and Reporting System) Public Lands application enables foresters and habitat managers to store data collected in the field, plan for and track completed treatments (e.g. timber sales, prescribed burns, pesticides treatments, and other treatments on the land), report accomplishments and calculate the financial aspects of those treatments.  WisFIRS Public Lands allows user to manage core business functions for public and private forest management in Wisconsin, serving hundreds of DNR staff as well as our partners (county foresters). Geographical information systems (GIS) is integrated in the application, helping us identify where on the landscape practices are being done.

WisFIRS (Wisconsin Forest Inventory and Reporting System) Private Lands application enables foresters to administer and manage Wisconsin’s forest tax law programs on private lands, store data collected in the field, plan for and track completed timber sales, report accomplishments and calculate the financial aspects of the timber sales, to name a few.  This application manages core business functions for private forest management in Wisconsin, serving DNR staff as well as our partners (certified plan writers). 

Application users

The overall WisFIRS application is divided into two programs, each targeted for a different audience:

  • WisFIRS Public Lands (intended for county foresters)
  • WisFIRS Private Lands (intended for certified plan writers)

County forest users

The WisFIRS Public Lands application is only accessible to Wisconsin county forester partners who are authorized to edit data in the system. County forest users need a WAMS ID from the State of Wisconsin in order to access WisFIRS. The WAMS ID must then be provided to the WisFIRS administrator to configure access.

Certified plan writers

The WisFIRS Private Lands application is only accessible to authorized forestry partners. Currently, this includes Certified Plan Writers (CPWs). CPWs will need a WAMS ID from the State of Wisconsin in order to access WisFIRS. The WAMS ID must then be provided to the WisFIRS administrator to configure access.

DNR users

DNR users can access either WisFIRS application from any DNR network connected computer. If a DNR user needs to access WisFIRS from a non-DNR computer, then similar to the county forest or certified plan writer users above, the DNR user can obtain a WAMS ID and provide it to the WisFIRS administrator.

Technical Requirements

Internet Speed

WisFIRS was designed to work over a high-speed internet connection and may not be usable over a dial-up connection. Recommended connection speed is 512 kbps or greater.

Browser

As of March 2021, Google Chrome is the recommended web browser for the WisFIRS Public Lands tabular and GIS applications. Internet Explorer will no longer be fully supported.

WisFIRS is optimized to run in Chrome 71.0 or newer web browser. WisFIRS will run on other browsers, but you might experience unexpected results.

Pop-ups must be allowed in Chrome. If you try to open a pop-up in Chrome and it does not open, a blocked symbol will appear in the upper right corner. For more information on how to allow pop-ups read our guide [PDF].

Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 and earlier versions are NOT compatible with WisFIRS.

Other Requirements

  • After one hour of inactivity, your WisFIRS session will be ended and any unsaved data will be lost. 
  • Do not open WisFIRS in multiple windows or tabs. You must open a new session for each instance to prevent data sharing between the two.
  • JavaScript and cookies must be enabled in the browser.
  • Adobe Reader is required to print reports.
  • For proper display in WisFIRS tabular, a screen resolution of 1024x768 or greater is required. For proper display of WisFIRS public GIS tools, a screen resolution of 1355x768 or greater is required.
  • The WisFIRS Public Lands desktop GIS tool (ACORN – May 9, 2020 ver) is available for download from the WisFIRS application and works with ArcGIS desktop ArcMap versions 10.0 to 10.6.1.