This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Tom Hittle, chair of the Wisconsin Council on Forestry. The discussion explores the path ahead for the recently announced Wisconsin Forests FIRST initiative, which aims to create a long-term strategy for the state’s paper and forestry industries. It was funded with $1 million in the latest state budget. “The important part of that is the forests first, so while this is a strategic plan and roadmap for our industry, it is really about putting our forests first and the health of our forests,” he said. “And ultimately, we have to have a healthy forest products industry to have healthy forests. You can’t separate the two.” The state is currently growing more than twice the volume of timber that it’s harvesting, Hittle said, touting Wisconsin’s “great track record” with forest management.