About MTE
Local Lumber Suppliers and Forest Managers
Menominee Tribe Enterprises is proud to produce and manufacture quality, sustainable forest products, leading the industry and setting new quality standards since 1908. Menominee Tribal Enterprises (MTE) is owned and operated by the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. MTE employs approximately three hundred individuals throughout its vast operation. The mill alone employs about one hundred-sixty workers during the peak season.
At MTE, current emphasis is being placed on a value-added concept designed to enhance the continuing success of MTE on behalf of all tribal members.
The 160-year history of forest resource use and management of the Menominee forest stands as a practical example of sustainable forestry — ecologically viable, economically feasible, and socially desirable. This refers not only to forest products and social benefits, but also to wildlife, site productivity and other ecosystem functions.
The sustainable forest management practices on the 230,000 acre Menominee Forest allows for approximately 20 million board feet of timber to be harvested annually, manufactured into various wood products and marketed across the globe. The current primary product mix includes lumber, veneer, and value added products and by-products.
Contact a representative from MTE Wood to learn more about our traditions of sustainable forestry.
Science as a Tool Guided by Indigenous Wisdom
MTE was built upon an understanding of the need to integrate advanced science, technology, and business practices within a cultural context in order to remain competitive and profitable for future generations of Menominee People.
The “land ethic” and commitment to sustainable forest management practices and principles quite literally sets Menominee apart from all other integrated forest management. In fact, the contrast is so apparent that you can actually see the boundaries of the Menominee forest from space when viewing satellite imagery of Wisconsin.
Protecting Vital Ecosystems
The Menominee Tribe’s sustainable forest management practices produce consistently high-quality timber while protecting the Reservation’s ecosystem, biodiversity and traditional way of life.
Timber harvested according to MTE’s annual allowable cut is shipped to their wood manufacturing facility at Neopit for both primary and secondary processing. Our high quality wood products are further processed into a wide range of products, including flooring, paneling, cabinets, furniture, crafts, and musical instruments.
MTE also has the distinction of harvesting and supplying the hard maple used to manufacture the floor for the Milwaukee Bucks and the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament.
