Forestry facts of Marathon County are an indication of the important role the lumber and paper industry has played in the development of this area. Three paper mills are located in the county, their expertise being specialty and high quality writing and printing paper. There are also a number of sawmills throughout the county. One-third of the county land area is forest land. Most woodland is in 30 or 40 acre tracts attached to individual farms.
Many farmers use income from the woodlots to help pay their taxes each year.
In Marathon County emphasis has been placed on reforestation. For the last 10 years, roughly 400,000 trees have been planted each year. Approximately 28,000 acres in the county have been permanently set aside as county forest land for forestry, wildlife and recreation purposes. Marathon County offers ideal recreation opportunities the year around. For winter sports enthusiasts, the excellent facilities of Granite Peak Ski Resort at Rib Mountain have made it one of the most famous winter-fun areas of the midwest.