DNR forest management plan for Aspen Parklands Subsection

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DNR forest management plan for Aspen Parklands Subsection available for public review and comment
(Released February 25, 2011)


The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invites public comments on its 10-year draft Subsection Forest Resources Management Plan (SFRMP) for the Aspen Parklands Ecological Subsection in northwestern Minnesota. The public comment period runs from Feb. 24 through March 26.Ecological subsections are large landscape areas, generally several counties in size that are defined by glacial land-forming processes, bedrock formations, local climate, topographic relief and the distribution of plants.

SFRMPs address vegetation management issues on state-owned lands in the subsection. Minnesota has 24 subsections. Seventeen of them have forest management plans because they contain a significant amount of state-owned forest lands.

The Aspen Parklands Subsection covers approximately 2.9 million acres in an area from near Gully to Roseau, and from Lancaster to Crookston. The state owns 12 percent of the land (355,000 acres) in the subsection. The federal government owns 4 percent.

Approximately 95,000 acres of DNR land is forest and woodlands that are part of the forest management plan. About 250,000 acres are non-forested, but are also included in this planning effort.  Another 9,000 acres of state lands include state parks and Scientific and Natural Areas (SNAs) which are not considered for resource management under this plan, but do contribute to some of the plan’s goals.

Possible treatment options for forested and non-forested cover types include re-inventory, regeneration harvest, conversion to another cover type, biomass harvest, prescribed burning and commercial thinning.

The draft plan and maps are available on the DNR Web site at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/forestry/subsection/aspenparklands/plan.html

Copies of the maps and documents are also available to view at the DNR Northwest Region Headquarters, 2115 Birchmont Beach Road N.E., Bemidji, MN  56601 and at the DNR Central Office Library, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN  55155. Send comments to Pat Matuseski at the DNR Northwest Region Headquarters, by e-mail to pat.matuseski@state.mn.us, or by phone at 218-308-2381.