The annual stand examination list for potential timber sales on state-administered forest land in the upcoming fiscal year is now available for public review, said the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The list is for fiscal year 2014, which begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2014. Comments will be accepted during a 30-day public comment period that ends May 31.
The public has two options for reviewing harvest plans, said Forrest Boe, DNR Forestry Division director.
Proposed stand examination locations, preliminary management prescriptions and forest inventory information can be viewed on the DNR website at www.dnr.state.mn.us/ maps/forestview/index.html. Comments on a proposed stand examination site can be submitted to the DNR using this website.
People without Internet access or those who prefer to review and discuss annual stand examination list information directly with a forester may contact or visit a DNR area forestry office. Individuals should contact the area forestry office prior to a visit to ensure that the appropriate forestry staff will be available.
For statewide information, contact Jon Nelson, DNR Forestry, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN, 55155-4044; 651-259-5278; jon. nelson@state.mn.us.
The DNR administers 5 million acres of forest lands that have been certified as being well-managed under two separate third-party auditing systems. Annual stand examination lists are derived from multi-year forest management plans developed for these DNR lands by interdisciplinary DNR planning teams with public input and are based on long-term forest resource management goals.
DNR staff will complete field evaluations on nearly 2,700 stands encompassing 57,000 acres identified on the fiscal year 2014 list to determine appropriate treatments, including timber harvest. It is estimated that between 35,000 and 40,000 of these acres will be suitable for timber sales. The timber will be appraised and offered for sale in the upcoming fiscal year.
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