The U.S. Forest Service Gunflint District is developing a proposal for vegetation management activities dubbed the “Lima Green Project.” This project area includes a portion of the Gunflint Trail approximately seven miles in length between Swamper Lake and the South Brule River crossing. District personnel have been meeting with Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway Committee members and discussing ways vegetation management activities could accomplish some of the desired objectives of the Scenic Byway Vegetation Management Plan and would also coincide with objectives in the Superior National Forest Plan.
To further refine vegetation management needs along the Gunflint Trail in the Lima Green Project Area, the Forest Service is hosting an informal open house. This open house will be held on Friday April 1, 2011 from 2:00- 5:30 pm at the Gunflint District Office, 2020 W. Highway 61, Grand Marais.
Gunflint District Assistant Ranger Becky Bartol stressed that this was a preliminary meeting to “gather more data, ideas and desired conditions related to different stands along the Gunflint Trail that may benefit from some kind of vegetation management treatment.”
“We don’t have a proposal yet,” said Bartol. “We hope to have some maps of the Gunflint Trail and the project area with photos. We want to get opinions on different options. We will put forward ideas such as ‘here are stands where we could open up vistas’ or ‘here are areas where we could regenerate Jack pine.’ This is still a work in progress.”
Information and ideas gathered from the open house will be used by the Forest Service to help develop the proposed action for the Lima Green Project. “There may be people on the scenic byways committee or someone who drives the Gunflint every day, who may have more ideas or suggestions,” said Bartol.
Maps of areas where treatment may be needed are on the Superior National Forest web page at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/superior/projects , under the Lima Green Project.
Once the Forest Service has finalized a proposal, there will be a scoping period of 30 days. This is expected to occur in late spring 2011. At that time, area residents, businesses, interested groups and others will have an opportunity to provide comments on the proposal and other suggestions for vegetation management in the Lima Green Project.
For more information, contact Becky Bartol at 218-387- 3207.
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