Northern Minnesota and Ontario Peatlands Section Forest Resource Management Plan

The Department of Natural Resources is developing the Northern Minnesota and Ontario Peatlands Section Forest Resource Management Plan (SFRMP). This plan guides DNR managers on what they should consider when managing vegetation on DNR-administered forest lands in the Northern Minnesota and Ontario Peatlands Ecological Section. It also identifies management opportunity areas, such as ruffed grouse management areas and old forest management complexes, and guides management within them. The plan is now available for review through December 18, 2020, and we would like your feedback.

Plan Summary

The Minnesota DNR is committed to the long-term strategic and sustainable management of our forest lands, and Section Forest Resource Management Plans contribute toward achieving those objectives through guiding vegetation management on state-administered forest lands. Plans are not prescriptive and do not indicate how, when, or where any specific management action will occur. Rather, they provide broad general direction and strategies for achieving landscape-scale goals through stand-level management. Natural boundaries for the coverage area of each plan are based on the Ecological Classification System (ECS), which classifies Minnesota’s landscape into geographic units based on local geology and ecology. Each plan covers one ecological Section. There are seven forested Sections in Minnesota, and the Northern Minnesota and Ontario Peatlands Section is located in the north-central region.

The new plan for the Northern Minnesota and Ontario Peatlands outlines the forest vegetation management goals, general direction, and implementation strategies for DNR-administered forest lands in the Section.

How to Get Involved

The draft plan is available for review through December 18, 2020, and you can view or download a copy of the draft plan at the Northern Minnesota and Ontario Peatlands SFRMP webpage.

The following fact sheets were developed to aid your review of the plan:

Northern Minnesota and Ontario Peatlands SFRMP Fact Sheet (2-pages).

Guide to commenting on the plan and how input will be used.

We invite you to provide your input on the draft plan by submitting comments to FOR.planners.DNR@state.mn.us.