The logging industry in Cook County is as close to dead as it has ever been since European settlers moved in over a century ago. Within the last 10 years, the state of Minnesota has been importing much of the wood it uses. As the nation becomes better equipped to meet its energy demands with renewable resources, the Arrowhead region has the opportunity to consider utilizing one of its greatest natural resources: biomass. Is biomass harvesting from the Superior National Forest feasible?
USFS strategy
The current Superior National Forest Management Plan calls for harvesting about 13,000 acres a year of final harvest round wood. “We don’t have the money to fully implement the forest plan,” Gunflint District Ranger Dennis Neitzke said. Thinning to promote the growth of certain species and reduce the impact of wildfires could be done in addition to final harvest, and Superior National Forest personnel believe 15,000 tons a year of logging residue alone could be utilized as a renewable source of energy.
If the Forest Service could afford to manage the harvesting of round wood on all 13,000 acres a year (1/2 percent of the Superior National Forest or 1 percent of the area outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness), it would take about 100 years before every acre was harvested. A lot of tree species in this area don’t even have a life span that long.
Sierra Club Philosophy
The Sierra Club does not see biomass harvesting in a positive light. A July 2009 website posting said, “By making certain that our forests and grasslands are managed not for extractive purposes but for water, wildlife, and ecosystems we can make them more adaptable habitats as the climate continues to warm.”
Sierra Club policy states, “… Timber harvest, on the public forests where it is appropriate, shall ensure reforestation and restocking with a species composition that approximates the natural vegetation of the area. Selection cutting systems shall be used, unless the biological requirements of the forest dictate otherwise.”
While the Sierra Club opposes clear cutting, it is the only way to revive species such as jack pine (the preferred host for the spruce budworm) and paper birch that are being eliminated through the natural process of succession in northeastern Minnesota.
Forest Succession
According to Ranger Dennis Neitzke, the next forest that would naturally occur here would be balsam fir and hazel, with very little jack pine.
The Forest Service weighs aesthetic values as well as scientific ones in making forest management decisions. Some people who think they want a forest in its completely natural state might not be pleased with the way an old forest really looks and how it would progress. Brushy species like hazel are currently replacing a lot of the Superior National Forest’s larger, longer-lived tree species in areas that are not replanted. The Forest Service’s current strategy is to encourage what is believed to be a natural balance.
Controlled burns are one method of preventing large wildfires and are conducted in areas that are difficult to log or that have unmerchantable wood. Sometimes burns are conducted to keep marshy areas clear for waterfowl. “You have to weigh the type of fire you want in your landscape,” Neitzke said. Mechanical reduction can replicate natural fires to a large degree, he said. Jack pine does regenerate well through fires, but it can also be regenerated through planting. The Forest Service tries to plant desirable species that have a harder time coming back on their own, such as conifers.
Potential change in direction
The possibility of harvesting biomass is starting to change the Forest Service’s vision.
A 2009 U.S. Forest Service overview of its own history outlines a variety of important and valued functions of forests: they provide habitat for wildlife, filter and cleanse both air and water, supply wood products, and offer a opportunities for recreational pursuits. The overview brings up the possibility of a widening use for forest resources, however: “Wood for energy is becoming an economic alternative to fossil fuel,” it states. “American-grown woody biomass harvested from forests could supply up to 15 percent of our nation’s energy needs.”
In response to a directive from the Minnesota State Legislature, the Minnesota Forest Resources Council and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) developed a set of best management practices for harvesting biomass in a way that leaves enough behind to maintain a healthy habitat for trees, animals, insects, and soil. The resulting Biomass Harvesting Guidelines call for caution in harvesting biomass: “Recent expansion of the energy industry has raised concerns about the impact of increased removal of biomass from the state’s forests. …While the benefits of biomass energy are numerous, such as providing jobs locally and reducing use of fossil fuels, increase in removal of biomass from forested sites has the potential to impact long-term site productivity, biodiversity and wildlife populations.”
According to a May 2009 report on the availability of woody biomass prepared by the DNR and Laurentian Regional Conservation and Development, biomass harvesting “can contribute to forest health by removal of hazardous wildfire fuels, speeding recovery from natural disasters, [and] alleviate vegetative competition that contributes to pest and pathogen infestations….”
Senator Franken’s comments
Here are some comments on biomass harvesting from U.S. Senator Al Franken: “Looking at the research and forest management guidelines that have been put forth by the Governor’s Minnesota Forest Resources Council, I’m convinced that it is possible to sustainably manage Minnesota’s national forests in a way that is good for job creation, community economic development, wildfire prevention, and environmental protection.
“The 2007 Ham Lake fire was the biggest forest fire in the Superior National Forest in over a century. An excess of woody biomass is one major cause of such fires. Better management of our national forests through careful, selective biomass removal can increase forest health and provide a renewable feedstock for biomass-based energy that can be an engine of economic development and job creation in Cook County. We have to do it carefully so as not to disturb areas like old growth forests or peat bogs, but if it’s done right, it’s good for jobs in Cook County and for the environment.”
This is the sixth in a series of articles on issues related to utilizing biomass from the Superior National Forest as a source of local renewable energy and its potential to benefit the economy of Cook County.
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