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Saturday, January 27, 2007
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Our vanishing state forest DNR worries about hunter access Outdoors Editor At the time of European settlement, Minnesota had 32 million acres of forest. Today it has 16 million.
That loss of acreage, combined with a projected state population of 6 million by 2032, means Minnesota's remaining forestlands will face daunting pressure from developers. Since 1999 over 400,000 acres of private forest has been sold. What remains is being divided into smaller tracts, increasing fragmentation.
"This has significant implications for hunter access," said Steve Merchant, DNR forest wildlife program leader. "The No. 1 thing we need to recruit new hunters is a place for them to hunt."
Driving the trend toward increasing fragmentation is second home development, Merchant said, noting that one-third of all real estate transactions in Minnesota are second home development.
Another disturbing fact: St. Louis County in northeastern Minnesota averages 540 building permits per year for new homes, the same as suburban Woodbury.
Yet more than 50 percent of Minnesota's remaining forests are owned by the public. Of the remaining land 8 percent is owned by paper companies such as Potlatch Corp., which is expected to sell one-third of its holdings within the next decade, Merchant said. Today Potlatch owns 400,000 acres, with 40 percent of that land now leased to private parties, cutting off hunter access to all but the lease holder.
Management implications resulting from fragmented forests are apparent to the DNR.
"We no longer can count on winter to help us control deer numbers," Merchant said. "We need hunters who have access to land to shoot deer."
Also, the DNR announced last year a new grouse management plan that aims for an annual harvest of 650,000 of the woodland birds.
"We won't be able to achieve that if hunters lose access to forests," Merchant said. "They simply won't be able to harvest that number, even if the birds are out there."
Two programs that were created to protect our remaining forests are the Forest Legacy Program and the Forest Legacy Partnership.
Stemming from the Farm Bill, the Forest Legacy Program targets environmentally sensitive lands under threat from development. Land is protected through conservation easements granted to individuals. The typical easement is perpetual, meaning the land will never be developed.
The Forest Legacy Project is a coalition of private conservation organizations and timber companies whose aim is to save industrial land from development. The state has contributed $7.5 million to the project. The goal is to use $26 million to preserve 70,000 acres.
"It seems quite clear to me that we'll need more money," Merchant said.
An example of the Forest Legacy Project was seen last summer near Brainerd. On July 1, local, state and federal officials got together in Pillsbury State Forest to celebrate the completion of the second and final phase of the Brainerd Lakes Forest Legacy project. The first phase, including 3,316 acres in Crow Wing State Forest north of Brainerd, was completed in November 2005. The second phase, including 1,635 acres adjacent to Pillsbury State Forest near Pillager, joined the first phase to protect a total of 4,771 acres in a permanent conservation easement. The project also includes 3.4 miles of Pine River frontage that will be designated as an access point for boats.
Today the land remains open to hunting, hiking and other outdoor recreation. But it will not be developed. Motorized vehicles will not be allowed. Potlatch Corp. retains ownership of the land and will continue to manage it as a working forest.
"Our main concern was the developmental pressure," said Keith Simar, a DNR forester in Brainerd. "We know it won't go away, but if we can buffer the forest and maintain continuous acreage that's a good thing, rather than 80 acres here and 80 acres there."
Partners in the project include the DNR, Initiative Foundation, the Brainerd Lakes Area Conservation Collaborative, Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, Minnesota Conservation Federation, The Nature Conservancy and Cass and Crow Wing counties.
Merchant said Minnesotans must take a new attitude toward preserving state forests, especially those in private ownership.
"If we want to continue to use these lands - something we almost expect - we might need to think about how we can contribute money to these programs," he said.
VINCE MEYER can be reached at vince.meyer@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5862.
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