BLACKDUCK — The Chippewa National Forest is seeking public comment on proposed timber harvest, prescribed fire and planting on 2,866 acres in the Blackduck Ranger District.
The activity is part of an Upper Mississippi — Ten Section Unique Biological Area Habitat Improvement Project within the boundary of the Leech Lake Reservation and includes areas along the Mississippi River between Lake Winnibigoshish and Cass Lake.
The project is meant to improve vegetative conditions to improve landscape resilience according to a 2024 agreement between the forest and the tribe. Forests diverse in composition, structure and age may be more resilient and provide more diverse wildlife habitat conditions.
The forest plans to commercially thin about 269 acres of red pine plantations before burning roughly 1,500 acres to help restore native plant communities. Planting and seeding would also be done where needed.
Comments must be submitted by Jan. 25. They should be emailed to douglas.putt@usda.gov in a common file format with the subject line "UBA Project- Public Comment." Include your name, address, phone number and the title of the project with your comments.
Comments can also be mailed to the Blackduck Ranger District Office, Attn: Douglas Putt, or submitted by fax to 218-835-3132.
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