BEMIDJI — Some trees downed or damaged by a devastating windstorm earlier this summer on public lands will have second lives as logging sets the stage for forest regeneration.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is overseeing salvage timber harvests following the June 21 storm that knocked down millions of trees in the Bemidji area.
More than 500 acres of DNR-managed lands impacted by the storm have been offered to loggers for salvage harvest so far. The storm impacted 370 square miles in total and damaged more than 1,100 acres of DNR-managed forests, including 300 acres in Lake Bemidji State Park.
Trees aren’t typically harvested from state parks, but in the aftermath of situations like storms and wildfires, salvage harvests can be an effective forest management tool.
“Salvage harvests set the stage for forest regeneration, and also capture some timber value and make use of a renewable natural resource,” stated Adam Munstenteiger, DNR Forestry Division northwest region manager, in a news release.
“What nature can do in a day shapes our forests for decades, but we’re giving them the best restart we can to help them flourish.”
In addition to reducing wildfire risk and potential forest health concerns like pine bark beetle, salvage harvests also put the wood to productive economic use, the DNR reported.
Beltrami County manages 145,000 acres of forested lands. Shane Foley from the county’s natural resources department estimated around 3,000 were at least somewhat affected, with 1,000 acres severely damaged.
“Two foresters have been evaluating ever since and trying to open up trails and get to these spots to look at them," Foley said. “Long story short, the vast majority of the damage that needed to be salvage cut has been offered for sale and has been sold but hasn't been harvested yet.”
Only some of the county-issued commercial harvest permits are winter-only for the 1,000 acres of severely damaged timber stands. The longer trees sit, the less valuable they become, especially pines, Foley said.
“They get a blue stain — that's discoloration in the wood — just after anywhere from a couple months to five months later, and then they become ‘non-merchantable’ in some places.”
Blue stain is attributed to a type of fungus that is spread from tree to tree by certain species of pine beetle.
Landowners who experienced major storm damage in their woods and want to learn more about salvage harvests can contact their local DNR forester by visiting the DNR forester contact map for woodland assistance webpage or calling 888-646-6367.
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