BEMIDJI — Rural property owners impacted by the summer’s severe blowdown storm may have opportunities to share the costs of regrowing their woods.
The Minnesota Forestry Association hosted the first of two webinars Monday, Nov. 10, to discuss state and federal programs available to woodland property owners impacted by the June 21 storm that wrought a 10-mile path of destruction around Bemidji.
Lori Barrow, a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources forestry specialist out of the Bemidji office, said the DNR’s emergency disaster funds can cost-share up to 50% to prepare damaged wooded lands for reforestation.
“We’re trying to focus on timber removal and mulching work in order to prepare sites for future regeneration as well as to reduce potential fuel hazards, so wildfire risk in these areas,” Barrow said. “Some of the activities that are included: site prep for replanting efforts, replanting woods after a salvage harvest — that includes the cost of those seedlings.”
The DNR can’t reimburse woodland work already completed, but can share costs on a forester-approved reforestation plan on storm-damaged woodlands between 3 and 10 acres.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture also has a reforestation program through the Farm Service Agency: the Emergency Forest Restoration Program.
Since the webinar took place when the government shutdown was still occurring, funding for the program was unclear. But DNR forester John Carlson said larger wooded parcels impacted by the summer storms could see up to 75% cost-sharing for reforestation activities from federal sources.
“From what I heard, the last time it was in the Bemidji area in 2012, it worked fairly well for people,” Carlson said, referencing another summer storm that tore a 1-mile path of damage around Bemidji. “And so we're looking to hopefully make it the case this time as well.”
The Minnesota Forestry Association will host its next webinar on state and federal forestry programs on Dec. 8, and hosts an informational webpage with resources for storm-impacted property owners.
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