Baudette Shearing Phase II

The projects sites consist of overmature lowland brush, primarily willow and alder. To enhance this habitat for wildlife it needs to be returned to an early successional stage utilizing mechanical methods. The Baudette Meadows site is approximately 365 acres of lowland brush of which 50 acres were sheared in fiscal year 2014. The Indian Pines project site is approximately 430 acres of lowland brush of which 300 acres were sheared in fiscal years 2013 and 2014. Shearing of overmature willow and alder will be done using a bulldozer with a KG blade. Shearing will be utilized for this project because the brush present is too large to mow and there are currently insufficient fine fuels to utilize prescribed fire to set back succession.