Landscape-scale forest stand improvements for water quality
This project will implement timber stand improvement activities on over 300 acres of private forest land within the Knife River and Skunk Creek watershed; both are not meeting state water quality standards for turbidity. These activities will culminate in planting diverse, large-statured native trees, resilient in the face of forest pests and diseases, climate change, and deer browse. Through this project, significant areas of the Knife River and Skunk Creek watersheds will have a patchwork of seed sources that will naturally expand the footprint of a healthier forest. This targeted forest management effort is a low-cost investment in improving the forest conditions that are the root cause of riparian erosion issues on these north shore streams.
See http://www.bwsr.state.mn.us/aboutbwsr/index.html and http://www.bwsr.state.mn.us/aboutbwsr/boarddirectory.pdf
See http://www.bwsr.state.mn.us/aboutbwsr/index.html
Marcey Westrick
300 acres of timber stand improvements
Lake County Forester staff worked with land owners to line up project to remove Spruce Bud Worm damage. Four landowners were signed up for NRCS EQUIP contracts and wCCMI crew removed the spruce budworm damaged trees. The Two Harbors-based Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa (CCMI) worked on a variety of forestry related SWCD projects on private land which were funded in part by federal EQIP cost-share, state PFM cost-share, and local capacity cost-share dollars. Projects included timber stand improvement, woody residue treatment, terrestrial invasive species control, tree planting, tree protection, and riparian area management. The CCMI crew also participated forest stewardship plan inventories where they obtained field measurements in order to determine stand productivity and management options. The crew was responsible for completing releve surveys in order to monitor plant communities in pre and post treatment areas where timber stand improvement operations occurred. Other accomplishments by the CCMI crew include conducting level loop surveys for the design of a road stabilization project, and the creation of a field guide titled, ?Managing Spruce Budworm Impact: A Guide for Balsam Removal?.
LOCAL LEVERAGED FUNDS