Minnesota Forests for the Future - Phase V
This Minnesota Forests for the Future project protected 178 acres of forest, forested wetlands, shoreline, shoreland wetland and other riparian areas with a perpetual working forest conservation easement in Crow Wing County ensuring public benefits, management access and sustainably managed forests.
The current project targeted the first of a two-phased project on one property: a large privately owned publicly accessible property with lake shoreland and other riparian areas adjacent to already permanently conserved easement property located in an area of high forest conversion threat in Crow Wing County.
LSOHC appropriations target priority projects as determined by the scoring criteria developed in consultation with the Minnesota Forests for the Future Advisory Committee (stakeholder group). Projects may need to be scaled back or phased to accommodate the available funding. The project included in this report was located within a program priority area as identified by a GIS model that integrates recreational, ecological and economic data.
This project addressed forest fragmentation, habitat degradation, recreational and management access and sustainable forestry through a perpetual conservation easement that will protect the forest, riparian and wetland habitats in perpetuity, restrict forest parcelization and development, provide for public management access and promote sustainable forest management practices.
The Minnesota Forests for the Future and Federal Forest Legacy Programs have proven to be cost effective programs for protecting private forest land habitat in Minnesota, while also providing public recreational and agency management access and ensuring sustainable forestry. These programs have protected over 358,000 acres to date at an average cost of less than $300/acre. Over $24 million in non-state funds have been leveraged for these protection efforts over the past 10 years.
$2,291,000 the first year is to the commissioner of natural resources to acquire land in easements for forest, wetland, and shoreline habitat through working forest permanent conservation easements under the Minnesota forests for the future program pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 84.66. A conservation easement acquired with money appropriated under this paragraph must comply with Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 13. The accomplishment plan must include an easement monitoring and enforcement plan. Of this amount, up to $72,000 is for establishing a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17. A list of permanent conservation easements must be provided as part of the final report.
178 acres protected (in easement)