DNR helping storm-beaten forests in Bemidji recover

Salvage timber harvests are underway on state-managed lands in the Bemidji area.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said the harvests are being used to promote forest recovery, after major storms in late June damaged more than 1,100 acres of DNR-managed forests.

“If you can imagine, blown down timber, just the sheer amount of woody debris that’s covering the forest floor is an impediment to certain desirable tree species that we want to reinitiate,” said Adam Munstenteiger of the DNR forestry division.

Munstenteiger said removing the trees allows sunlight to reach the forest floor and expose soil.

Bemidji homeowner Lois Pfeffer said she lost between 225-250 trees from her backyard plantation caused by last month’s storm. In hindsight Pfeffer said she wished her insurance coverage had included not only her home but the yard and the plantation as well.

Mathew Holding Eagle III | MPR News

The harvests are also implemented to improve safety for visitors and to minimize wildfire risk.

Munstenteiger said about 500 acres were auctioned to loggers near the end of July.

"A significant amount of these timber sales will be on school trust lands, and in that case, the revenue from timber sales will be deposited into school trust accounts and eventually make their way into the corpus of the School Trust which, over time, is what is used to generate disbursements,” he said.

Munstenteiger said another 500 acres might be auctioned in early winter.