Agreement Narrative: Deer River Ranger District Stewardship
Primary Funder: Chippewa National Forest (Stewardship)
Location: Deer River Ranger District, Chippewa National Forest, Minnesota
Innovation: A classic commercial timber project integrated with forest wildlife habitat, forest health, and forest products/ revenue objectives. Through U.S. Forest Service goods-for-services stewardship, the foundational commercial timber project produces patches of aspen age class diversity for forest health and wildlife habitat objectives plus timber revenue. Revenue is to be used to facilitate additional habitat and forest health enhancement work and prepare additional commercial timber sales.
Impact: Sale and contract administration of 78-acre “Johnson Lake” Timber Sale. Timber harvest operations were completed in March 2023 and produced an estimated 2,228 net CCF of mixed aspen/ hardwood pulp and initiated conditions to regenerate 10 disbursed patches of aspen regeneration, throughout a +/- 1,000 acre management area. Return harvest/regeneration entries are planned to maintain age class diversity/continue this shifting mosaic into the future.
Vegetation maintenance on 10 waterfowl impoundments.
29 acres of permanent wildlife opening improvements.
11.6 acres of native flowering plants/ pollinator habitat enhancement on permanent wildlife openings.
256.1 acres of additional timber sale project field preparation.
200 acres of planted tree protection from deer browse.
55 miles of hunter-walking trail maintenance.
50 acres of snowshoe hare habitat improvement
Completed To-Date (2/16/24):
- 78-acre Johnson Lake Timber Sale was completed and closed out in 2023
- Two acres of pollinator enhancement (direct seeding of disturbed openings and trails) completed 2023
- Three waterfowl impoundments were visited by RGS and volunteers. Maintenance completed on one, started on a second impoundment.
- 17.8 acres of permanent opening maintenance were completed by contract 2023
- 85.9 acre ABC stewardship timber sale preparation was completed by RGS 2023
Partners: Primarily partnering with U.S. Forest Service, some coordination with Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and American Bird Conservancy. Bemidji and Grand Rapids chapters RGS engaged in impoundment, wildlife opening and hunter walking trail maintenance work.
