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The annual timber harvest plan for state-administered forest land, prepared by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), is available for public review.

The plan is for fiscal year 2011, which began July 1, and ends June 30, 2011. Comments will be accepted during a 30-day public comment period that ends on Oct. 29.

The public has two options for reviewing harvest plans.

Proposed harvest locations, preliminary management prescriptions and forest inventory information, can be viewed on the DNR website at www.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/forestview/index.html. Comments regarding a proposed harvest site can be submitted to the DNR using this website.

For those without Internet access or who prefer to review and discuss annual harvest information directly with a forester, a second option is available. People may contact or visit their local DNR area forestry office to discuss the harvest plan or to obtain a comment form and a copy of the annual harvest plan report for that administrative area. Individuals should contact the local area forestry office prior to a visit to ensure the appropriate forestry staff will be available.

For statewide information, contact Jon Nelson, DNR Forestry, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155-4044; by phone at 651-259-5278; or by e-mail to [email protected].[[In-content Ad]]

The DNR administers 4.8 million acres of forest lands that have been certified as being well-managed under two separate third-party auditing systems. Annual harvest plans are derived from multi-year forest management plans developed for these DNR lands by interdisciplinary DNR planning teams with public input, and based on long-term forest resource management goals. DNR staff will complete field evaluations on the 51,000 acres identified on the fiscal year 2011 annual harvest plan for possible timber sales.

It is estimated that approximately 35,000-40,000 of these acres will be suitable for timber sales and the timber will be appraised and offered for sale in the upcoming fiscal year.

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