You may be aware that a GOP sponsored bill was passed this past session that halts implementation of DNR management plans for the Sand Dunes State Forest and Uncas Dunes SNA which is within the forest. These plans had included controlled burns and removal of mature pines to improve and restore the pre-settlement oak savannah ecosystem of the dunes which formed from the sand left behind by the most recent glaciation.

​

The Izaak Walton League played a part in planting these pine forests in the area in the 1940’s. A long time member Dick Brown remembers how the ladies in one of the Metro Area chapters organized the pine planting which was designed to hold the soil after farmers had plowed up the oak savannah, only to watch it blow away when the crops failed during the great dust bowl era of the 1930’s. Minnesota declared these plantations a State Forest and managed them for timber. Now these stands are mature enough for harvest.

Conservationists realize now that changing this land from oak savannah to pine forests might not have been the best thing to do. Habitat for rare species that evolved to thrive in these dunes was sacrificed, and without fire, pine began to spread even further, crowding out native growth in the remaining remnants of oak savannah.

​

Hundreds of private properties remain scattered throughout the SDSF making management problematic. Local residents have grown accustomed to the tall pines even if they do grow in long straight rows. Cutting the tall trees in their backyards makes some unhappy even if the restoration of the oak savannah and the protection of its rare species is the goal. For now, the recently passed bill puts a halt to the management plan (including harvesting of mature pine stands and controlled burns.)

​

The stakeholders the DNR is conducting listening sessions with include local residents, the forestry industry and environmental organizations. These monthly meetings which are scheduled for the remainder of this calendar year are being held in Big Lake. The DNR plans to use the information gathered to adjust the management plan as necessary.
Board members of Friends of Minnesota SNA's have been attending the meetings and have offered our perspectives. We agree for the most part with the current DNR’s management plans and are open to modifications which do not interfere with the goal of conserving habitat of oak savannah and thereby the rare species including the Uncas Skipper that need that ecosystem to survive.

​

After the listening sessions, the DNR Commissioner is to submit a report by Jan 15, 2017 on progress on "collaborating with local citizens and other stakeholders... when making decisions that impact the landscape, including forest conversions and other clear-cutting activities, and the Forestry division's progress on other citizen engagement activities."