From: "Rick Horton
Date: Tue Feb 03, 2004 08:39:28 AM US/Central

Subject: MN FAN Update

Minnesota Grouse Enthusiasts:
 
The comment period for the Upper Bowstring River project on the Deer River/Marcell Ranger District of the Chippewa National Forest closed January 20.  Once again, we were disappointed by the direction of this project.  In summary, the Forest Plan specifies that over 99% of the project area be managed for high populations of grouse, woodcock and deer through aspen clearcutting.  The Forest Service manages 42,000 acres (41%) of the 104,000 acre project area, but controls 81% of the aspen resource.  The state owns 21% of the area, but it is largely lowlands.  The county has 2% and the remainder is private.  Lack of recent harvesting has reduced young aspen forests from the Plan level of 22% to merely 10.5%.  There are 4,177 acres of aspen over age 40 on federal land in the area, but the UBR only proposes to clearcut 137 acres of it (plus 37 acres of young forest).  Young aspen will decline to about 6% within the next 5 years.  Many more acres will be thinned and underplanted to conifers in order to "increase stand diversity".  This is some of the very best aspen ground in the state and is an important ruffed grouse and woodcock production area, yet the Forest Service is proposing to reduce both habitat quantity and quality in the region.
 
Attached you will find the Society's comments on this project.  In addition, we drafted the attached letter to Forest Supervisor Norm Wagoner expressing our concern about the project and asking how we can resolve these issues.
 
We were very pleased to see that the MN DNR provide substantive comments on this project that largely echoed the Society's concerns.  It is extremely important that the Forest Service hear from a broad range of stakeholders in these cases.  Now that I have this email system worked out, I hope to provide you with more timely notification so that should you desire to get involved in these issues you will have the information in time to meet the deadlines.
 
Please feel free to forward this message to other interested people and recommend others for the list.  Let me know if you are changing email addresses in order to ensure you continue to get these messages.
 
Rick Horton
Ruffed Grouse Society
218-327-2524