The Department of Natural Resources will host an open house for the Kalkaska area on Thursday, Nov. 12, to provide information and receive public comment on proposed forest management treatments for 2011 in the Kalkaska area of the Traverse City Management Unit. The open house will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Kalkaska Field Office, located at 2089 North Birch St.

Each year, DNR personnel inventory and evaluate one-tenth of the state forest. Information gathered includes the health, quality and quantity of all vegetation; wildlife and fisheries habitat and needs; archeological sites; minerals; recreational use; wildfire potential and social factors, including proximity to roads and neighborhoods; and use on adjacent public and private lands. Proposed treatments, which may include timber harvesting, replanting and other management activities, then are designed to ensure the sustainability of the resources and ecosystems.

The open houses are an opportunity for the public to review proposed treatments and to provide input toward final decisions on those treatments. It also provides the public an opportunity to talk with foresters and biologists about issues of interest. Maps and information regarding the proposed treatments will be available at the open houses, and can be accessed at www.michigan.gov/dnr under the Forests, Land & Water section.

Each management unit is divided into smaller units or compartments to facilitate better administration of the resources. The open house and compartment review will focus on compartments in Boardman, Kalkaska, Oliver, Garfield, Bear Lake, and Blue Lake townships.

The formal compartment review to decide on prescriptions for these areas is scheduled for 9 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 3, at the Stone House at 419 South Coral St. in Kalkaska.

Persons with disabilities needing accommodations for any of these meetings should contact David Lemmien at (231) 922-5280 a minimum of five business days before the meeting. Requests made less than five business days before the meeting may not be accommodated.