June 3, 2011

The Department of Natural Resources will host open houses on Monday, June 27, and Tuesday, June 28, to provide information and receive public comment on proposed forest management treatments for 2013 in the Gaylord Management Unit.

The June 27 open house will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Gaylord Field Office for treatments proposed in Antrim, Charlevoix and Otsego counties. The June 28 open house will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Indian River Field office for treatments proposed in Cheboygan and Emmet counties.

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; archaeological sites; minerals; recreational use; wildfire potential and social factors, including proximity to roads and neighborhoods; and use on adjacent lands, public and private. Proposed treatments, which may include timber harvesting, replanting and other management activities, are designed to ensure the sustainability of the resources and ecosystems.

The open house is 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 for the Gaylord Forest Management Unit will be available at the open house, and can be accessed at www.michigan.gov/forestplan.

Each management unit is divided into smaller units or compartments to facilitate better administration of the resources. Compartments under review this year are in Bliss, Carp Lake and Pleasantview townships in Emmet County; Hebron, Tuscarora, Koehler, Waverly, Walker and Wilmot townships in Cheboygan County; Hayes, Otsego Lake and Charlton townships in Otsego County; Chandler and Peaine townships in Charlevoix County; and Mancelona and Warner townships in Antrim County.

The formal compartment review to decide on prescriptions for these areas is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 19, at the Northland Sportsmen's Club in Gaylord. Persons with disabilities needing accommodations for these meetings should contact Joyce Angel-Ling at 989-732-3541, ext. 5440.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.