The Department of Natural Resources will host an open house on Wednesday, Oct. 15, to provide information and receive public comment on proposed forest management treatments for 2010 in the Grayling Management Unit. The open house will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Grayling Forest Management Unit office on M 93 in Grayling.

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 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 will be available at the open house, 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. Compartments under review this year are in Frederic, Lovells, Grayling, Maple Forest and Beaver Creek townships in Crawford County; Greenwood, Elmer, Clinton, Comins and Big Creek townships in Oscoda County; and Oscoda and AuSable townships in Iosco County.

The formal compartment review to decide on prescriptions for these areas is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Grayling Forest Management Unit office in Grayling.

Individuals attending the meeting are requested to refrain from using heavily-scented personal care products, in order to enhance accessibility for everyone. Persons with disabilities needing accommodations for the Grayling Forest Management Unit open house should contact Susan Thiel at 989-348-6371, ext 7440, a minimum of five business days before this event/meeting. Requests made less than five business days before this event may not be accommodated.