The Department of Natural Resources will host an open house for the Baldwin area on Tuesday, Oct. 28, and for the Cadillac area on Wednesday, Oct. 29, to provide information and receive public comment on proposed forest management treatments for 2010 in the Cadillac Management Unit. The Baldwin Area Open House will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Baldwin Field Office at 2468 West 24th St. in Baldwin, and the Cadillac Area Open House will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Manton VFW Hall, 603 State St. in Manton.

Each year, DNR personnel inventory and evaluate one-tenth of the state forest land base. Information gathered includes the health, quality and quantity of forest and plant 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 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 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 Baldwin open house will focus on compartments in Lake and Osceola counties. Townships with compartments in Lake County include Newkirk Township. Osceola County includes Burdell, Leroy, Marion, Sylvan, Orient and Evart townships. The Cadillac Unit open house will focus on compartments in Wexford and Missaukee counties. Wexford County includes Hanover and Greenwood townships and Missaukee County includes Bloomfield, Forest and Holland townships. Also included as part of the meetings will be red pine areas identified as part of the Red Pine Project in Hanover Township in Wexford County, and the Strategic Plan for the Pere Marquette State Game Area in Mason County. The formal compartment review to decide on prescriptions for these areas is scheduled for 9 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Cadillac Public Library, 411 South Lake St.

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 any of these meetings should contact Bill Sterrett at 231-775-9727 extension 6046 a minimum of five business days before the meeting. Requests made less than five business days before the meeting may not be accommodated.