The Department of Natural Resources will host an open house for the Traverse City area on Monday, Nov. 24, and for the Kalkaska area on Tuesday, Nov. 25, to provide information and receive public comment on proposed forest management treatments for 2010 in the Traverse City Management Unit. The Kalkaska area open house will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Kalkaska Field Office at 2089 North Birch St. and the Traverse City area open house will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Traverse City Field Office at 970 Emerson Rd.

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, 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 Traverse City open house and compartment review will focus on compartments in Manistee, Benzie and Grand Traverse counties. The Kalkaska open house and compartment review will focus on compartments in Kalkaska County. Townships with compartments in Manistee County include Pleasanton and Springdale; Benzie County includes Platte and Weldon townships; Grand Traverse County includes Union and Whitewater townships and Kalkaska County includes Orange, Rapid River, Kalkaska, Boardman, Springfield, Garfield, Bear Lake, Excelsior and Blue Lake townships.

The formal compartment reviews to decide on prescriptions for these areas are scheduled for 9 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 10, for the Kalkaska area at the Stone House at 419 South Coral St., and 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, at the East Bay Township Hall at 1965 Three Mile Road North for the Traverse City area.

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 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.