The Department of Natural Resources will host an open house Tuesday, Dec. 2, to provide information and receive public comment on proposed forest management treatments for 2010 in the Gladwin Forest Management Unit. The open house will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Gladwin Field Office, located at 801 North Silverleaf in Gladwin.

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 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. The Gladwin Unit open house and compartment review will focus on compartments in Clare, Gladwin, Midland and Arenac Counties. Townships with compartments in Clare County include Redding and Frost. The townships with compartments in Gladwin County include Bourret, Grim North and Grim South. Midland County includes compartments in Geneva, Greendale, Lincoln, Larkin, Jasper and Porter townships and Arenac County includes compartments in Mason, Arenac and Adams townships.

The formal compartment review to decide on prescriptions for these areas is scheduled for 9 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 16, at the Riverwalk Place, located at 777 W. Cedar Rd. in Gladwin.

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 Courtney Borgondy at 989-426-9205 extension 7640 a minimum of five business days before the meeting. Requests made less than five business days before the meeting may not be accommodated.