The Department of Natural Resources will host an open house Wednesday, Dec. 3, to provide information and receive public comment on proposed forest management treatments for 2010 and the Red Pine Project in the Shingleton management unit. The open house will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. EST at the Wyman Nursery, located at 480N Intake Park Rd. in Manistique.

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.

Much of the current red pine resource on state forest land was established through large planting programs in the 1930s and late 1950s/early 1960s. These efforts, including work by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), were intended to plant abandoned farm land and stump fields left from the early logging days and control soil erosion. These areas have become productive forests with mature stands of trees. The intent of the Red Pine Project is to provide managers with guidelines that use ecological, social and economic considerations to harvest red pine stands that are at, or near maturity, using techniques that improve future stands, and their health and productivity. This is the second implementation phase of the Red Pine Project and is funded through the Michigan Forest Finance Authority and the 21st Century Jobs Fund.

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 Burt and Munising townships in Alger County; Hiawatha, Manistique, Seney and Thompson townships in Schoolcraft County; and Fairbanks and Garden townships in Delta County.

The formal compartment review to decide on prescriptions for these areas is scheduled for 9 a.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 18, at the Munising Township Hall at E9630 Prospect St. in Wetmore.

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 Shingleton Forest Management Unit Open House should contact Jeff Stampfly at 906 452 6227, extension 240, a minimum of five (5) business days before this event/meeting. Requests made less than five (5) business days before the event may not be accommodated.