Public Lands

Intro

Your Public Lands

  • Forests, parks, trails, hunting land and more

    The DNR takes care of approximately 4.6 million acres of public lands owned by Michigan residents. Sound management of these public lands in many ways drives the quality of life we all value. When our lands are well managed, they contribute significantly to the health of our families and our environment and the strength of our economy. Public lands also offer Michigan residents and visitors ample opportunities to snowmobile, put a boat in the water, hunt, camp, hike, watch wildlife and learn about history – just to name a few of their benefits.

    State forests - 3.85 million acres | State parks - 363,000 acres | State game & waterfowl areas - 364,000 acres

Related Links

Public Land Strategy

2013 strategy

  • The public land strategy, originally created in 2013, provides a framework for the conservation and management of DNR-managed public lands to ensure their best use for the benefit of Michigan residents, visitors and the state’s natural resources.

Read the 2013 public land strategy »

Looking ahead

  • An updated public land strategy, which must be submitted to the Michigan Legislature for consideration and approval by July 1, 2021, will explain why a public land base is so important and provide goals, strategies and measurable objectives to guide us in:

    • Protecting and preserving Michigan’s natural and cultural resources.
    • Providing spaces for quality outdoor recreation opportunities.
    • Promoting natural resources management.

    Michigan has an abundance of public lands, including more than 3.6 million acres managed by the federal government and tens of thousands of acres of lands managed by counties, municipalities and townships. This plan will recognize the importance of these other public lands but will focus almost exclusively on those managed by the DNR.

Additional Information

Economic value of public lands

  • DNR-managed public lands play a significant role supporting many aspects of Michigan’s economy:

    • Michigan’s state parks, which draw 28 million visitors each year, act as a catalyst to attract out-of-state tourists and provide a focal point for activities that drive local economies.
    • Michigan’s state game and wildlife areas, state forests and state parks offer abundant places to hunt, fish and watch wildlife, all activities that help drive the state’s economy. Hunting contributes almost $9 billion, fishing contributes more than $2 billion and wildlife viewing contributes more than $1 billion annually.
    • Home to many tourist attractions – known for both their unique natural beauty and their rich history – DNR-managed lands are the backbone of Michigan’s $20 billion-plus tourism industry.
    • Harbors and boat launches on DNR-managed lands also provide access to the Great Lakes and inland lakes and streams for boating, which has an economic impact of more than $7 billion a year in Michigan. 
    • State forest land supplies more than 20% of the timber consumed by the forest industry statewide. The industry contributes $21.2 billion and more than 99,000 jobs to the economy annually.