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August 24, 2016
This is a short news update on private forest land from the Department of Natural Resources. We hope this information will help in the management, protection and enjoyment of your forests.
Sen. Gary Peters tours private forest lands in the Upper Peninsula
Earlier this year, Sen. Gary Peters visited an active logging operation on a large private forest in the eastern Upper Peninsula. The Hiawatha Sportsman’s Club is a 35,000-acre property in Mackinac County that was established in 1927. The club’s vast forests are managed by the Grossman Forestry Company of Newberry. The club has a forest management plan to guide its forest management activities and is certified for sustainable forest management through the American Tree Farm System.
The tour was organized by the Michigan Association of Timbermen (MAT) and the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association (GLTPA) to showcase issues that impact forest landowners and small businesses in the forest products industry. Northland Harvesting Inc. of Newberry was the logger for the timber harvest and provided its forester, Jack Thomas, and company president, Bill Brand, for the tour. Brand is a certified Master Logger, and Northland Harvesting is a member of MAT and GLTPA.
The tour included a ride in a fully loaded log truck and an explanation of forest management activities. With some expert guidance from Brand, the U.S. senator even cut down a few trees with a Ponsse Ergo harvester, a very impressive machine that every little kid and most grown-ups would be thrilled to operate. The tour was a great opportunity to highlight the ecological importance of Michigan’s 12.6 million acres of private forest land and the economic importance of the state's $20.3 billion forest products industry.
"I appreciated the opportunity to live the life of a logger for a few hours with Northland Harvesting and learn more about the economic, regulatory and environmental realities that impact the forestry industry,” Senator Peters said. “The dedicated foresters and loggers in the Upper Peninsula are a critical part of our state’s economy, and I am committed to ensuring they have the necessary resources to effectively manage and maintain healthy, resilient forest land. As a member of the Commerce and Small Business committees, I am also looking for ways to expand the market for forest products by incentivizing innovative uses of biomaterials in existing industries like  construction and manufacturing."
Forest Management Policy
Elected officials, both state and federal, provide support for private forest land owners. State policy-makers reward landowners who manage for timber production for the forest products industry with lower property taxes through the Commercial Forest Program and the Qualified Forest Program, which allows them to avoid fragmentation and development of private forest land. Federal lawmakers authorize funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Forest Stewardship Program that provide financial assistance to lower management costs. State lawmakers authorize funding for the Forestry Assistance Program that provides helpful forestry advice. Lawmakers regulate parts of the forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) that protect our soil and water quality and also protect forest landowners through the Right to Forest Act. Therefore, interactive tours like this are important to keep policy-makers informed about current issues in forest management.
Forest Facts.
Did you know that Michigan has about 800 loggers and truckers, 260 primary sawmills that process logs or pulpwood, and 1,500 secondary manufacturers that convert boards and paper into other products in our $20.3 billion forest products industry? The DNR conducts surveys to track and assist the forest products industry.
Important Dates:
September 1: deadline to apply for the Qualified Forest Program
April 1: deadline to apply for the Commercial Forest Program
Questions?
To learn more about programs to assist private forest landowners or to find the DNR service forester in your area go to www.michigan.gov/privateforestland or contact Mike Smalligan, DNR forest stewardship coordinator, at smalliganm@michigan.gov or 517-284-5884.
/Editors' note: Accompanying photos are available below for download. A suggested caption follows.
Senator Peters Ponsse.jpg: Sen. Gary Peters and Master Logger Bill Brand harvest a tree in a Ponsse Ergo harvester.
Senator Peters Tree Farm.jpg: Jack Thomas, Sen. Gary Peters, Jerry Grossman and Bill Brand stand at a timber sale at the Hiawatha Sportsman's Club./
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.
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