Cass County Board approves forest sources administration plan

BACKUS – Cass County Land Commissioner Kirk Titus presented the Cass County Forest Resource Management Plan to the commissioner’s board meeting on Tuesday, January 19.

Titus said that every 10 years this plan, which covers the use and management of approximately 255,000 acres of forfeited land, needs to be reassessed and updated.

The purpose and benefits of the Forest Resource Management Plan include:

• Description of the district’s forest resources, including their extent, location and current status,

• Setting a desired future condition on which actions are directed,

• Documentation of guidelines, practices and management initiatives for county management,

• Providing the basis for improved coordination with other public and private resource management agencies and

• Promote the continuity of management efforts over time.

The first announcement of the start of the project was published in local newspapers on September 17, 2019 with a public meeting on December 10, 2019. On October 5, 2020, a 30-day, 10-day public comment period was opened for individuals and organizations that contribute. Commissioner Neal Gaalswyk mentioned that he noted that most of the comments were concerns of Lake Andrus residents about the issue of timber harvesting. Titus explained that Lake Andrus is the area that was destroyed by the tornado near Outing in 1969, and therefore old trees are available for harvest on a large amount of land.

Another public comment was a request to open gates for motorized travel at the Deep Portage Conservation Reserve two weeks before the deer hunting season. This comment was sent in the form of a petition with a total of 32 signatures collected.

The Cass County Forest Resources Management Plan has been approved with the following updates:

• Checked and updated text, maps, tables and graphics with current data,

• McKinley Prairie removed as a high conservation value forest and

• The 1976 fire area as a representative sample area has been removed.

There were no policy changes and a change in response to the petition should be determined.

A motion was filed to approve the submitted plan and establish a board committee to discuss the possibility of opening the gates at the Deep Portage Conservation Reserve with Commissioners Jeff Peterson and Bob Kangas, both of whom are volunteering for the committee. The motion was passed unanimously.