Officials with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources are asking residents to share their thoughts on the latest changes made to the state’s 10-year forest management plan.
The plan, which outlines how Michigan’s publicly owned state forests will be managed for the next 10 years, first went out for public review in late 2024. However, the review process was delayed as a result of severe ice storms that hit northern Michigan in March, damaging thousands of miles of trails and over 920,000 acres of state forest lands.
“This was a once-in-a-century storm, and it has had a significant impact on the northern Lower Peninsula,” said Dan Heckman, DNR forest planning and modeling specialist. “It also had a significant impact on parts of our plan.”
Heckman joined Local 4 on Friday to share more about how the ice storms impacted the state’s forest management plan and what kind of input they are looking for from residents.
The current plan review period runs through Oct. 12.
Use the media player above to watch the full conversation.
