February/March 2015 Minnesota WoodlandsMFA: an organization of, by and for Minnesota’s private woodland owners and friends. www.MinnesotaForestry.org Minnesota Forestry Association (MFA) BOYG Update Information@ MinnesotaForestry.org MFA’s Boots on Your Ground Program has just taken 218-326-6486 a giant step forward. Now, professional foresters have 26874 County Road 91 volunteered to do Boots on Your Ground visits in 52 PO Box 496 counties, which are most of the forested counties in the Grand Rapids MN 55744 state. The counties are: Administrative Assistant Aitkin Dakota Lake of the Scott Carol Cartie Anoka Douglas Woods Sherburne Becker Fillmore Mahnomen St. Louis MFA Newsletter Beltrami Grant Marshall Stearns Vol. 17 No. 1 Benton Goodhue Mille Lacs Stevens Big Stone Hennepin Morrison Todd February/March 2015 Carlton Houston Olmsted Traverse The Minnesota Carver Hubbard Ottertail Wabasha Woodlands newsletter Cass Isanti Pennington Wadena is published by the Chisago Kanabec Pine Washington Minnesota Forestry Clay Kittson Pope Wilkin Association. Clearwater Koochiching Ramsey Winona Cook Lake Red Lake MFA Board Crow Wing Roseau Meetings Minnesotans will Under the Program, for just $50, a landowner can get Cambridge DNR participate in a Office, 10 am – 3 pm a two-hour visit from a professional forester. The two hours can be spent walking the woods, or sitting at the Guinness World Record • April 14, 2015 kitchen table while discussing questions and plans, or a Attempt for Tree combination of the two. Planting Conference Calls On Wednesday, May 20th, teams 8 – 9 am This program is open to all of Minnesota’s private woodland owners but you, as a MFA member, are hearing across the United States, including • February 10, 2015 two in Minnesota, will attempt about it first. If you are interested in having a forester • March 10, 2015 to set a record for number of walk your land with you, you should get the process trees planted in one hour. The • May 12, 2015 started by sending in the enclosed application with your attempt is being coordinated by check for $50 now. Your actual visit can be scheduled at the Sustainable Forestry Initiative a time convenient for both you and the forester. It could and is likely to result in more than be later this winter or next spring, summer or fall. 200,000 seedlings being planted in a single hour. Editor An added bonus for you as a MFA member is that you In Minnesota, Quintin Legler, Linda Dinkel can ask follow-up questions on our Forester Phone Line, UPM Blandin Paper in Grand Editor@Minnesota which is a free service for members only. Non-members Rapids will lead one team. Mark Forestry.org who have questions later are expected to pay for the Reed, St. Louis County Deputy forester’s time on the phone. Land Commissioner, will lead the Design/layout second team. If you would like Peg Churchwell This program is coordinated by the Minnesota Forestry to participate, contact Quintin at Lady Dog Design Association under a grant from the Minnesota DNR Quintin.Legler@upm-kymmene. PegChurchwell17@ and the U.S. Forest Service. For more information, com or Mark at ReedM@StLouis gmail.com see www.MinnesotaForestry.org or call MFA’s office at CountyMN.gov. 218-326-6486. Minnesota Forestry Association 2015 Board of Directors MFA Board Actions John O’Reilly, president The MFA board meets every month. Members are welcome to sit in on any meeting. See the 40361 Grace Lake Road Hinckley, MN 55037 meeting dates and a list of board members elsewhere in this newsletter. Contact any board 320-655-4411/cell 612-590-7375 member for further information. For a copy of minutes from any recent meeting, contact Carol [email protected] Cartie at [email protected] or 218-326-6486. Chuck Erickson, vice president 34115 County Highway 74 Battle Lake, MN 56515 Board Election Results 218-495-3321/cell 218-205-9001 Thanks to all the members who took the time to vote in [email protected] our recent Board Elections. All of the candidates who were Dennis Thompson, treasurer nominated were elected. 130 Southgate Drive Aitkin, MN 56431 Re-elected candidates: Office 218-927-6565 Cell 218-821-8684 Chad Converse, Motley .................................116 votes [email protected] Peggy Meseroll, Esko .....................................119 votes Lyle Keller, secretary John O’Reilly, Hinckley .................................111 votes 28814 Gilbertson Drive Peterson MN 55962 David Roerick, Grand Rapids .......................113 votes 507-875-2215/cell 507-272-8883 Al Schacht, Zumbro Falls ..............................112 votes Bruce ZumBahlen, One new candidate was elected to a two-year term: past president 8203 Innsdale Avenue South Stan Grossman, Park Rapids .........................120 votes Cottage Grove, MN 55016 651-458-0483 In addition, three people each received one write-in vote: [email protected] Gary Anderson, Outing; Tom Kroll, Long Prairie; and Barb Stan Grossman, sergeant at arms Spears, St. Paul. If YOU are interested in being considered A drawing was held for a new P.O. Box 422 Park Rapids, MN 56470 for a position on the MFA board next year, contact either Pickaroon among those who 218-252-8572 member of our nominating committee: Bruce ZumBahlen at responded to the survey. The winner [email protected] is William Johnson, Two Harbors. [email protected] or Al Schacht at 507-753-3214. Congratulations! Al Schacht 58145 350th Avenue Zumbro Falls, MN 55991 507-753-3214 “MFA continues to be a well- [email protected] Ballot Survey Results managed organization because David Roerick 319 NE 8th Street In Response to the survey question: Under of the top quality people willing Grand Rapids, MN 55744 MFA’s Boots-on-Your-Ground Program, for to serve on its Board as indicated 218-326-3774 [email protected] payment of $50 landowners can have a two- by the above candidates.” Robert Asproth, Mahtowa MN Chad Converse hour walk on their land with a professional 12113 61st Avenue SW forester. If MFA’s Boots-on-Your-Ground Motley MN 56466 218-352-6987 Program becomes available in your area, “I think MFA does a great job of [email protected] would you: representation. Thanks for all of Peggy Meseroll the hard and valuable work!” 140 Manisto Road 1. Sign up right away? 36% Esko MN 55733-9715 Jan Bernu, Cloquet MN 218-879-2418 2. Possibly sign up in the future? 36% [email protected] 3. Definitely not sign up? 28% Pat Lanin 5866 Camp Lake Drive Brainerd MN 56401 Thank you to the many members who 218-764-3315 And in response to the question, [email protected] included comments or suggestions with their “What other, if any, services would Ex-Officio Members ballot. A small sampling of their remarks: Gary Michael you like to see MFA strive to provide?” DNR Cooperative Forest Management (CFM) coordinator “I’m glad I signed on as a Life member many 1810 30th Street NW ““Current stumpage prices; available firewood; Faribault, MN 55021-1843 years ago. Still kicking at 90 years old and 507-333-2012 x221 finally got all the wood ticks picked off! Keep permits on Federal, State and county land.” [email protected] Richard Holter, Cohasset MN Mike Reichenbach up the good work! You all do a great job for the Regional Extension Educator MFA.” Bill Marshall, Grand Rapids MN – Keep U of MN Extension 179 University Road “kicking and picking”, Bill, and thank you for “More attention to taxes and to Cloquet, MN 55720 your years of support and involvement with insects and diseases. I wonder 218-726-6470 [email protected] MFA! if students in forestry education are getting the degree of training Jim Lemmerman 6316 Nashua Street they need regarding insects and Duluth, MN 55807 diseases.” David Davis, Saint 218-624-3847 [email protected] Paul MN 2 Continued on page 3 Notes From DNR Forestry A Day in the Life of a DNR Forester: Tony Miller Just like no two foresters are alike, no two days are alike for landowners to local Tony Miller. A Department of Natural Resources forester since resources. The last March of 1996, Tony is the local lead for the Private Forest thing he wants Management Program in the Little Falls Area, and he loves is for someone’s the diversity of people, forests, and challenges that every stewardship plan to week brings. Every day is another chance to learn something sit on a shelf and new, whether it’s discovering a rare, healthy butternut tree, collect dust. detecting emerald ash borers, or managing buckthorn. Tony is also the Tony meets with John Anderson on the Half of Tony’s job requires him to work with private forest local go-to guy for Katherine Anderson tree farm. landowners in Sherburne, Stearns, Wright, Kanabec, Mille forestry questions. Lacs, Morrison, Todd, and Benton counties. Including Tony, When the local Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil the DNR employs nine DNR foresters who have private and Water Conservation District, or county office receives forest management responsibilities. While field visits to requests from private landowners for help with tree planting, private forests (still a free service!) release him from office timber stand improvements, or other activities, Tony provides work, much of what Tony does is help landowners navigate the necessary technical advice. He assists landowners with through two tax programs designed to help their forests and their seedlings orders from the DNR state forest nursery, save them money. Tony knows each tax program inside and writes tree planting and other project plans (e.g. buckthorn out, but essentially, both programs require that landowners removal), meets with landowners when they have insect have a forest stewardship plan written for their site.