ATUR F N AL O R T E N S E O U M R T C R E A S STATE OF MICHIGAN P E DNR D M ICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Michigan State Forest Management Plan 2008 DRAFT FOREST, MINERAL, AND FIRE MANAGEMENT and WILDLIFE DIVISIONS www.michigan.gov/dnr/ This page was intentionally left blank. MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES FOREST, MINERAL, AND FIRE MANAGEMENT and WILDLIFE DIVISIONS DRAFT January 2008 Michigan State Forest Management Plan David L. Price, Editor MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES (DNR) MISSION STATEMENT “The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the State’s natural resources for current and future generations.” NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION (NRC) STATEMENT The Natural Resources Commission, as the governing body for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, provides a strategic framework for the DNR to effectively manage your resources. The NRC holds monthly, public meetings throughout Michigan, working closely with its constituencies in establishing and improving natural resources management policy. MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES NON DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) provides equal opportunities for employment and access to Michigan’s natural resources. Both State and Federal laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, age, sex, height, weight or marital status under the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 as amended (MI PA 453 and MI PA 220, Title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act). If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility, or if you desire additional information, please write: HUMAN RESOURCES Or MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL RIGHTS Or OFFICE FOR DIVERSITY AND CIVIL RIGHTS MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES CADILLAC PLACE US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE PO BOX 30028 3054 W. GRAND BLVD., SUITE 3-600 4040 NORTH FAIRFAX DRIVE LANSING MI 48909-7528 DETROIT MI 48202 ARLINGTON VA 22203 ATUR F N AL O R T E For information or assistance on this publication, contact the MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, S N E O U M R T C Fisheries Division, PO BOX 30446, LANSING, MI 48909, or call 517-373-1280. R E A S P E DNR D TTY/TDD: 711 (Michigan Relay Center) M ICHIGAN Suggested Citation Format Michigan Department of Natural Resources. 2008. Draft Michigan state forest management plan. D.L. Price, editor. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Forest, Mineral, and Fire Management Division and Wildlife Division, Lansing. ii Draft Michigan State Forest Management Plan January 2008 Table of Contents List of Figures ...........................................................................................................vii List of Tables ........................................................................................................... viii List of Appendices...................................................................................................... x Preface and Acknowledgements................................................................................xi Executive Summary..................................................................................................xii Components of the State Forest Management Plan .................................................. 1 1.1 Purpose and Use of the Plan......................................................................................... 1 1.2 Plan Organization and Relationship to other Plans ....................................................... 3 1.3 DNR State Forestland Management System................................................................. 5 1.4 Mission, Vision, and Strategic Goals for the State Forest.............................................. 6 1.4.1 Mission and Vision for the State Forest................................................................... 6 1.4.2 Strategic Goals........................................................................................................ 7 Ecological Goals ........................................................................................................... 7 Social-Economic Goals ................................................................................................. 7 1.5 Statewide Ownerships and Management Unit Boundaries ........................................... 8 1.6 Plan Implementation and Communications ................................................................... 8 Figures................................................................................................................................. 9 Tables ................................................................................................................................ 11 Forest History .......................................................................................................... 12 2.1 Pre-European Settlement History (Glaciation to 1800s).............................................. 12 2.2 Post-European Settlement History (1600s to 1900) .................................................... 14 2.3 Contemporary History (1900 to the present) ............................................................... 17 Figures............................................................................................................................... 21 Tables ................................................................................................................................ 26 Current Forest Conditions, Uses, and Trends.......................................................... 29 3.1 General Land Cover and Forest Resource Base......................................................... 30 3.1.1 Statewide Forest Conditions and Trends .............................................................. 30 3.1.2 DNR-Owned Forestland Conditions and Trends ................................................... 33 Aspen Association....................................................................................................... 34 Northern Hardwoods ................................................................................................... 34 Jack Pine..................................................................................................................... 35 Red Pine ..................................................................................................................... 36 Mixed Swamp Conifers ............................................................................................... 37 Oak Association .......................................................................................................... 37 Cedar Swamp ............................................................................................................. 38 White Pine................................................................................................................... 39 Hemlock ...................................................................................................................... 39 Lowland Hardwoods.................................................................................................... 40 Grasslands .................................................................................................................. 40 3.1.3 Timber Harvest Trends.......................................................................................... 41 Aspen ..........................................................................................................................41 iii Draft Michigan State Forest Management Plan January 2008 Jack Pine..................................................................................................................... 42 Northern Hardwoods................................................................................................... 42 Red Pine ..................................................................................................................... 43 Oak.............................................................................................................................. 43 Minor Cover Types...................................................................................................... 43 3.2 Forest Health Conditions and Trends.......................................................................... 44 3.2.1 Cervid Herbivory.................................................................................................... 45 3.2.2 Emerald Ash Borer ................................................................................................ 46 Quarantine Considerations ......................................................................................... 47 3.2.3 Beech Bark Disease.............................................................................................. 47 3.2.4 Eastern Larch Beetle and Larch Caseborer .......................................................... 48 3.2.5 Gypsy Moth ........................................................................................................... 48 3.2.6 Oak Wilt................................................................................................................. 48 3.2.7 Red-Headed Pine Sawfly ...................................................................................... 49 3.2.8 Jack Pine Budworm..............................................................................................