Forest Productivity

"Seeing the Forest AND the Trees" Productivity Tour

As our investment in the VFVC initiative suggests, we believe that forests are important economically, historically and culturally to Minnesota.

But the state’s most valuable resource is our people.  Seeing the Forest AND the Trees: How to Make the Most of Minnesota’s Woods was at its heart an investment in people – people who care about, care for, and make their living from the forest.

Throughout 2007-2008, the group traveled and learned together in Minnesota, Canada, Finland, and Sweden. Their experience has already made a positive difference for Minnesota’s forests, forest-based economy, and forest-dependent communities. The group has:

• Articulated and endorsed a vision for productive forests in Minnesota: Minnesota will increase forest productivity by making the necessary investments to improve the quantity, quality and value of our region’s forests and the forest products and benets they provide.
• Organized into action teams to deliver on the vision through five objectives:

  • Develop a forest bioenergy strategy for Minnesota.

  • Appeal to family forest owners by employing existing incentives and creating new incentives that draw them into organization, management, and conservation, using Itasca County as a pilot.

  • Build regional and state-wide constituencies for investment in the productivity of our region’s forests.

  • Use intermediate treatments across all ownerships to advance forest productivity, whether it’s for timber, wildlife, recreation, biodiversity and/or biomass.

  • Rationalize ownership and intensify management of school, swamp, and university trust lands consistent with preservation of environmental values.

Study participants are meeting periodically in 2009 to review progress and adjust course, as appropriate, to ensure their vision and objectives are achieved.

A documentary video provides highlights of the tour. Click on the segments at right to view.