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April
29, 2025
Now Available: Forestry for Minnesota
Birds Guidebook
Photo courtesy of USFWS. Several
bird species, like this Scarlet Tanager, benefit from healthy,
well-managed forests.
Did you know about 150 of Minnesota’s 250 nesting bird
species rely on forests? When thriving and resilient, Minnesota's
forests can make a big difference in helping reverse the decline of
bird populations. A newly released guidebook Forestry for
Minnesota Birds highlights this connection between
birds and forest habitats, including silvicultural strategies that
can benefit both.
Minnesota Forest Resources Council members and staff
were among steering committee members who contributed site- and
landscape-level considerations to the guidebook, which is grounded in
the best available avian ecology and sustainable forest management practices.
It offers practical insights into managing forests that support birds
and wildlife by enhancing, creating, and conserving their habitats.
The guidebook also accounts for landowners' goals, the promotion of
forest health and resiliency, and adaptation to climate change.
“Forestry
for Minnesota Birds is the result of expert collaboration
to provide science-backed strategies for stewarding Minnesota’s birds
and forests,” said Dale Gentry, director of conservation for Audubon
Upper Mississippi River, who represents conservation organizations as
an MFRC member. “It’s a unique resource to empower Minnesotans to
create resilient habitats that support our bird populations and
strengthen forest health for generations to come.”
Visit the Forest Stewards
Guild site to register for the June 18 Forestry for Minnesota Birds talk
and field tour.
Meet East Central Landscape Committee
Vice Chair Alexis Monti
Pictured from left, East Central
Landscape Committee members Greg Beck, Bob Milne, and Vice Chair
Alexis Monti. Not pictured: Committee Chair Bob Tomlinson.
Alexis Monti first engaged with the MFRC East Central
Landscape Committee through her role with Wild Rivers Conservancy.
The connection has since grown into a meaningful extension of her
efforts to promote land stewardship as the conservancy’s climate resiliency
specialist.
Alexis made the move from coastal Massachusetts to
Minnesota just over two years ago. Drawing on her degrees in
environmental science and natural resources conservation, she
provides landowners across the St. Croix Watershed with educational
outings and resources to steward their lands.
According to Alexis, East Central Landscape Committee
meetings serve as a vital space to make connections, share knowledge,
identify and address needs, and guide management across sectors and
organizations. The committee also provides unique access to a diverse
array of voices—timber professionals, landowners, wildlife managers,
nonprofits, and many more contribute to the conversation.
“The Committee has introduced me to numerous partners I
wouldn't have known about otherwise and has provided opportunities
for me to learn about new topics and programs that I don't often get
exposed to,” Alexis said. "No other group keeps me as well
connected and up to date as the East Central Committee.”
“Committee Chair Bob Tomlinson does an amazing job of
engaging and supporting future leaders such as Alexis,” said MFRC
Landscape Program Coordinator Jaime Thibodeaux. “Alexis’ connections
and perspectives from the conservation and nonprofit communities have
been integral to fostering diverse regional committee membership.”
The East Central Landscape Committee has focused
recently on a broad range of topics related to stewarding forest
resources, including wildlife management, savannah and open habitat,
reforestation, carbon credits, and biochar. Activities are directed
by the recently updated regional landscape plan spearheaded with
Tomlinson’s leadership. The planning occurred during the height of
COVID through frequent virtual meetings. Currently, the committee is
enjoying the additional discussions and relationship building
opportunities that in-person meetings offer.
This feature is part of an ongoing newsletter series
introducing chairs of the MFRC’s six regional landscape committees.
The MFRC Landscape Program is voluntary, grassroots, and incorporates
the broad variety of interests and perspectives of forest management
and forest resource issues.
Earth Day Event Focuses on Cleaner
Skies, Sustainable Fuels Research
Pictured from left at the
Sustainable Aviation Fuel for Minnesota Earth Day event are MFRC
Executive Director Eric Schenck, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Commissioner Katrina Kessler, and Delta Vice President of State and
Local Government Affairs Jeff Davidman.
Minnesota continues efforts to advance a home-grown Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
industry to help meet state and national climate goals. On
Earth Day, partners in this effort announced $75,000 in state funding to support
the University of Minnesota’s Forever Green Initiative and its
research on Winter Camelina, a promising new SAF
feedstock.
SAF is the aviation industry's most powerful near-term
tool for cutting emissions—offering up to a 94 percent reduction
compared to conventional jet fuel. The MFRC supports the development
of a Minnesota SAF industry that benefits rural economies and creates
a market for environmentally responsible feedstocks.
Some are surprised to learn that the path to more
sustainable flights can extend from fields to forests. Minnesota has
a renewable supply of underutilized woody biomass that can be used
for SAF production while supporting investment in proactive forest management
that creates more vigorous forests and resilience to pests and
wildfire.
Carbon & Minnesota Forests:
Webinar Breaks Down Research Findings
Curious about how forest management can impact carbon in
Minnesota’s forests? Hear from researchers on the topic in this March webinar, hosted by the
Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative.
The MFRC has been working for years to better understand
Minnesota’s forest carbon cycle and its role in reaching the state’s
climate action goals. Recent research conducted by the University of
Minnesota, through a grant from the MFRC, dives into how different
forest management practices could affect the carbon stored in our
forests and the wood products they produce over time.
Watch the webinar for a walk through
of the study, which incorporates a life cycle analysis that looks at
the carbon storage trade-offs associated with various forest
management practices and products. Want to dive deeper into the
project? Read the research report or contact the
MFRC to schedule a presentation for your group.
Explore the Updated Plan for Northern
Region Sustainable Forest Management
Northern Landscape Committee Chair
James Aasen (second from left) announces the release of the Northern
Landscape Plan with MFRC Landscape Advisory Committee Chair Michael
Stansberry (left,), MFRC Chair Pete Aube, and Regional Landscape
Program Coordinator Jaime Thibodeaux.
The Minnesota Forest Resources Council is excited to
share the updated Northern Landscape Plan. The
plan guides sustainable forest management across Koochiching, Lake of
the Woods, and northern Beltrami counties, which cover vast boreal
forests and peatlands. Developed through broad stakeholder
engagement, the Northern Landscape Plan considers the region’s
economic, ecological, and social characteristics, including
accounting for declining populations.
Each of the MFRC’s six regional landscape committees
maintain a landscape plan, providing a voluntary, collaborative
framework to support healthy forests across all land ownerships.
Regional landscape plans are designed to be used by wide-ranging
stakeholders, including natural resource professionals of various
disciplines that intersect with forestry (e.g., wildlife and
fisheries specialists), and forest industry and community leaders who
support and are supported by forest resources management.
Learn more about the Northern Landscape
Committee and the updated Northern Region Landscape Plan.
What We're Reading
How Changing
Winter Weather Impacts MN Field Foresters’ Work
MFRC member
Michael Kilgore and fellow researchers Charlie Blinn and Stephanie
Snyder examine field foresters’ perceptions of how winter weather
conditions have changed and the impact on their work during logging
season. The research team also released a companion
paper on loggers’ perspectives on the same issue.
Group Convenes to Set
Priorities for Managing, Protecting Native Vegetation
The Minnesota
Board of Soil and Water Resources discusses priorities of the state’s
Native Vegetation and Biodiversity Advisory Team in its April 2025
Snapshots newsletter. Proposed actions include restoring forested
landscapes and building and maintaining forest biodiversity. Learn more
here.
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