The Sherburne County Board Tuesday agreed to do whatever was within its power to stop the clear cutting of sections of pine trees at Sand Dunes State Forest.

 

The issue came before the board last month when resident Don Bouley asked the board if they had any authority to affect the DNR’s decision to cut down areas of pine trees in the forest.

 

Tuesday, the board listened to testimony from residents who live adjacent to the forest.

 

One of those residents, Michael Svea, who has lived in the area for 21 years, said there was a bad experience when cutting was done in the forest in the past.

 

“They clear cut one area twice. They managed to go in the day before opening of deer hunting season,” he said. “They cut a path large enough to land a 747 right down the middle of an oak forest where we were planning on hunting deer hunting the next morning. Of course, the deer left after having their land completely destroyed.”

 

He said the clear cutting was supposed to focus on diseased oak trees, but it didn’t stop there.

 

“They also clear cut all sorts of other trees - birch, pine,” he said. “Once it’s been cut and gone - it’s gone.”

 

He said the forest also has lots of poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac,  which will cause respiratory problems if it is burned in controlled burns.

 

“You’re going to have smoke damage insurance claims,” he said.

 

Resident Steve Carr said clear cutting will make the area look like a wasteland, and he had lots of neighbors who were adamantly against cutting.

 

“It’s in my backyard and they want to clear cut and burn for three years,” he said. “I worked my whole life to buy a piece of property like that.”

 

Don Bouley’s land also borders the forest. He said clear cutting is senseless.

 

“We’re going to lose all our wildlife - our birds. We’ve got eagles too,” he said. “If they want to thin them (the pine trees) out, fine, but to clear cut is total destruction.”

 

Not For Harvest

 

Ron Geurts said the claim that the forest was planted for eventual harvest isn’t accurate. He read from a 2005 DNR document about the Sand Dunes State Forest. He said after the dust bowl era of 1933-1934 put an end to farming in the area, the light, worn-out soils took to the air and drifted like snow over the roads and onto front porches. Concerned citizens who wanted to stabilize the drifting sand began experimental tree planting in 1941. Many species including both hardwood and conifers were planted. The conifers surpassed the hardwood species in both survival and growth.”

 

Section 16 and 36 of Orrock Twp., the school trust lands, were set aside by the Minnesota State Government for conservation, thus the Sand Dunes State Forest was born. Over the next eight years it was expanded from the original two square miles to approximately 17 square miles.

 

Despite what the DNR says about red pine plantations, they were not planted for timber production,” he said.

 

In 2012 the state legislature adopted rules pertaining to school trust lands. stating that the DNR must give priority to revenue over conservation when managing school trust lands. 

 

“Why in 2015 would Sherburne County allow 1,000 acres of our state forest to be put under a mandate with maximizing dollars as the criteria for tree cutting agenda.?” he asked. “Do we really want to clear cut 1,000 acres of pines and hope that Mother Nature provides the water to germinate and grow a new forest before the sand starts to drift?”

 

Zoning Administrator Nancy Riddle said she did some research and talked with  local DNR representative.

 

She said the DNR has changed part of its policy regarding re-planting.

 

“Part of the plan was to replant it with trees, but now it has shifted to putting it back into pre-settlement type areas,” she said. “Part of that was dunes with blowing sand.”

 

Commissioner Felix Schmiesing said that’s a problem because we’re no longer in pre-settlement times.

 

“One of the things that really struck me as I read through documents was the repeated mention of returning to pre-settlement days. It’s a little late for that, folks. We’re here,” he said. “They have neighbors. I think they control what they control. But I think it’s just like any other relationship where you have neighbors and you affect them. You should be responsible to them.”

 

He said the county doesn’t have a lot of say in what the DNR does, but the board supports the efforts of the residents.

 

“What I caution you about is to think we have strength that we don’t have,” he said. “You’re going to get a victory today, but in the big view of this battle you’re going to have to fight on, and it’s going to have to involve your local state and federal representatives.”

 

Commissioner Rachel Leonard said she believed the DNR could only be “reigned in” by the federal government.”

 

“Sherburne County owes it to its citizens to involve (Al) Franken and (Amy) Klobuchar. Bring them in here because it’s egregious. There isn’t any sense to what they’re asking to do,” she said. “The DNR has power. The only ones who can stop them are at the federal level, but we as a county owe it to the citizens to start that ball rolling. We can’t make the decision, but we can sure speak loudly through our federal government.”

 

The board voted unanimously to send a letter of opposition to the DNR and to contact state and federal representatives regarding the issue.