In a surprise move Thursday, Minnesota DNR officials agreed to a one-year moratorium on timber harvesting in the state-owned portion of Sand Dunes State Forest.

 

The action came at the end of a Minnesota House environmental services hearing on a proposed bill by Rep. Jim Newberger, R, Becker.

 

Newberger had lined up supporters at the hearing for his bill, HF 3261, which was to better control harvesting and provide immediate communication on proposed DNR cuttings in the future.

 

A major part of his bill was to have it affect the seven-county metropolitan area - plus continguous counties - including Sherburne and the Sand Dunes.

 

But DNR officials contended that would be too restrictive on their forest management, thus, they agreed to the one-year moratorium on the Sand Plains forests only.

 

It will not affect the two sections of the Sand Plains forest which are owned by the Minnesota School Trust, but managed by the DNR.

 

Forrest Boe, DNR division of forestry director, who attended Monday’s information meeting, made the counter-proposal for the moratorium.

 

Terms of the agreement would be to allow present timber harvesting permits to go on. But it would affect those which were to have been let to control Fall, 2016 cutting.

 

Several members of the Sand Dunes citizen action committee, including Bob Quady and Ron Guerts, addressed the House committee, explaining the need for more controls on cutting.

 

But at the end of the 30-plus minute session, all agreed with the DNR moratorium proposal - and Newberger’s bill was set aside.

 

The DNR people also agreed, as they suggested at Monday’s information meeting at BLHS (see related story), there should be continuing meetings where various issues with the forest and logging would be addressed; they being selection of timberlands and harvesting, burning of tree refuse, road conditions resulting from logging, hunting and others.

 

Orrock Supervisors Bob Hassett and Bryan Adams also attended the hearing. A major issue to them is restoration of township roads following extensive trucking use.

 

“It’s a giant first step,” said Guerts of the moratorium. “But it hasn’t changed the minds of people who want to turn forest into grassland.”

 

How long the current cuttings will continue is unknown.

 

Guerts reported the tree harvesting in the neighborhood of his home, on 70th Street, was likely to be concluded in two to three weeks, perhaps a month.