Demonstration sites are located within the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation, Cutfoot Experimental Forest, and Chippewa National Forest off of the Third River Road NE of Deer River.
The FMNB Field Day is a one-day in-person field-based workshop for natural resource professionals to explore sites with non-traditional applied forest management strategies and discuss how they support forest bird and wildlife communities, while promoting forest health and ecosystem resilience. Participants will visit a series of actively managed forest sites where silvicultural treatments were designed to emulate natural disturbance and create a diversity of forest conditions and habitat structures. The group will also discuss alternative management options and the costs, benefits, and tradeoffs associated with each approach. The field day will also provide opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, discussion, and the sharing of practical strategies that participants can use to inform their own management decisions.
- Snowshoe Hare Habitat Enhancement Project: Creation of habitat brush piles, downed woody material, and structural diversity by the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Wildlife Program in upland conifer
- Cutfoot Sioux Experimental Forest: Variable density thinning and Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change sites in red pine cover types to increase structural heterogeneity and stand resilience
- Rx Fire Burn Unit: Using prescribed to help restore natural processes and manage for pine species in the fire dependent northern mixed pine woodlands and maintain habitat conditions favorable for Black-backed Woodpeckers
Learning Objectives:
- Raise awareness of how structurally and compositionally diverse habitat features can support forest birds.
- Learn how to integrate forest bird conservation strategies into forest management plans and silvicultural prescriptions.
- Build understanding of how forest management considerations that increase complexity and diversity can result in multiple benefits for biodiversity conservation, forest health, and climate adaptation.
Cost: This event is open to all interested learners. $75 for SFEC members, $140 for non-members, $40 for students. Lunch and beverages will be provided.
Accessibility: We will be in the field with access to restrooms only during lunch at the Cut Foot Sioux Horse Camp. Attendees should be prepared to walk about a mile over uneven terrain throughout the day. For questions related to accommodations reach out to Peter Dieser at [email protected].
CEs: This event is rated for 4.5 MN FSP CEs; SAF and TWS CFE ratings are pending.