Comment period open for UBA improvement project at Chippewa National Forest

By Pioneer Staff Report

January 13, 2025 at 2:28 PM

BLACKDUCK 鈥� The Chippewa National Forest is seeking comments regarding the proposed The UBA Project consists of 2,866 acres of National Forest land at the Blackduck Ranger District.

Comments are needed by Saturday, Jan. 25 and can be faxed to (218) 835-3132; sent electronically to douglas.putt@usda.gov with the subject line UBA Project - Public Comment; mailed to the Blackduck Ranger District Office with an address line of "ATTN: Douglas Putt, West Zone Planner, 417 Forestry Dr. NW, Blackduck, MN 56630," and titled "UBA Project Public Comment."

The Forest Service asks that the public comment includes your name, address, telephone number and the title of the project addressed.

The Upper Mississippi - Ten Section Unique Biological Area Habitat Improvement Project is set within a boundary of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe including areas along the Mississippi River between Lake Winnibigoshish and Cass Lake and its primary purpose is to help move vegetative conditions within the area toward the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe鈥檚 Desired Vegetative Conditions (DVCs).

"The proposed vegetation management activities are designed to move toward achieving ecosystem and landscape resilience objectives for the Upper Mississippi River and Ten Section Unique Biological Areas (UBA)," a release said. "This includes improving forest diversity within the context of conditions more representative of native plant communities."

"Forests diverse in composition, structure and age may be more resilient and provide more diverse wildlife habitat conditions," the release added.

The USDA Forest Service is proposing activities to help aid the project.

The first is a timber harvest, including a commercial thin of about 269 acres of red pine plantations. Some stands may need two thinning entries to meet project objectives. Thinning would be completed before any prescribed fire activities in the stands.

The second activity is a prescribed fire on about 1,500 acres.

"This would be multi-entry to meet multiple project objectives and to restore native plant communities," according to the release. "Actual acres prescribed (to) burn will depend on fuel types, resource protection mitigation, etc."

The third activity is planting/seeding where needed within the project area to restore native plant communities.

For additional information about this project or the public comment process, contact Douglas Putt at douglas.putt@usda.gov

By Pioneer Staff Report

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