We Will Need More Loggers in MN

[Gary_C]

An interesting story in the Duluth News.

DNR says more logging possible in Minnesota

Minnesota's forests can sustain logging 5.5 million cords of wood each year, about double the current harvest level, according to an analysis released Monday by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Tim O'Hara, vice president of forest policy for the Minnesota Timber Producers industry group, said data on wood supply might help spur new investment — but only after the economy improves.

O'Hara noted that the parent company of the Blandin Paper Co. in Grand Rapids still is considering a huge expansion, as is Sappi, the owners of the Cloquet paper mill.


Sounds good to me.   ;D

[SwampDonkey]

Gary, what are their estimates of average annual volume per acre and total forest land? We average 0.5 cord/acre/year on average sites. Poor sites a lot less, exceptional sites up my way probably 0.75 or so. Not to say up my way hasn't got a lot of poor ground to, because most farms have a lot of the good ground cleared off. Loosing that climax community and plant diversity around here that is the richest in the Maritimes and extends into North Central Maine. For instance on the topic of diversity, you'll never see an oak, butternut, black cherry or basswood where we thin in Deersdale-Nashwaak. Over there it's maple, birches, fir, spruce, w pine, ewc and hemlock and very little beech or ash and if there is ash it's black ash in with cedar. Aspen is mostly roadside and hardly any in a harvest trail.

[Gary_C]

The news article referenced says there are 16.3 million acres in forested acres in the study. That works out to 0.166 cords per acre each year.

What you see in the article, if you read it, is all that I know right now. I can't find the report referenced on the DNR web site as it was done by a U of M researcher. Here is the MN DNR web page for Utilization and Marketing.  MN DNR Utilization and Marketing Program

[SwampDonkey]

One NB DNR fellow told my father one time we got 2 cord/acre a year. He was way out to lunch. If that were the case we'd be averaging 80 cords/acre at harvest time. He obviously never cruised timber or cut much of it or tallied the numbers.  :

Gary, there must be a lot of small timber or a fair amount of low productivity ground, seems low. But you folks don't do much pre-commercial thinning do you? I think we spend $28M here on thinning and planting.

[Clark]

"Gary, there must be...a fair amount of low productivity ground"  -Swamp Donkey

You aren't kidding there!  Get out your atlas and look at the area north of Upper Red Lake and to the east of that.  Nothing but a huge bog, several hundred square miles and the state has the lion's share of it!  I've heard that most of the forested stuff will do 5-10 cords/acre and it's probably 75-150 years (or more) old.  Add in that only 1/2 the acres are actually forested and you've got a great recipe for low productivity.

It would be interesting to see what could happen if they took the PCT as seriously as you guys do.  I'm not holding my breath though.

Clark

[SwampDonkey]

Many European countries are so much further ahead with silviculture work that it's nobody's business. They've had to, we don't over here because we have so much more. And until we have to, we will not invest as heavily into it. Then we will wish we had. Around here, if you cut wood your generating pulpwood and that's the biggest player. Even sawing and cutting logs, your making pulp material. There is always pulp, weather it's 4", straight, crooked, 1/3 rotten in the stick or what have you. I don't have to wait until maturity to cut for pulp. We have not made much investment into value added, that is our downfall. All the furniture shops have closed up in this region. No one has $800 for a coffee table when $40 will get one just as functional. ;)