Superior National Forest Update - June 15, 2018
National Forest Update – June 15, 2018.
Hi. I’m Jon Benson, Assistant Ranger for Recreation and Wilderness on the Tofte and Gunflint Ranger Districts, with this week’s edition of the Superior National Forest Update.
On June 28th, the Gunflint Ranger Station will be hosting an open forum from 4:00 to 6:00 pm to solicit feedback on our upcoming Kimball Vegetation Management Project. The intent of these meetings is to gather information on areas of importance to local residents and other users of this area. We will also be sharing information related to reducing hazardous fuels, treating areas to encourage younger age classes of vegetation, and enhancing wildlife habitat within the Kimball Project Area. Please join us as we welcome the opportunity to hear from you. Your comments will help us shape our proposed action.
Summer has finally arrived on the North Shore and with it comes additional visitors. That means there will be more people in the Boundary Waters and the campgrounds and trails will be popular places to be. I’d like to take a minute to encourage recreationists to take the time to plan ahead and prepare for their trips onto the National Forest. Planning ahead will reduce the likelihood of any potential issues that might detract from your recreation experience. I’d also like to ask folks to think about the safety implications of the choices you are making, make sure that you are recreating within your skill and experience level to avoid any mishaps that might ruin your experience. If you are planning any time on the water, make sure you are wearing a life jacket and you have left an itinerary with a responsible person who knows where you are going and when you expect to return.
In addition to camping and trails based recreation opportunities, our Naturalist Programs begin at area resorts, campgrounds, and the Hedstrom Mill on June 19th. We are grateful for our partnership with Visit Cook County and the host locations throughout Cook County who continue to support this wonderful program. If you would like more information on the dates, times, and topics of these programs you can seek that information on the Visit Cook County events webpage or at the Tofte or Gunflint Ranger District Offices.
In terms of timber harvesting activity, things are similar to last week. Logging trucks are using the Trappers Lake Road, the Greenwood Road, Firebox Road, and Old Greenwood Road (Forest Road 144). Keep an eye out for rough roadways, some grading work is starting to take place on Forest Service Roads.
Listeners may also be curious about current fire situation around the area. Even with the rain, we have received in the past couple of weeks, we are still below normal with regard to precipitation this spring. That means that the woods are still dry enough to carry a fire on a dry, windy day. Please use caution with campfires and make sure that any fires are dead out before leaving them. As far as prescribed burning operations go, we have completed the bulk of our spring burns with the exception of a couple of burns on the Tofte District. One of these burns is planned for June and the other is planned for July as the prescription for these burns calls for them to be completed after green up has occurred.
Until next week, this has been Jon Benson with the National Forest Update, reminding you to be safe, have fun, and enjoy your National Forest.
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