Description

North Shore Area Subsections

This subsection forest resource management plan (SFRMP) will include state forest lands administered by the Department of Natural Resources, Divisions of Forestry and Wildlife, in three subsections. The North Shore Highlands> (1.48 million acres), Toimi Uplands (339,000 acres), and the Laurentian Uplands (567,000 acres) Subsections landscape unit is approximately 2.4 million acres. It covers an area from west of Duluth near Cromwell northeast along the entire length of the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota and northwest to the Iron Range near Aurora and Babbitt.

Recreation, forestry, and tourism are the major land uses. Public ownership is 64 percent. The federal government owns 740,581 acres, or 31 percent, which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Superior National Forest. St. Louis, Lake, Cook, and Carlton Counties own 463,151 acres or 19 percent of the lands. State lands are 324,338 acres or 14 percent of the land in the subsections. Of the state lands, approximately 218,000 acres are timberlands, or 9 percent of the landscape unit, which will be considered for timber and other resource management purposes in this plan. The other state lands are state parks and non-timberlands such as bogs and brushlands. Privately owned lands consist of 737,432 acres or 31 percent. Industry owns 3 percent and tribal governments own 2 percent of the lands.

Land ownership

North Shore Highlands, Toimi Uplands, and Laurentian Uplands 2,379,879 Acres

Landownership distribution in North Shore area subsections: 31% federal, 31% private, 19% county, 14% state, 3% industry, 2% tribal.

Cover types

Based on recent Gap Analysis Program (GAP) classification by the DNR using satellite imagery of all lands in the subsection, 90 percent of the subsection is covered by forest and shrubs (73% forest and 17% shrubs). Aspen, birch, and balm of Gilead (balsam poplar) cover types comprise 60 percent of the forestlands, followed by 14 percent lowland conifers (black spruce, tamarack, and white cedar), 8 percent pine (red, white, and jack pine), and 6 percent white spruce and balsam fir. Based on the DNR forest inventory of state lands in the subsections, 46 percent of state timberlands are comprised of the aspen, birch, and balm of Gilead cover types, followed by 24 percent lowland conifers, 11 percent white spruce and balsam fir, and 7 percent pine.

Maps

DNR administered lands by generalized cover types, North Shore Group - Map 1  This is a PDF file. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download it.

DNR administered lands by generalized cover types, North Shore Group - Map 2  This is a PDF file. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download it.

Wildlife

Many wildlife (including plants and animals) species inhabit or occur in the subsections. There are 300 species of animals that are known or predicted to occur in these subsections with the following breakdown of species by category: mammals ? 53; forest birds ? 114; open landscape birds ? 43; open water birds ? 71; reptiles ? 7; and amphibians ? 12. A larger variety of species occur in the North Shore Highlands Subsection than the other two subsections. Currently, County Biological Survey work is being completed in these subsections and the information on native plant communities and rare features is being mapped, documented, and ranked. A total of 122 listed species (i.e., endangered, threatened, or special concern species) have been documented in the subsections. Following is a summary by subsection: North Shore Highlands ? 72 plants and 23 animals; Toimi Uplands ? 10 plants and 7 animals; and Laurentian Uplands ? 23 plants and 11 animals. Habitat needs and protection of the various forest resources will be considered in the planning effort.

SFRMP Products

A final product of the SFRMP plan will be the stand locations and acres planned for treatment over the next 7-year period. The following graph shows the acres of timber sales sold on state lands during the past 12-year period.

Timber sales acres sold by fiscal year in North Shore Area subsections.

From DNR lands in the North Shore Highlands, Toimi Uplands, and Laurentian Uplands subsections, an average of 2,051 acres per year were sold on timber sales during 1990 ? 2001. This indicates that on average slightly less than one percent of the state timberland acres (218,000 acres) in this landscape unit were being harvested per year during this time period.