The DNR is currently updating its Section Forest Resource Management Plans (SFRMPs). When the update process is complete, there will be one plan for each of the seven forested Ecological Sections in the state. These plans will cover larger areas of the state than the previous planning system, which divided the state's forested areas into 10 smaller geographic units.
Section Forest Resource Management Plans complement the DNR's strategic forest resource management direction and 10-year stand exam list (covering fiscal years 2021-2030) by providing guidance to advance landscape-level goals within each Ecological Section. The updated plans will guide vegetation management on DNR-administered lands in each section until they are revised again, which happens approximately every 10 years.
The plans for five Ecological Sections within Minnesota are now available for public comment through Oct. 23, 2023, and we invite your input. The draft plans for the Aspen Parklands, Minnesota and Northeast Iowa Moraines, Minnesota Drift and Lake Plains, Paleozoic Plateau, and Western Superior Uplands Sections can be viewed or downloaded at their web pages.
Additional information on the plan revision status for individual SFRMPs can be found in the table below and on the webpage for each SFRMP.
Planning unit boundary changes
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Original boundaries
Click to enlarge
Revised boundaries
Section Forest Resource Management plan timelines
New forest management plan areas | Old forest management plan areas | Expected year plan revision will begin |
Aspen Parklands | 2022 | |
Agassiz Lowlands | Plan revision in progress | |
North 4 (part) | ||
Border Lakes | Plan revision in progress | |
North Shore Area | ||
North 4 (part) | ||
Chippewa Plains-Pine Moraines & Outwash Plains | Plan revision in progress | |
North 4 (part) | ||
Mille Lacs Uplands | Plan revision in progress | |
Hardwood Hills | Plan revision in progress | |
Anoka Sand Plain | ||
Blufflands-Rochester Plateau | 2022 |