Click here to learn more about School Forests

With the ever-increasing demand for forest products, more and more timber is being harvested from privately owned forests. Your SWCD is very concerned about potentially adverse environmental impacts to soil and water quality, wildlife habitat, and sustainability of the forest resources.

In acknowledgment of the importance of providing environmentally sound advice to landowners, the Beltrami SWCD continues to provide Woodland Stewardship assistance by maintaining a full-time Stewardship Forester on staff. Since 1990, the Beltrami Stewardship program has developed over 31,000 acres of comprehensive forest management plans, and designed and implemented over 2000 acres of reforestation and wildlife habitat improvement projects.

If you have received a Stewardship Plan from the SWCD, please be sure to mail the registration to DNR in St. Paul. Registration enables eligibility for cost-share programs, and puts your name on the DNR mailing list for updates to the information in the Plan binder. Registration does not obligate the landowner to anything, and it credits the SWCD for our accomplishments.

For more information, contact Jerry Stensing at: jerry.stensing@mn.nacdnet.net or (218) 755-4339

Save lives, save tax dollars - Install a living snowfence.

The 2002 farm bill included financial incentives for farmers and other landowners who install and maintain living snowfence in problem areas along our state highways. Between 1984 and 2001, hazardous driving conditions during the months of November- March have resulted in 487 fatalities. In an average winter, taxpayers in Minnesota spend approximately 100 million dollars in snow removal costs. Living snowfence helps improve driving conditions and safety, and helps save our tax dollars because they provide an average cost / benefit ratio of 17:1. The Beltrami SWCD is your local “contact” to Mn DOT for identification of problem areas, planning technical assistance, and initiating financial incentives program participation.

Questions or comments about our site? Email Dede at deanna.kubitz@mn.nacdnet.net