Council Initiatives

The Minnesota Forest Resources Council has a three-pronged approach to addressing sustainable forest management within the state.

Within our Site-level Program, we are charged with the development, implementation and refinement of comprehensive forest management guidelines. These guidelines are science- and consensus-based best management practices intended to reduce the potential for negative impacts from forest management activities. The Sustainable Forest Resources Act (SFRA) also requires several types of monitoring associated with forest resources and practices.

At a larger scale, the Landscape Program was established by the SFRA to “encourage cooperation and collaboration between public and private sectors in the management of the state’s forest resources.” Our landscape-level forest management program is a voluntary, grass-roots effort that engages citizens and local resource professionals at a regional level. Through regional landscape committes, desired future forest conditions are identified and strategies to collectively achieve those conditions are developed and implemented.

Statewide, the Minnesota Forest Resources Council advises on policy for sustainable forest management. Our Policy Program tracks priority issues and needs within the state and provides direction on research and information needs.