The U.S. Congress has increased funding for logging operations in national forests, with the resulting timber harvests expected to stimulate local economies. For its part, the U.S. Forest Service will conduct comprehensive analyses prior to any harvesting to protect the environment and recreational opportunities.

Timber sales on federal lands have declined significantly in recent years, according to U.S. Representative Bart Stupak, and the added Congressional funding should help increase timber sales in the Ottawa, Huron-Manistee, and Hiawatha National Forests. Local economies should benefit, since 25 percent of the money raised from timber sales is returned to the state for distribution back to counties and townships. The money is earmarked for schools and road projects, said Lee Ann Loupe, public and legislative affairs officer for the Hiawatha National Forest.

"In 2004," she added, "this totaled $856,864 from the Hiawatha to seven counties in the central and eastern U.P."

A revised Hiawatha National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) is scheduled to be released in early May. The previous Forest Plan, dating to 1986, established an Allowable Sale Quantity (ASQ) average of 70 million board feet per year. Under the revised plan, the amount of timber allowed for harvest will increase, Ms. Loupe said. She emphasized, however, that "the ASQ is a ceiling, not a target."

The amount of funding the Forest Service receives each year determines how much timber can be prepared for sale. This year's budget will allow the agency to prepare approximately 35 million board feet, an increase of five million board feet over last year, Ms. Loupe said. The increase could impact federal forests in Mackinac County, but precisely when and where logging operations will take place on the Hiawatha has not yet been determined, she added.

Also, the amount of timber cut in the area varies each year. This winter, for instance, less timber may have been cut than expected, owing to mild weather conditions and ground that did not freeze easily, Ms. Loupe said.

This month, the Michigan National Forest Supervisors for the Hiawatha, Ottawa, and HuronManistee National forests met with members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate and briefed them on progress and issues involved with Forest Plan revisions for each area. They discussed their revised plans, which represented the culmination of 2.5 years of work by Forest Service resource specialists in collaboration with Indian tribes, the public, and special interest groups, Ms. Loupe said.

One of the issues concerning management of the Hiawatha is how much aspen to cut. Aspen is a relatively short-lived tree that provides habitat for deer, grouse, and other wildlife. Clearcutting tends to generate new aspen stands, and hunters who pursue animals living in young aspen forests would like to see higher levels of aspen management. Others favor more moderate levels of aspen cutting, Ms. Loupe said.

Jack pine management is another issue, in part, because jack pine forests are home to the endangered Kirtland's Warbler. The rare bird was once confined to a small area of lower Michigan, but has since reappeared in the U.P. It only nests in very dense forests that are approximately 15 to 25 years old, Ms. Loupe said. This leaves the Forest Service with the quandary of how much jack pine to cut, and where, because after stands exceed 15 to 20 years in age, she said, warblers won't inhabit them, and the birds require new stands that meet their needs.

A third issue facing the Forest Service in the U.P. concerns how much "old growth" to manage. Old growth forests include stands of very large, old trees needed by some plant and animal species and admired by some members of the public.

"We only have 500 acres of 'true' old growth now," Ms. Loupe said, but allowing current stands to grow will produce more.

Maintaining wild lands for recreation is another issue the Forest Service must contend with. Every year, visitors and residents use the Hiawatha for back-country camping in remote wilderness areas and do not want, or require, formal camping facilities.

"Not everyone who visits national forests wants to go to a campground," said Martie Schramm, deputy district ranger for the Eastern Hiawatha.

Setting up timber sales involves more than simply marking trees and cutting them down, she said. Timber crews, wildlife biologists, road engineers, archeologists, hydrologists, and recreation specialists are all involved in timber analyses. The Forest Service completes an environmental assessment (EA) for each timber sale. The assessment includes a statement written by a silviculture expert who determines how loggers can go about cutting the highest quality timber and replant the area. The analysis goes through a public comment period, also.

"We always do a lot of environmental analysis on forests and fisheries," Ms. Loupe added. "We work closely with, and invite the public to be involved in our proposals.

An assessment is designed not only to maintain recreation areas and protect endangered species, she added, it is also used to acknowledge unique features of the forest, to make sure loggers avoid sensitive ground, and to mitigate or prevent other potential problems.

Ms. Schramm added that she was not personally concerned that increased logging would cause ecological harm. A healthy forest has a combination of young and aged trees, she said, and there are species of plants and animals that depend on differently aged forests.