More than 187,000 acres of forest and wetlands in north-central Minnesota, an area almost as large as the entire existing state parks system, would be protected permanently under a proposal that will be unveiled Monday at the state Capitol.
If given the thumbs up, it would be largest public-private land conservation project in recent Minnesota history.
The proposed deal, supported by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and several prominent conservation organizations, will be made to the Lessard Outdoor Heritage Council, which is evaluating proposals that could be funded with constitutionally dedicated money that will begin flowing into state coffers after July.
Under the plan, the DNR would buy easements on land owned since the mid-1990s by UPM-Kymmene, a Finnish multinational pulp, paper and timber manufacturer with holdings in North America.
The company would continue to own and manage the land, periodically cutting it for timber. But no development would be allowed on it, and the public would continue to have access for hunting, hiking and other purposes.
Part of the Upper Mississippi River watershed, the property consists of many parcels skirting Grand Rapids and Hibbing and is connected to other large blocs of public property.
A final appraisal hasn't been done, but if other recent land-protection offers can be used as guides, the easements could be $200 to $300 an acre, putting the project in the $35 million to $50 million range.
The Blandin Foundation of Grand Rapids is expected to contribute up to $7 million.
Tom Duffus, Upper Midwest director of the Conservation Fund, said the company prefers to sell easements for all of the parcels at once, rather than to spread them out over two or more years.
"They are proposing this as a one-time or nothing shot,'' added Dick Peterson, coordinator of the DNR's forest legacy program.
In a prepared release, the company acknowledged that it's discussing the project with the DNR: "UPM Blandin Paper is committed to working on a solution that would require sustainable management of the property as it is today, regardless of who may own the property in the future.''
Of the 187,277 acres, about 60,000 are wetlands. There also are 280 miles of lake and stream frontage. The land contains no buildings other than a hunting shack, according to Duffus.
Much of the property consists of high-quality forest, said Tom Landwehr, assistant state director of the Nature Conservancy.
"This is one of the best examples of native hardwood community anywhere in the state,'' Landwehr said. "It is the best example we've got in a site that large.''
The groups contend the project also would help retain 3,200 jobs in the timber and milling industries.
PRESERVING LARGE TRACTS
With development pressures leading to greater fragmentation of Minnesota's northern forests in recent decades, the state and conservation groups have sought to preserve large tracts of industrial timber land to maintain wildlife populations and healthy ecosystems.
Easements have been a favored approach. Working forest conservation easements restrict development and keep the land in its natural state. But they also continue to generate property taxes, allow timber companies to log the land and help local economies by providing jobs.
"It really is a conservation tool that's only been on the radar for a couple of decades,'' Landwehr said. "But it is tremendously useful in a situation like this.''
It's not clear yet how the council will respond. Two weeks ago, it listened to 46 proposed projects on prairies and wetlands totaling $97 million. Monday, it will listen to proposals dealing with forests and fish and wildlife habitat. The 12-member council must make its recommendations to the Legislature by April 1.
But the UPM proposal's backers are hopeful.
"This is the kind of proposal the citizens who voted for (the amendment) were contemplating,'' Peterson said.
Last November, voters approved a constitutional amendment increasing the state sales tax by three-eighths of 1 percent and dedicating those proceeds for the next 25 years for habitat, clean water, parks and trails, and arts purposes.
Beginning in July, that increase is expected to generate $240 million a year. A third of it will run through the Lessard council.
The amendment was pushed by a broad collection of interests that argued that Minnesota's lakes, rivers and other wild areas are increasingly under pressure from pollution or development and need a permanent source of funding that can't be raided by governors or lawmakers trying to solve other budget problems.Pioneer Press
