REGION – Timber harvest around Parmalee Bridge State Forest Campground to begin end of December
In an effort to remove trees that pose a risk of becoming hazardous, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced today that after Dec. 26, oak and red pine trees will be thinned in the Parmalee Bridge State Forest Campground in Oscoda County.
The plan calls for marked trees to be cut in the campground area. The harvest also will help the remaining red pine forested stand become more resilient by reducing the number of trees requiring long-term management. Other trees have been marked to make room for the safe use of harvesting equipment and to open up places for the wide-crowned or heavy-leaning oaks to fall.
Only those trees marked with orange paint will be cut. Operations will take place after Dec. 26 when the campground is closed to minimize interference with campers. Beyond the trees found in the campground, there are a number of trees that are designated for removal.
“Red pine plantations are routinely thinned to reduce competitive stress and focus growth on the dominant, better-formed trees,” said Susan Thiel, unit manager with the DNR Forest Resources Division. “The campground portion of the larger red pine plantation had deliberately been excluded from the 2001 thinning in order to not impact the recreational facility. Re-assessment of the plantation in 2011 showed that this was a mistake, because the stand was not as healthy and resilient as it should have been. Healthy tree conditions are even more important in a campground setting than on undeveloped forest lands.”
For more information regarding the campground timber harvesting or forest health, please contact Tricia Weisend, DNR acting park supervisor, at 989-473-2258 or Susan Thiel, unit manager with the DNR Forest Resources Division at 989-348-6371, ext. 7440.
