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Sugar Bush Forest Stand Improvement
(above) horses are used to help remove trees that are directly
touching or shading out the canopy of mature sugar maple trees (NRCS photo -- click to enlarge)
(from left) sustainable community assistants for WELRP Eric Chilton, Mike
Chilton and Pat Wichern, Becker County NRCS District Conservationist Ed
Musielewicz, and Minnesota DNR forester Dave Johnson (NRCS photo -- click to
enlarge)
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NRCS in Becker County, Minnesota, is partnering with the White Earth Land
Recovery Project (WELRP) and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
in an effort to increase maple syrup production on tribal land. Maple syrup is
an important economic resource and its collection and processing is a source of cultural
integrity for the people of the White Earth Reservation as well.
The
White Earth Land Recovery Project is a tribal non-profit organization whose
mission is to “facilitate recovery of the original land base of the White Earth
Indian Reservation, while preserving and restoring traditional practices of
sound land stewardship, language fluency, community development, and
strengthening our spiritual and cultural heritage.” A mission statement
similar to NRCS's “Helping People
Help the Land.”
Meetings between the NRCS, the Minnesota DNR, and WELRP have paved the way for WELRP
to start implementing a woodland stewardship plan. These meetings also show
potential to improve WELRP’s sugar bush stands through
Environmental Quality
Incentives Program (EQIP) forest
stand improvement practices.
WELRP currently manages about 300 acres of forestland for maple sugar
production, 60 acres of which have recently been enrolled in EQIP contract forest
stand improvement practices. The majority of the forest stand
improvement practice activities will include removal of mature aspen trees that
are shading out or are directly touching the canopy of mature sugar maple trees. WELRP
will be removing aspen trees with horses in an attempt to keep
their "footprint" to a minimum.
Your contact is Dustin Jaskin,
NRCS soil conservationist and White Earth Indian Reservation Tribal Liaison, at
218-573-3842.
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