Working By Agreements The Minnesota Models Haapoja Conservation * MArGAreT A. *conservation easements or woodland legacy agreements When timber and mining companies began selling thousands of acres of private forestlands in northern Minnesota to private investors several years ago, residents realized jobs, public access, and wildlife habitat were at risk. Boise Cascade was the first to divest itself of all its timberlands — some 309,000 acres — in northern Minnesota in 2004. Since 1998, more than 400,000 acres of industrial forestland have changed ownership, and thousands of additional acres of remaining forestlands could soon be up for sale by corporate landowners. This sale of large timber company holdings in Minnesota is part of a national trend. “That was really a surprise to a lot of people except those who were already in forest conservation,” says Art Norton, Itasca field representative with The Nature Conservancy (TNC).Tree Farmer MARCH/APRIL 2010
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Tree Farmer - March/April 2010