The development of comprehensive forest management guidelines is a core mandate of the Sustainable Forest Resources Act. Shortly after its inception in 1995, the MFRC implemented a process that focused diverse stakeholder groups to create science and consensus-based voluntary site-level forest management guidelines. Development and implementation of the guidelines has served as the foundation of work performed by the MFRC. The guidelines are intended to reduce the potential for negative environmental impacts resulting from forest harvesting and other forest-management activities on all forest lands in the State. In December 1998 the MFRC unanimously approved a set of comprehensive, voluntary timber harvesting and forest management guidelines to be used by forest managers, loggers and forest landowners.
Minnesota’s timber harvesting and forest management guidelines address the management, use and protection of historic and cultural resources, riparian area, soil productivity, water quality and wetlands, wildlife habitat, and visual quality. These guidelines are:
Download copies of the guidelines:
Full timber harvesting and forest management guidelines (2005 edition with 2007 biomass harvesting guidelines) - 5.4 MB
Forestland biomass harvest guidelines (requires a separate copy of the 2005 forest management guidelines) - 1.0 MB
Brushland biomass harvest guidelines (requires a separate copy of the 2005 forest management guidelines) - 1.4 MB