A committee of resource managers, county commissioners, state foresters and land surveyors in Minnesota will develop a plan that would outline management techniques that would allow 13,000 acres of white cedar to be used as credits when governments need to mitigate disturbances to wetlands through development.

by Laurel Beager on January 21, 2010 - 8:30am.

Ifallsdailyjournal.com: A new committee to be formed by Koochiching County will explore whether white cedar stands may be managed to serve as wetland credits.

The committee, made up of resource managers, commissioners from Koochiching and Lake of the Woods counties, a state forester, and land surveyors, will develop a plan that would outline management techniques that would allow some or all of the county’s 13,000 acres of white cedar to be used as credits when governments need to mitigate disturbances to wetlands through development.

The plan must be approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees federal wetland issues.

Commissioners informally discussed the plan with some members of the committee Tuesday.

White cedar is becoming more rare in Minnesota, and is a slow-growing species. The plan may involve managing the stands to encourage new growth and a mixed age of trees.

To read the rest of the story, click to www.ifallsdailyjournal.com/news/county-news/committee-formed-explore-white-cedar-wetland-mitigation-laurel-beager-editor-101.