Minnesota is renowned for its natural resources. But across much of the northern part of the state, large swaths of industrial forestland — lands owned by timber companies — are being sold as companies grapple with rising real estate prices and changes in the forest products industry.

Timber companies have traditionally made their lands available for public use, offering access for outdoor recreation. In a landmark conservation deal, Minnesota has taken a major step to protect valuable wildlife habitat in its Northwoods region.

The Northwoods, one of the largest unfragmented forest landscapes in the United States, is home to dozens of species of greatest conservation need. This conservation effort achieves important wildlife habitat protection by preventing forest fragmentation. The deal also protects jobs by keeping the property a working forest. In addition, a conservation easement on the forest ensures that the lands can continue to be used by the public for outdoor recreation, including hunting, fishing, hiking and cross-country skiing.

A Landmark Conservation Effort

In 2007, Governor Tim Pawlenty announced that a team of public and private partners, including The Conservation Fund and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, had acquired a conservation easement on more than 51,000 acres — almost 80 square miles — of working forest in Itasca and Koochiching counties, providing key habitat for Canada lynx, gray wolves, American black ducks, American woodcocks and dozens of other valued species.

This is the second and largest project to be completed by the Minnesota Forest Legacy Partnership, a public-private coalition created two years ago to help conserve Minnesota’s Northwoods. In addition to TCF, the partnership includes the Trust for Public Land, The Nature Conservancy, the Blandin Foundation, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, the Minnesota Forest Resources Council and the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association.

Under a voluntary agreement, Forest Capital Partners retains private ownership as well as the right to continue to manage its land for timber production. Forest Capital Partners acquires and manages working forests across North America for long-term sustainability, including more than 290,000 acres in northern Minnesota. The company actively manages its forests under the sustainable forest management guidelines set forth by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative®.

Why Do Forests Matter?

At TCF, we believe that well-managed forests can be both economically viable and ecologically sustainable, but that, like all other necessary parts of our national infrastructure, they need to be invested in and maintained. That’s why, since 1985, we’ve protected more than a million forest acres across America. Protecting and maintaining working forests — and the communities that depend on them — remains one of our top conservation priorities.