Project Area
The North Shore Restoration Project was planned across more than 39,000 acres of the SNF, as part of an overall project area of more than 100,000 acres. The project area consists of a long, narrow band of forest land parallel to the Lake Superior shoreline. Prior to European settlement, the North Shore of Lake Superior was comprised of mostly conifer-dominated forests. Logging in the late 1800s and early 1900s removed most of the white pine and white cedar, and the forest that grew back is heavily dominated by paper birch and quaking aspen. Current stands of birch and aspen have reached their typical age limits and nearly 80 % of the birch forest along the North Shore are old and dying. In addition, conifer regeneration is nearly absent in the understory of North Shore forests due to fewer older pine and cedar trees to provide seed, increased competition from native bluejoint grass, and heavy deer browse. Both the decline of aspen and birch and the apparent lack of conifer regeneration have prompted attention and concern from many agencies and landowners in the region.
Management Goals
Coastal forests provide many critical ecosystems services in the Great Lakes region, such as stabilizing stream banks, increasing infiltration, improving water quality, and providing habitat for wildlife like wolves, bears, and moose. In addition, Minnesota’s coastal forests support a thriving recreation and tourism economy, and many outfitters, restaurants, and lodges cater to the tourists who frequent the area each year.
Like many other landowners in the area, the Superior National Forest is trying to restore forests in this area through active forest management. The North Shore project has several overarching goals:
- to restore native vegetation communities, particularly through regenerating stands of birch and aspen and increasing conifers across the landscape
- to improve conditions in riparian areas by increasing long-lived conifers
- to improve growing conditions in white spruce and red pine plantations through thinning
- to reduce hazardous fuels, particularly in WUI areas
Climate Change Impacts
Adaptation Actions
After going through the Adaptation Workbook, SNF staff continued to think about possible adaptation actions and refine the North Shore Forest Restoration Project. Importantly, the team recognized that many of the management actions they already had planned also had benefits for climate change adaptation. Also, northeastern Minnesota may turn out to be one of the best possible “refuge” areas in the region for boreal species like paper birch and white spruce. Therefore, the team ultimately decided to proceed with many of the original goals and objectives of the project. Several modifications were added to the Proposed Action to increase diversity and future management flexibility, and some of these included:
6.1. Manage habitats over a range of sites and conditions.
9.1. Favor or restore native species that are expected to be adapted to future conditions.
5.2. Maintain and restore diversity of native species.