Impact of a National Guard Training Facility on Minnesota's Forest Resources

Abstract

Early in 1986 Minnesota National Guard officials announced a proposal for a 200,000 acre training facility in northern Minnesota. As proposed, the facility would be used to train tank, artillery and infantry units and would include a large artillery range. The two areas under consideration now include a site near Aurora and a site in Koochiching and Itasca Counties. The Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) has studied the impact this kind of training facility would have on present timber supplies and future forest products developrrent in the area of the proposed site. Specifically addressed are the present and future supply and demand for timber at the two Minnesota sites under consideration; the impacts on the timber supply at other military camps in the United States; and the anticipated impact on the timber supply at the two proposed sites should the facility be built. Findings from the study showed that demand for wood fiber will continue to grow in the foreseeable future in these areas. The proposal for a National Guard training facility is likely to reduce available resources due to various restrictions placed on the forest; to damage the remaining available resources due to military activities; and could delay or cancel industry expansion plans, due to diminished timber supply and industry concern over long-term commitments to commercial forestry.