MONTMORENCY, MI — Northern Michigan’s elk country will see an increase in felled aspens as the Michigan Department of Natural Resources speeds up its clearcutting process.
This quicker and more condensed clearing will benefit elk and deer who feed on aspens in the 30-square-mile area, according to DNR.
The spring ice storm brought down nearly 1 million acres of state forest land, particularly impacting elk country Up North.
“Aspen is a critical food source for elk,” said Shelby Adams, DNR wildlife biologist for the Pigeon River Country. “This area is the heart of elk range, and we want to find ways for both the elk and forest to thrive.”
Clearcuts originally planned over the next 10 years will be grouped into a shorter time frame to better support forest regeneration and elk habitat, according to the DNR.
The clearcutting work was originally planned to start in 2028, but the ice storm moved the timeline forward because timber salvage work needs to be done in that area in the next one to two years, according to the DNR.
Aerial assessments from the DNR brought back stark imagery of red pine plantations in Pigeon River Country State Forest decimated down to a forest of sticks after tree tops heavy with ice snapped off.
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Pigeon River is the Lower Peninsula’s largest swath of contiguous undeveloped land and is home to the majority of the 1,150 wild elk that roam across Cheboygan, Otsego and Montmorency Counties.
The accelerated cutting schedule will take place in nine subunits, within the two state forest management units in Montmorency and Otsego counties.
The clearcutting work will cut the same acreage as originally planned but do so in a condensed timeframe.
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Elk and deer browse on young aspen throughout the year, but primarily during the fall and winter when other food sources become scarce.
Aspen stands in elk country have been regenerating below the DNR’s standards because of overeating.
Clearcutting gives elk more areas of fresh growth to browse, reducing pressure on any single site and improving long-term regeneration, according to the DNR.
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