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Most trespassing on state land unintentional, official says

By Associated Press

Undated – Michigan's Forest Management Division has hundreds of pending trespassing cases involving people building structures or storing items on state land.

The Detroit News reports that there are 726 pending cases. Most involve rural areas where homes are spread out. State officials say they've discovered cabins, homes, pig pens, cellular towers and parking lots in places where they shouldn't have been built.

Lori Burford is a resource specialist with the Department of Natural Resources who deals with trespass cases. She says she doesn't think the majority of the cases involve purposeful trespassing. Instead, people don't have good information about property lines.

About 75 percent of trespass cases are resolved by the structure at issue being moved or torn down.