GLADSTONE, MI-- A group with the Hiawatha National Forest has been recognized for its outstanding work by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The multi-agency Landscape Treatment Design Team included members from the Nature Conservancy, Michigan Technological University and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. It took core samples from peat and sliced “cookies” of wood from old burned stumps. The samples and growth rings are being analyzed in the lab for evidence of historic fires.
Officials say the research will help the agency plan management activities, including prescribed fire, to mimic the natural and cultural processes that shaped the local environment.
The team received an honorable mention at the USDA Forest Service Eastern Region’s Regional Forester Honor Awards “virtual” ceremony in Milwaukee.
