New approach to managing an old forest in northern Michigan could yield multiple benefits

A 10,000-acre forest reserve in one of the most remote areas of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula could become a model for managing forests in ways that protect critical natural features, generate economic benefits and help combat global climate change.

The Slate River Forest Reserve is a working forest in an area of the U.P. known as the Michigamme Highlands. Located between Marquette and Houghton, and bordering Lake Superior, the Highlands encompass more than 232,492 acres of high-quality hardwood forests and diverse geology that includes numerous lakes, rivers and wetlands. The area is a haven for wildlife.

It’s also where The Nature Conservancy’s Michigan Chapter has launched an innovative project that was designed to: protect a forest ecosystem dominated by towering native trees; generate economic benefits through sustainable forestry practices; and provide a nature-based solution to climate change.

“We’re doing our best to emulate natural processes because we want this forest to be as natural as possible,” said Alex Helman, a forest project manager with TNC. “Our management practices will make the forest more resilient to climate change and more resistant to invasive species. We will use the lessons learned to educate other landowners.”

In 2021, TNC purchased 10,520 acres of forested land that makes up the Slate River Reserve in the Michigamme Highlands for $14.2 million. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation supported the purchase with a $3 million grant to the conservancy.

The family that owned the land for the past 60 years were “exceptional stewards of the forest,” Helman said. TNC will continue many of their forest management practices, but some changes will be implemented, such as leaving more dead trees on the ground to create more habitat for insects and animals.

TNC also plans to conduct periodic, small-scale timber harvests to allow younger trees to grow into the canopy. Helman said that will have multiple benefits. It will increase the age and species diversity of the trees that make up the forest, enhance wildlife habitat and produce high-quality hardwoods while also keeping the forest actively growing and sequestering carbon.

Sam Passmore, director of Mott’s Environment program, said the Foundation supported TNC’s acquisition of the Slate River site because it features some of the highest-quality hardwood and native red pine forest remaining in Michigan.

“Protecting the Northwoods of the Great Lakes, particularly the forests in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, helps address two of the most urgent crises facing the planet — climate change and biodiversity loss,” Passmore said.

The forest also encompasses nearly four miles of the Slate River and three miles of the Ravine River, both of which protect freshwater that flows into Lake Superior. Passmore said the forest reserve’s proximity to other protected lands also contributes to large stretches of habitat that moose, deer and other wide-ranging species need to thrive.

A natural climate solution that generates revenue

One innovative aspect of the Slate River project has been the sale of carbon credits, which helped fund the purchase of the property, according to TNC officials. The forest reserve, which includes some trees that are more than 100 years old, has already sequestered about 860,000 tons of carbon from the atmosphere. TNC’s management practices on new and existing stands of trees will help the forest absorb an additional 860,000 tons of carbon over the next 40 years.

TNC will sell those carbon credits to corporations seeking an offset for carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. It will use the resulting revenue to improve the management and health of additional forest lands in Michigan.

“These credit sales enable The Nature Conservancy to significantly increase the amount of Michigan’s forests we can protect and restore, returning those forests to renewable, resilient and productive sources of sustainably produced timber,” said Helen Taylor, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Michigan. “This creates jobs for Michiganders who work in our forests and mills, ensures a lasting habitat for a wide range of wildlife, helps clean our water and air, and provides a place of solace and beauty we all can enjoy.”

Taylor, who also is a member of the Mott Foundation’s Board of Trustees, said TNC takes pride in developing nature-based solutions to climate change.

“Carbon markets that finance natural climate solutions help mitigate the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions,” she said.

The sale of carbon credits has not been without controversy. Critics claim some companies that pollute the air with climate-changing chemicals purchase carbon credits so that they can take credit for being environmentally conscious without actually reducing their emissions.

Purchasing carbon credits doesn’t reduce a company’s emissions of climate-changing chemicals. Rather, it offsets air pollution by protecting existing forests and the carbon they have sequestered and will continue to sequester from the atmosphere. Conservation groups can use revenue generated by selling carbon credits to buy and protect more forest lands, which further helps combat climate change.

TNC recently sold 211,000 carbon credits at the Slate River Forest Reserve. TNC officials said the organization has taken measures to ensure that companies purchasing those credits are serious about reducing their carbon footprint.

“We have worked diligently to ensure the Michigamme Highlands carbon project follows industry best practices for integrity and quality,” Taylor said. “We’d love to see Michigan corporations purchase these credits in their own backyard as part of their commitment to addressing climate change, as well as protecting our northern forests in Michigan.”

Cultural collaboration benefits nature, people

Another unusual aspect of the project involved TNC’s work with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, the oldest federally recognized Indian tribe in Michigan. In the course of purchasing the 10,520-acre parcel, TNC officials learned that 760 acres of the site was located within the 1842 boundaries of the tribe’s reservation.

TNC returned the 760-acre parcel to the tribe earlier this year. Tribal officials said the transaction was an outgrowth of TNC consulting with Indigenous communities on how to better manage forests in northern Michigan.

“The relationship between KBIC and TNC has grown organically, as both entities place great value on conserving our lands and waters in support of strong, resilient natural and human communities,” said Evelyn Ravindran, KBIC’s director of natural resources. “KBIC is dedicated to the long-term protection of natural resources, healthy ecosystems, and preservation of our traditions and culture for the generations to come, so all may flourish and thrive.”

Taylor said TNC was honored to return land to the KBIC. She said the tribe’s use of traditional ecological knowledge to manage its portion of the Slate River forest will benefit nature and people.

“KBIC members have been stewards of the land for generations, and their cultural teachings signify and honor the connection between people, wildlife and the natural world around us,” Taylor said. “Working toward shared, durable conservation outcomes is a powerful principle that is needed now more than ever as we confront unprecedented environmental challenges.”