Northeastern Area

The Upper Mississippi River Forest Partnership

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Accomplishments

Since its beginning, the Partnership has been active in conserving the forest resources of the Upper Mississippi.

Among its accomplishments, the Partnership:

• Used a grant from the Northeastern Area to hire a program coordinator, 2004-2007. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources managed the grant. Funding for the position ended in 2007. The NA St. Paul Field Office currently provides a coordinator.

• Held a stakeholders meeting in 2006, which brought 75 partners together to solidify the direction of the Partnership. The first Action Plan covered from 2004-2008 and the second plan covers from 2009-2013.

• Promoted cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center to complete a geographic information system analysis prioritizing work in the watershed.

• Provided technical expertise and project funding to two significant smaller partnerships: the Driftless Area Initiative and the Middle Mississippi River Partnership

• Planted almost 500,000 acres of trees in the uplands and bottomlands within the five Upper Mississippi states, through the Conservation Reserve Program.

• Stimulated landowners’ interest in improving forest habitat for birds. Four demonstration forests have been established for landowners to learn how to manage their woodlands for bird habitat and two publications have been produced that provide this information to them:

Managing from a Landscape Perspective:  A Guide for Integrating Forest Interior Bird Habitat Considerations and Forest Management Planning in the Driftless Area of the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

A Bird’s Eye View—A Guide to Managing and Protecting your Land for Neotropical Migratory Birds in the Upper Mississippi River Blufflands

• Has combated Dutch elm disease (DED), one of the most destructive shade tree diseases in North America. Despite DED, elm remains as a component of natural stands. Trees often survive to seed producing age, but later succumb to the disease. The U.S. Forest Service’s Northern Research Station has been working on developing strains of elms with enhanced tolerance to DED. About 100 elms with enhanced DED tolerance have been planted in four Upper Mississippi sites. These trees will be monitored for survival and seed production.

• Partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to establish the Upper Mississippi Watershed Fund. As of spring 2009, 18 habitat restoration projects have been funded totaling $1,029,799 with a partner match of $2,084,390.