The Minnesota Tree Improvement Cooperative

As the director of the Minnesota Tree Improvement Cooperative (MTIC) based in Cloquet, Minnesota, I would like to tell you a little about our strategy for creating improved seed, and how individual nurseries or nursery associations can interact with tree improvement programs to the benefit of both parties. MTIC is approximately 15 miles west of Duluth, at the University of Minnesota's Cloquet Forestry Center. The other employees of MTIC are Carrie Pike, the only full time employee, and Jim,Warren, a part-time research fellow. The MTIC was formed out of a unique set of circumstances. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) is a vacation destination wholly contained in northern Minnesota and nestled along the Canadian border. In 1979, an addition to the BWCA, called the portal zone, brought the BWCA to its current size of approximately 1 million acres. As a result of this land taking and the corresponding loss of timber income, the State of Minnesota was compensated $1 million/year for a period of 10 years by the Federal government. As part of the plan, the state was to undertake a huge replanting program within and around this new wilderness area to compensate for trees that would no longer be available. As the DNR was responsible for much of the planting, their reforestation program increased tenfold over the next several years. Because similar reforestation efforts were occurring on Federal, State, and county lands, it became obvious to many that there was a need for a central organization to address tree improvement needs in Minnesota.

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Details

Author(s): Andrew David

Publication: National Nursery Proceedings - 2000

Event: Northeastern Forest and Conservation Nursery Association Conference
2000 - Spring Green, WI