Elk, deer will benefit from aspen clear-cutting in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula

Lansing — Visitors and residents in the northeastern Lower Peninsula may notice more clear-cutting of aspen trees over the next year or two as the Michigan Department of Natural Resources accelerates harvests in a 30-square-mile area.

The change in the DNR’s forest management harvest planning will benefit both elk and deer and their fondness for young aspen.

Aspen is a resilient tree that regenerates naturally from underground shoots, or root suckers, without the need for replanting. Elk and deer browse on young aspen throughout the year, but primarily during the fall and winter when other food sources become scarce. 

“We are finding that some of our aspen stands within this core elk range are not regenerating to meet our minimum standards,” said Matt Foster, manager of the DNR Forest Resources Division’s Atlanta Unit.

Cutting will take place in that unit as well as the neighboring Pigeon River Country.

“Regenerating aspen is nearly 100 percent successful in most cases, but browse pressure can have a negative impact on that,” Foster said. 

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The accelerated cutting schedule will take place in nine compartments, or subunits, within the two state forest management units in Montmorency and Otsego counties. Clear-cuts originally planned over the next 10 years will be grouped into a shorter time frame to better support forest regeneration and elk habitat.

“Aspen is a critical food source for elk,” said Shelby Adams, DNR wildlife biologist for the Pigeon River Country. “This area is the heart of elk range, and we want to find ways for both the elk and forest to thrive.”

The idea is to give elk more areas of fresh growth to browse, reducing pressure on any single site and improving regeneration.

Ice storm moves plan forward

The work was originally planned to start in 2028, but the devastating ice storm that struck the northern Lower Peninsula in late March moved the timeline forward because timber salvage work needs to be done in that area.

“We’re not cutting any more acres of forest than we would over the typical 10-year planning period,” Foster said. “It’s just that we’re doing it all in a condensed time frame within this area.”

The DNR’s Forest Resources and Wildlife divisions work together to maintain habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, from the tiny Kirtland’s warbler to elk and moose.

Michigan’s native elk disappeared in the late 1800s. Today’s thriving elk herd dates to 1918, when seven animals from the western United States were released near the small town of Wolverine.

After years of careful management, the elk herd has stabilized at around 1,150 animals. 

Plans for clear-cuts and other forest management practices are available at Michigan.gov/ForestManagement.

The DNR manages state forests to meet the standards of two independent sustainable forestry organizations.