The Department of Natural Resources will host an open house on Tuesday, July 29, to provide information and receive public comment on proposed forest management treatments for 2010 in the Pigeon River Country Management Unit. The open house will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Pigeon River Country Headquarters office, 9966 Twin Lakes Rd. in Vanderbilt.

Each year, DNR personnel inventory and evaluate one-tenth of the state forest. Information gathered includes the health, quality, and quantity of all vegetation; wildlife and fisheries habitat and needs; archeological sites; minerals; recreational use; wildfire potential and social factors, including proximity to roads and neighborhoods; and use on adjacent lands, public and private. Proposed treatments, which may include timber harvesting, replanting, and other management activities, are designed to ensure the sustainability of the resources and ecosystems.

The open house is an opportunity for the public to review proposed treatments and to provide input toward final decisions on those treatments. It also provides the public an opportunity to talk with foresters and biologists about issues of interest. Maps and information regarding the proposed treatments will be available at the open house, and can be accessed at www.michigan.gov/dnr. Each management unit is divided into smaller units or compartments to facilitate better administration of the resources. Compartments under review this year are in Walker, Forest and Nunda townships in Cheboygan County; and Corwith and Charlton townships in Otsego County. The formal compartment review to decide on prescriptions for these areas is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20, at the Pigeon River Country Headquarters.

Individuals attending the meeting are requested to refrain from using heavily-scented personal care products, in order to enhance accessibility for everyone. Persons with disabilities needing accommodations for the PRC Open Houses should contact Laurie Marzolo at 989-983-4101 a minimum of five business days before this event/meeting. Requests made less than five business days before this event may not be accommodated.