Forestry Best Management Practices for Wetlands in Minnesota

Abstract

Wetlands are a common landscape feature in Minnesota in spite of significant losses of wetlands to agriculture and development. Prior to European settlement, Minnesota contained 7.5 million ha of wetlands, including both wet, mineral and peat soils. These wetlands covered approximately 35 percent of the state. The current extent of wetlands for Minnesota is approximately 3 million ha, which represents a 60 percent loss of the original wetland acreage (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Protected Water Inventory Data Base, 1984). The majority of the remaining wetlands are found in the forested regions of Minnesota, predominantly located on county, state, and federal lands in northern Minnesota.

Citation

Phillips, Michael J. 1997. Forestry Best Management Practices for Wetlands in Minnesota. Northern Forested Wetlands: Ecology and Management