St. Louis County Restricts Logging Due To Wildfire Risk

As the drought and the wildfire situation in the Northland continue to grow, another restriction is being leveraged in place - this time in regards to the logging industry.  St. Louis County announced a restriction on "cutting and logging operations on all county-managed lands in the northern part of the county" - effective August 30 and in place until further notice.

St. Louis County officials report that these restrictions "are consistent with those announced by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the United States FOrest Service (USFS)".  They apply to essentially the same geographic area that currently has a no open burning ban as well as the ban on campfires.

The complete list of restrictions as it applies to logging operations in northern St. Louis County - along with listed exemptions - are detailed on the county's website.  Click here for more details.

Some of the specific activities being restricted between the hours of 11:00 AM and 11:00 PM include:

• Harvesting trees
• Processing logs
• Mowing grass
• Clearing grass
• Clearing brush
• Road grading
• Operating any mechanized equipment that could cause a spark or fire

Additionally, any equipment being used b loggers on county managed lands "must have fire suppression equipment readily available at all times".  At the same time, a "complete fire watch" on the land being used is required for "one hour after operations shut down".

As the restrictions were announced, St. Louis County officials emphasized the safety connection provided by them.  The restrictions are meant to protect the forested land (logged land) from wildfires that could be sparked by the machinery used in the woods for logging purposes.  

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St. Louis County land use officials will continue to monitor the weather and the land situation in the short term to determine when restrictions could be lifted.