MICHIGAN—Hiawatha National Forest and Gnoozhekaaning, also known as Place of the Pike or Bay Mills Indian Community, work together to accomplish shared goals through a variety of means, including a Good Neighbor Authority agreement that launched in 2021 and other ongoing partnership efforts. Following the success of last year’s work, the partners are kicking off what promises to be another productive year of collaboration.

Since Hiawatha National Forest lands are part of the 1836 ceded territory, the community fire crew's work is a natural extension of its historical tie to protecting and managing these Upper Peninsula Michigan lands. The Forest Service and community have a shared interest in ensuring the ongoing resilience and productivity of the forest.

Hiawatha Forestry Technician Chelsea Murawski reported that in 2021 the Bay Mills crew assisted the Hiawatha’s silviculture program through the GNA agreement. In the first year of the agreement, the crew completed 414 acres of timber stand improvement and site preparation for natural regeneration on the national forest. This included:

• 63 acres of red pine prune and release
• 112 acres of hardwood canopy gap cleaning (removal of undesired or poor-quality trees)
• 187 acres of aspen site prep
• 52 acres of hardwood cleaning (removal of undesired or poor-quality trees)

Through other agreements, the community’s fire crew helped Hiawatha National Forest implement a long list of work on National Forest System lands during the 2021 field season. According to Brenda Dale, Forest Service east zone fire management officer, the fire crew cleared and brushed out all east zone Hiawatha National Forest bridges and culverts for engineering, prepped 1,000 acres of prescribed fire units, stump marked two timber sales for the timber crew, assisted Forest Service Recreation staff with hazard tree removal in six campgrounds (Monocle Lake, Soldiers Lake, Brevort Lake, Lake Michigan, Carp River and Bay View), and cleared and brushed 14.5 miles of trails.

“The crew also increased our capacity to provide important fire training to firefighters across Michigan's Upper Peninsula,” said Dale. She explained that the crew conducted two annual Fireline Refresher courses, four Work Capacity Tests and an interagency medical training day, as well as assisting with the Fireline Chainsaw course, two chainsaw certification/recertification courses and a Lake Superior State University fire training field day.

In short, the Bay Mills Indian Community fire crew was incredibly productive in support of national forest management objectives.

Looking ahead to the second year of the GNA agreement, Hiawatha personnel and community crew leaders have developed another ambitious program of work. For example, Murawski indicated that in 2022, the community’s fire crew will assist the Hiawatha silviculture program with 317 acres of hardwood and hemlock release and beech brush removal. In addition to benefiting public lands, the various partnership projects also benefit the crew by keeping members employed for a longer season and helping the community achieve its own resource management goals.

“The Forest Service is excited about the 2022 field season with Bay Mills Indian Community fire crew—our work together will benefit the public and the resource,” said Mary Moore, forest supervisor, Hiawatha National Forest.

The Good Neighbor Authority, first authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill, allows the Forest Service to enter into agreements with tribes and with state forestry agencies to do critical management work that helps keep our forests healthy and productive. For more information about the Bay Mills Indian Community, visit their website.