Mineral Resource Management
In recent years, there has been increased exploration and interest in the Duluth Complex which underlies a significant portion of the Forest. This mineral deposit contains copper, nickel, lead, zinc, cobalt, chromium, iron, titanium, platinum, palladium, silver, gold and other associated metals (also known as hard-rock or non-ferrous minerals). Two significant activities have gained wide interest coppernickel mining and helium drilling.
Three basic types of minerals-related activity occur on the Superior National Forest:
Two dimension-stone quarries have operated on the Forest since 1993, producing Mesabi Black and Lake Superior Green granites.
These materials are used locally, nationally and abroad for interior and exterior building, for memorials, and for various industrial uses.
Over the past several years total annual production has average 100,000 cubic feet - equivalent to a 10-story building where each floor is 1,000 sq ft.
Rock is quarried (cut) into large blocks using diamond saws. The blocks are then shipped to the company's facility at Cold Spring, MN for further processing.
The high quality of granite from the Forest is widely recognized. It was used in the construction of the 911 memorial and new World Trade Center.
The Forest Service currently manages 397 sites on the Forest for gravel and sand mineral materials. A combined total of approximately 245,000 tons is produced annually.
A portion of material is used on the Forest for roads, trails, parking and other maintenance.
Very small amounts may be obtained through a special use permit.
The majority is sold through mineral material permits that generate revenue to the federal government.
Deep in the ground beneath northeast Minnesota, including parts of the Superior National Forest, lies a geologic formation called the Duluth Complex. This formation contains one of the world’s largest deposits of copper, nickel, lead, zinc, cobalt, chromium, iron, titanium, platinum, palladium, silver, gold and other associated metals also known as hard-rock or nonferrous minerals.
Because these minerals typically form in sulfur-bearing rock, extraction is erroneously called sulfide mining. This would correctly be called coppernickel mining. The Duluth Complex has a relatively low concentration of sulfur compared to other known deposits of the same type.
Most of the activity on the Forest, related to these minerals to-date, has been prospecting or exploration by private companies.
Exploration involves core drilling for rock samples, geophysical surveys, and temporary access roads, trails, and rehabilitation.
These metals are essential to much of the modern technology we use every day.
Superior National Forest Plan Direction
Orderly exploration, development, and production of mineral and energy resources on national forest lands to help meet the present and future needs of the nation is consistent with the Forest Service mission and with the Superior National Forest Plan. The Forest Plan desired condition for minerals states
“…that exploration, development, and producing mineral resources are conducted in an environmentally sound manner so that they may contribute to economic growth and national defense” (D-MN-2).
The SNF works collaboratively with tribal government, the State of Minnesota, other federal agencies, industries, and the public to identify issues associated with projects proposed on national forest lands and to determine potential mitigations.
In accordance with the Forest Plan, no permit, lease, or other authorization will be issued for exploration or development of minerals owned by the United States within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Mining Protection Areas, and wild segments of designated wild and scenic rivers.
The National Forest System lands outside of these areas (approximately (1,214,900 acres) are available for federal and private mineral exploration and development, subject to environmental evaluation and permit requirements. Extensive surface mining may not be consistent with management policy on national forest lands acquired under the Weeks Act.
Working with the Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages federal leasable hardrock minerals in Minnesota. Mineral ownership varies across the Forest. There are approximately 470,500 acres where the Forest Service manages the land surface and subsurface minerals are federally owned. The Forest Service cooperates with the BLM in environmental analysis and permitting for proposed federal hardrock mineral prospecting and lease permits, exploration operating plans, and mine development projects.
On 744,500 acres where the SNF manages the land surface and the subsurface mineral rights are privately owned (split estate), the Forest cooperatively negotiates with the mineral owner/proponent in reviewing and concurring with their mineral exploration proposal. If a mine is eventually proposed, the SNF cooperates with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Tribal government in the environmental analysis and permitting process.