The timber, mostly aspen, spruce and pine, is set to be sold June 2 as part of the DNR's spring timber auction. The Minnesota chapter of the National Audubon Society urged Sando in a May 12 letter to pull the three sales for now, so they can talk with the agency about alternatives. We're re-evaluating it and discussing it will other agencies in the area to find out where they intend to go.
Environmentalists call it a test case.
If this timber goes up for sale June 2, it makes it far more difficult to resolve this. Daub said a number of environmental groups would be meeting Thursday night to discuss the matter and decide how to respond. This is a big issue. While DNR timber sales typically get little notice from environmentalists, Daub said an anonymous tip alerted them to the significance of the three sales, all within a mile or two of each other. The area is one of the largest identified in a recent inventory of potential RNAs on the Superior National Forest and has been given a high priority for such a designation.