Michigan DNR and U.S. Forest Service sign Good Neighbor Authority Master Agreement

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the U.S. Forest Services (USFS) signed a Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) master agreement on Wednesday, which will allow the state to supplement USFS work, according to an announcement from the DNR.

“Good Neighbor Authority projects will expand our capacity to achieve forest management outcomes described in the forests’ 2006 Land and Resource Management Plans,” said U.S. Forest Service Eastern Regional Forester Kathleen Atkinson. “I’m excited to have a new tool that allows us to work together in unprecedented ways into the future.”

The GNA is between Michigan and the Hiawatha, Ottawa and Huron-Manistee National Forests, and the exact nature of their cooperation will be detailed in supplemental project agreements to be signed in the near future.

“By working together, we’re better poised to meet the goals and objectives outlined by Governor Snyder at the 2013 Forest Products Summit, which will help increase the industry’s economic impact on state and regional economies from $14 billion to $20 billion,” said Michigan State Forester and DNR Forest Resources Division Chief Bill O’Neill. “This partnership will allow for more timber sales, which means more work for local loggers and other forest products companies and great news for the state’s economy.