Minnesota State Forests are State forests located within the U.S. State of Minnesota. The 59 state forests were established by the Minnesota Legislature in order to conserve and manage the forest resources, including: Timber management, Wildlife management, Water resources management, and Public recreation. Acreage of Minnesota's State Forests is over 4,200,000 acres (17,000 km2).[1]
Minnesota's state forests are generally managed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry - headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Some forest land is managed entirely or in-part by the counties in which they are located in, or by the United States Forest Service in cases where state forests are located within the boundaries of either Chippewa National Forest or Superior National Forest.[2]
The following is a list of state forests in Minnesota:
| Name | County or counties | Area | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Badoura | Cass, Hubbard | 4,520 acres (18.3 km2) | Established 1963, sections of forest also managed by Cass and Hubbard counties. |
| Battleground | Cass | 17,969 acres (72.72 km2) | Established in 1963, lies entirely within the boundaries of the Chippewa National Forest, additionally, and a portion of the forest falls within the borders of the Leech Lake Indian Reservation. |
| Bear Island | Lake, St. Louis | 157,814 acres (638.65 km2) | Established in 1963. Access to the 2,362-acre (956 ha) Bear Island Lake, 5,628-acre (2,278 ha) Birch Lake, as well as canoe and boat access to multiple smaller lakes within the forest. The Taconite State Trail runs through the forest, although it can only be accessed through the nearby Bear Head Lake State Park and Soudan Underground Mine State Park. |
| Beltrami Island | Beltrami, Lake of the Woods, Roseau | 703,336 acres (2,846.30 km2) | Established in 1933, named for Italian Explorer Giacomo Beltrami. |
| Big Fork | Itasca, Koochiching | 127,929 acres (517.71 km2) | Established in 1963, the "Lost 40" and the largest red pine in the state of Minnesota are located within the forest. |
| Birch Lakes | Stearns | 710 acres (2.9 km2) | Established in 1959, The forest is located in a transitory ecotone between the temperate deciduous forest to the northeast and the tallgrass prairie to the southwest. |
| Blackduck | Beltrami, Itasca | 125,529 acres (508.00 km2) | Established in 1935. |
| Bowstring | Cass, Itasca | 526,569 acres (2,130.95 km2) | Established in 1963. The 56,470 acres (22,850 ha) Lake Winnibigoshish is located entirely within the forest. |
| Buena Vista | Beltrami | 104,073 acres (421.17 km2) | Established in 1935. |
| Burntside | Lake, St. Louis | 74,815 acres (302.77 km2) | Established in 1905, home to Burntside Lake, portions of the forest are within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Superior National Forest. |
| Centennial | Cass | 3,394 acres (13.74 km2) | |
| Chengwatana | Chisago, Pine | 29,039 acres (117.52 km2) | Established in 1953. The name is derived from the Ojibwe: Zhingwaadena, meaning white-pine town, after the nearby ghost town and township. Eastern White Pine was historically the dominant tree species in the surrounding forest prior to intensive logging at the end of the nineteenth century. |
| Cloquet Valley | St. Louis | 327,098 acres (1,323.72 km2) | |
| Crow Wing | Crow Wing | 31,307 acres (126.69 km2) | Established in 1935. |
| D.A.R. (Daughters of the American Revolution) | Pine | 643 acres (2.60 km2) | Established in 1943. |
| Emily | Crow Wing | 639 acres (2.59 km2) | Established in 1963. |
| Finland | Cook, Lake | 311,970 acres (1,262.5 km2) | Established in 1933, Minnesota DNR manages approximately 1/3, while the remaining management is by U.S. Forest Service and Cook & Lake counties. Most of the forest is within the Superior National Forest. |
| Fond du Lac | Carlton, Saint Louis | 64,505 acres (261.04 km2) | Established in 1933, parts of the forest are within the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation. |
| Foot Hills | Cass, Hubbard | 46,896 acres (189.78 km2) | Established in 1931, hundreds of small lakes and potholes in the forest, formed during the Wisconsin glaciation, make boating, swimming, canoeing, and kayaking popular recreation activities. |
| General C. C. Andrews | Pine | 7,770 acres (31.4 km2) | The forest is named in honor of Major General Christopher Columbus Andrews, a Civil War veteran, and an early Minnesota State Forestry Commissioner and proponent for scientific forestry and forest management. |
| George Washington | Itasca, Koochiching, and St. Louis | 320,534 acres (1,297.16 km2) | Established in 1931. |
| Golden Anniversary | Itasca | 6,811 acres (27.56 km2) | The forest was established in 1961 in celebration of the "golden anniversary" (50 years) of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources's Division of Forestry. |
| Grand Portage | Cook | 99,200 acres (401 km2) | Established in 1933, in extreme northeastern Minnesota. The forest is named after the Grand Portage, a historic trade route between the Great Lakes and the Northwest. |
| Hill River | Aitkin | 124,204 acres (502.64 km2) | Established in 1963. |
| Huntersville | Wadena | 33,963 acres (137.44 km2) | Established in 1963. |
| Insula | Lake | 609 acres (2.46 km2) | Established in 1963, managed by United States Forest Service. |
| Jeanette | St. Louis | 11,521 acres (46.62 km2) | Established in 1963, managed by United States Forest Service. |
| Kabetogama | Koochiching, St. Louis | 619,287 acres (2,506.17 km2) | Established in 1933. Adjacent to Voyageurs National Park, and located on Lake Vermilion. |
| Koochiching | Itasca, Koochiching and St. Louis | 567,985 acres (2,298.55 km2) | Established in 1943. |
| Lake Isabella | Lake | 638 acres (2.58 km2) | Established in 1963. |
| Lake of the Woods | Beltrami, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, and Roseau | 142,331 acres (575.99 km2) | Established in 1990. |
| Land O'Lakes | Aitkin, Cass, and Crow Wing | 51,498 acres (208.41 km2) | Established in 1933. |
| Lost River | Roseau | 54,915 acres (222.23 km2) | Established in 1963. |
| Lyons | Wadena | 14,789 acres (59.85 km2) | Established in 1963. |
| Mississippi Headwaters | Beltrami, Clearwater, and Hubbard | 45,290 acres (183.3 km2) | Established in 1935, The forest is named after its location immediately downstream (north) of Lake Itasca, the headwaters of the Mississippi River. |
| Nemadji | Carlton, Pine | 92,924 acres (376.05 km2) | Established in 1935. |
| Northwest Angle | Lake of the Woods | 144,412 acres (584.41 km2) | Established in 1935. The name of the forest is derived from its location near the Northwest Angle, the northernmost point of the contiguous United States. The forest borders the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. |
| Pat Bayle | Cook | 180,403 acres (730.07 km2) | Established in 1963, located within the Superior National Forest. Eagle Mountain, the highest natural point in Minnesota, at 2,301 feet (701 m), is located within the forest. |
| Paul Bunyan | Cass, Hubbard | 150,113 acres (607.49 km2) | Established in 1935. The Paul Bunyan State Trail, the Heartland State Trail, and the North Country National Scenic Trail all pass through the forest. |
| Pillsbury | Cass | 25,612 acres (103.65 km2) | Established in 1900. Named for Governor John S. Pillsbury, who served from 1876-1882. Located on the western shore of Gull Lake. |
| Pine Island | Beltrami, Itasca, Koochiching County, Minnesota, and Lake of the Woods | 878,040 acres (3,553.3 km2) | Established in 1933. Largest State Forest, although boundary of Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood is larger only about 45,000 acres of RJDMH State Forest are state owned. |
| Red Lake | Beltrami, Koochiching | 84,105 acres (340.36 km2) | Established in 1963. |
| Remer | Cass, Itasca | 12,850 acres (52.0 km2) | |
| Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood | Dakota, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Olmsted, Wabasha, and Winona | 1,016,204 acres (4,112.43 km2) | Established in 1961. Located in Minnesota's Driftless Area. Only 45,000 acres (180 km2) of the land is state owned, with the remainder owned by private individuals and community groups, governed by easements. |
| Rum River | Kanabec, Mille Lacs, and Morrison | 40,605 acres (164.32 km2) | |
| Sand Dunes | Sherburne | 11,040 acres (44.7 km2) | |
| Savanna | Aitkin, Carlton, Itasca, St. Louis | 238,954 acres (967.01 km2) | Savanna Portage State Park is located within the forest. |
| Smokey Bear | Koochiching | 12,276 acres (49.68 km2) | |
| Snake River | Aitkin, Kanabec | 9,635 acres (38.99 km2) | |
| Solana | Aitkin, Pine | 68,141 acres (275.76 km2) | |
| St. Croix | Pine | 42,153 acres (170.59 km2) | |
| Sturgeon River | Itasca, St. Louis | 170,587 acres (690.34 km2) | |
| Two Inlets | Becker, Hubbard | 28,051 acres (113.52 km2) | |
| Waukenabo | Aitkin | 15,688 acres (63.49 km2) | |
| Wealthwood | Aitkin | 15,042 acres (60.87 km2) | |
| Welsh Lake | Cass, Hubbard | 19,797 acres (80.12 km2) | |
| White Earth | Becker, Clearwater, and Mahnomen | 155,390 acres (628.8 km2) | |
| Whiteface River | St. Louis | 4,468 acres (18.08 km2) |
