Fire Risk in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Presented By: Matthew Roose James Cordon

Introduction Gunflint Corridor is located in the BWCA –Located in Northern Minnesota –Encompasses 47,669 acres 29,595 National Forest System lands private lands include: 4 youth camps, 22 resorts, 9 campgrounds, 22 boat landings –July 4th Storm caused major blowdown of trees heavy rains, straight line rains exceeding 90 mph caused damage to 32,579 acres of land created fuel pathway of ton/acre

Map of Affected Geographic Region % represents  total area  damaged Green: 10-33% Yellow: 34-66% Pink: %

Blowdown Photos

Use and Non-Use Values Recreation –hunting, fishing, camping, sailing, canoeing, –kayaking, hiking, X-country skiing, snow-shoeing Natural Ecosystem –bears, wolves, raccoons, eagles, owls, northern pike, walleye, bass –clean air, clean water, natural aesthetic views

Market Failures Negative Externalities –land issues: affected area has many different owners (federal, state, private) a fire started on private land would easily travel to government lands, the reverse is also true private parties do not feel responsible for government lands boundaries are not well defined

Market Failures, cont. Public Goods –private parties can access good without cost –private individuals do not understand that their land effects others proper amount of cleanup is not accomplished –private parties can experience non-use values at no cost free-riding is present

Policy Options Must address the issues raised in market failures –Private Lands: provide government subsidy to private land owners to abate cleanup costs police private lands to ensure proper amount of cleanup occurs –machine crushing –prescribed burning –machine pile and burn –chip material and haul

Policy Options, cont. Public Lands: –government should contract timber companies they would remove the downed trees for sale in market place they will continue removing trees until it is no longer profitable or possible government will then finance the rest of cleanup until the efficient amount is reached Total cleanup unnecessary –natural fires occur as part of ecosystem –total cleanup is too expensive and not efficient