The primary focus of the Community Forestry Plan is to address both natural woodland areas and suburban forests.  Suburban forests include street trees, neighborhood trees and parklands.  The plan will address other resource issues such as water quality, wildlands recreation, wildlife, wetlands and special plant communities. 

Chapter 2 presents background information on ownership, land use, planning and zoning, forests, soils, and slopes.  This information, along with input from a community resource workshop, a citizen lead field survey, and planning commission, will be used to define resource areas and develop planning approaches.

Resource Workshop

To establish criteria and assist in prioritizing woodland areas, a workshop was held on June 22, 1999.  State, regional and county agencies, as well as Long Lake Township officials and local citizens were invited to attend.  Below is a list of those persons that attended the resource workshop.  After a brief explanation of the project scope, the Township GIS maps were reviewed.  Next participants were asked to define criteria and prioritize woodland areas. 

Workshop Attendees

David Brouse	Township Resident
Jeff Thurkettle	Township Resident
Lois Feichtenbiner	Township Resident
Bob Flannery	Township Resident
Linda Carps	Township Resident
Roger Williams	Grand Traverse County Planning
Ron Harrison	Grand Traverse County Drain Commissioner’s Office
Kieran Flemming	Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
Rick Moore	Grand Traverse County Conservation District
Karen Rosa	Long Lake Township
Jonathan Allen	Long Lake Township
Tina Allen	Long Lake Township
Richard Deuell	Northeast Michigan Council of Governments

Forest Management
Timber management does not tend to be the highest priority for private forestland owners.  Aesthetics, wildlife and recreation generally have a higher priority.  Larger tracts do present landowners with opportunities to accomplish multiple goals including timber harvesting and management.  While commercial timber harvesting can be conducted on small tracts with high quality timber, it is generally accepted that a minimum of twenty acres is preferable for forest management. 

Water Quality Buffers
Woodlands function as important buffers along wetlands and water bodies.  Buffers slow stormwater velocity to reduce erosion, trap nutrients and pollutants from storm water, connect riparian woodlands as wildlife corridors, and can have a cooling effect on water, wildlife and even homes.  Properly functioning buffers need not only trees but understory vegetation of shrubs and herbaceous plants.  Recommended widths for water quality buffers will vary depending upon adjacent uses, vegetation types, soils and slopes.   A general rule of thumb for residential development is a 100 feet  at eight percent slope.

Protecting Unique Areas
Efforts on protecting lands through conservation easements and fee simple acquisition for preserves should focus on expansion of existing protected areas.  Existing areas are state land, preserves and property owned by Long Lake Township.  Other specific sites are islands in Long Lake, Timbers Girl Scout Camp, and land adjacent to Bullhead Lake and Ruth Lake. 

Ecological Corridors
It was recommended to use the Northwest Michigan Greenways Report as a basis for identifying corridors within the Township.  Wetlands and protected lands form the core areas for ecological corridors.  Upland forests function as connectors for these areas.  Ridges and steep slopes should also be considered when delineating ecological corridors.  The Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNIF) identified area bogs special natural plant communities.  MNIF also identifies Mesic Northern Forest in Section 27 as a special plant community. 

Unique Wildlife Areas
Many species of birds and mammals can be found in the Township.  These species require a wide range of habitat types, such as upland openings, hardwoods, conifers, lowland forests, wetlands and water bodies.  No specific sites were identified, however, bald eagles, red shouldered hawks, massasauga rattler and common loons, all threatened and special concerned species, have been noted.   Critical habitat for these species are wetlands, lowland forests and lakes.
 

Citizen Field Survey

A field survey was conducted by two township residents, Lois Feichtenbiner and Bob Flannery.  Using the forest and wetlands map compiled by the Township, they drove throughout the township and identified unique and important resource sites.  This information was incorporated into Figure 3.1 of this chapter. 
 

Priority Resource Areas

 Figure 3.1 is a compilation of existing condition analysis and workshop input.  The map shows significant ecological corridors, unique sites, views, wetlands and  water quality buffers.  As noted in the map, the ecological corridors extend beyond the Township borders and are part of much larger regional ecosystems.  Also, the map clearly shows the interconnected nature of natural resources as wetlands, lakes and forest areas form these regional landscape features.