Corps seeks comments on forest management plan near New Albin, IA

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, released a draft Environmental Assessment for its Upper Iowa River Delta Forest Management Project Friday, Dec. 22. 

Corps officials hope to improve 38.6 acres of Corps-owned land near New Albin, Iowa, by harvest trees to thin the canopy. This plan would allow the forest to better regenerate trees suitable for bird habitat. The tree harvest would take around two months to complete. The harvest would occur during the winter to minimize impacts to the area and could be completed as soon as the winter of 2018/2019. The exact start date would be dependent upon the proper conditions. 

This project requires a review of environmental effects under the National Environmental Policy Act. A copy of the draft EA with a finding of no significant impact was coordinated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state resource agencies prior to posting the public notice. A final determination on the draft EA will be made following a 30-day public review period. The draft EA can be viewed and downloaded from the St. Paul District website at: www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Home/PublicNotices.aspx.   

The public review and comment period on the draft EA ends Jan. 23, 2018. Questions and comments concerning the project should be directed to Derek Ingvalson, Corps biologist, at 651-290-5252 or Derek.S.Ingvalson@usace.army.mil. Please address all correspondence on this project to the St. Paul District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Attention: Regional Planning Division North, 180 5^th St. E., Suite 700, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101-1678.

The nearly 600 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the St. Paul District Fiscal Year 2016 $78 million budget, nearly 1,250 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $120 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

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