FOREST MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES FOR MICHIGAN
By the Michigan Society of American Foresters

SPECIAL NATURAL and CULTURAL RESOURCES

Some forest ownerships have areas or sites with special natural or cultural resources. These provide the owner and manager of such property with both a privilege and a responsibility. Having such resources on one’s property is a privilege because they are unique and provide a link to understanding the past, either biologically or culturally. Moreover, with regard to special natural resources, they provide a potential link to the future. Because of their uncommon nature, the landowner may have a legal responsibility and, arguably, an ethical responsibility to preserve these resources.

Legal responsibility for special natural resources can be found in both the federal Endangered Species Act and the Michigan Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, through its Endangered Species part and its Biological Diversity part. Ethical responsibility recognizes that the land and the plants and animals it supports have an inherent worth. Those which are limited in numbers or range have an additional worth due to their scarcity. They provide a link to the past, as well as offer hope for ecosystem, species, and genetic viability into the future.

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This website is maintained by Bill Cook, Michigan State University Extension Forester in the Upper Pensinsula. 
Comments, questions, and suggestions are gratefully accepted. Editorial issues can be addressed to Eric Thompson.

Last update of this page was 04 April 2001.