Michigan's devastating ice storm impacts continue to ripple, including clearcutting and timber salvage

(FOX 2) - The historic ice storm that ripped through Northern Michigan earlier this year continues to impact the state in wide-ranging ways, including altering the trajectory of its forest management. 

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will oversee the clearcutting of aspen trees, moving up plans to chop down the species by four years. It's also trying to salvage all the fallen timber from the March 2025 storm. 

However, the impacts aren't limited to just trees, and some animals could end up benefitting from the shift.

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There were already plans in place to cut down aspen trees in the northeastern Lower Peninsula, but the DNR had targeted 2028 for the project. It has since been moved up.

Clearcutting and other forest management are used to help new trees regrow, improve wildlife habitat, and reduce wildfires. Aspen trees can naturally regenerate and respond to being cut down by using underground shoots or root suckers without the need to be replanted. 

That makes the species a good candidate for projects like the one in Montmorency and Otsego counties, which would take place in a 30-square-mile area. 

And according to the DNR, elk and deer would benefit from cutting down aspen because they are the mammals' favorite tree to feed on.

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Elk and deer often browse or nibble on new growth trees, which can prevent them from regenerating. However, aspen trees are also a critical food source for the animals in the fall when resources become scarce.

Cutting down the trees will provide food while giving the new growth a chance to survive.

"Aspen is a critical food source for elk," said Shelby Adams, DNR wildlife biologist for the Pigeon River Country. "This area is the heart of elk range, and we want to find ways for both the elk and forest to thrive."

Fortunately, aspen trees are "vigorous sprouters" and will respond within one growing season if one is cut down, said Matt Foster, who works in forest management for the DNR.

"You cut one tree down, you'll get many new trees," he said.

The original plan included cutting down aspen trees over the next 10 years. But the ice storm earlier this year has moved up the plan. There is also plenty of timber left over from the storm that will need to be salvaged. The wood isn't as valuable after being knocked down, Foster said, but could still be used for future material.

Northern Michigan Ice Storm

Instead, the clearcutting will take place over the next two years, which is a response to the damage from the ice storm that Michigan is still grappling with.

"Obviously, the ice storm did a lot of damage to existing trees," Foster said. "A lot were bent over. tops were snapped out. I don't think we truly know the full effect yet because it will take years to see how these trees respond over time."

The impact on residents was just as big.

Nearly a thousand soldiers from the Michigan National Guard took part in Operation Cold as Ice in the days after the storm struck. They assisted clearing almost 800 miles of tree lines, cleared over 1,500 miles of road, and performed 23,000 wellness checks.

The Guard calculated that about 900,000 acres of state forest was damaged by the storm.