On Tuesday, January 26, Governor Tim Walz announced Minnesota’s COVID-19 Recovery Budget for 2022-2023. Watch the Governor’s announcement.

In a message to the DNR, Commissioner Sarah Strommen writes, “Governor Walz’s proposed FY 22-23 budget for DNR furthers our mission by maintaining critical service delivery and advancing a new initiative to address climate change. As you well know, more Minnesota families than ever before are relying on the mental and physical health benefits of the state’s treasured public lands and waters. This proposed budget will allow DNR staff to continue to serve all Minnesotans with inclusive access to outdoor recreation, robust public engagement opportunities, and proactive management of the state’s natural resources for economic and environmental benefit.”

Included in the Governor’s proposed budget are two items of particular interest to Minnesota Forest Resources Council stakeholders.

The budget proposes to mitigate climate change by accelerating tree planting to capture carbon, with $2.6 million dedicated to increasing tree-planting capacity at the State Forest Nursery. These funds would also be used to incentivize tree-planting on non-forested land and within established forests to increase tree density.

The budget proposes to proactively manage Minnesota’s natural resources by investing $1 million in the modernization of forestry inventory practices, with new technology allowing the DNR to collect more accurate, up-to-date and detailed forest inventories at lower cost.

Read the Governor’s complete 2022-2023 budget recommendations for DNR.