Welcome to our family-owned managed forest!
About
Sleeping Bear Tree Farm is American Tree Farm System (ATFS) Certified and a member of the Minnesota Forestry Association. Our electrical power is sourced from the Crow Wing Community Solar Array.
Blog
Can Trees Save the Planet?
Planting more trees is often seen as a simple solution to problems like climate change and species loss. But how effective is this practice really? Deforestation is increasing, and CO2 emissions are reaching record levels. In the fight against environmental catastrophe, planting trees is often presented as a silver bullet. Politicians, NGOs, and multinational corporations …
Jeff Forester, Keynote Speaker, 2026 MFA Polaris Gathering
Author and Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates Executive Director, Jeff Forester, spoke to Minnesota Forestry Association members at the 2026 Polaris Gathering. Forester described how humans have occupied and managed the northern borderlands of Minnesota, from tribal burning to pioneer and industrial logging to evolving conceptions of wilderness and restoration forestry. On the surface a …
Continue reading “Jeff Forester, Keynote Speaker, 2026 MFA Polaris Gathering”
Biochar!
On June 12, 2026, the City of Brainerd and Great River Greening partnered to host a Biochar demonstration, converting buckthorn wood waste into biochar using on-site kilns. GRG staff ran the kiln and answered questions on biochar, its uses and how flame capped kilns work. GRG Staff walked participants through the process of managing a …
The Climate Crisis
The Climate Crisis is impacting our forest.
Aspen, Birch, Spruce and Pine are all negatively effected by the warming climate. These species make up over 60% of Minnesota’s forests.
Sleeping Bear Tree Farm is mostly Red Pine, Ash and Aspen. All severely threatened species.
The Minnesota forest industry is a 6 billion dollar business employing more than 35,000 people. Private forests account for 44% of Minnesota forests, followed by State land at 21%, County and Municipal land at 17% and National forest at 15%.
On average, one acre of Minnesota forest stores 95 metric tons of carbon. Sleeping Bear Tree Farm holds over 4,000 metric tons of carbon. As the climate warms, the ability to store carbon decreases. As the trees die from climate change, they begin to release the stored carbon adding to the problem.
Would you like to know more?
USDA Minnesota Forest Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment and Synthesis: A Report from the Northwoods Climate Change Response Framework
https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/wait-why-climate-change-bad-thing
Contact
Contact us at info@sleepingbeartreefarm.com