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
Fire!
A wildfire raged near Sleeping Bear Tree Farm. Over 1,700 areas burned, with many people evacuated. This is a good time to think about fire safety. Are you prepared for a wildfire? What can I do to prevent forest fires? You may remember that Smokey has a few thoughts on this topic! Wildfire Prevention StrategiesPreventing …
2026 Harvest at Sleeping Bear Tree Farm
It’s time for a thinning of our Red Pine forest! Using Ponsse Equipment, we are harvesting about 20 acres of woods planted in 1982. This is the second thinning for this Family Forest. Ponsse is a company that Sleeping Bear LLC managing member, Vandy Johnson, visited in Finland in 2024. Read more about Ponsse on …
National Forest Week
May 31-June 6, 2026, is National Forest Week! This is the 8th annual National Forest Week, celebrating stewardship of some of America’s most treasured places. This summer, the National Forest Foundation is launching a nationwide campaign inviting Americans to choose national forests between Memorial Day and Labor Day and beyond. The message is simple: Whatever …
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