PICKWICK, Minn. (AP) — Bruce Harem looked on as crews took trees from a pile the size of a two-story building and fed them through a giant wood chipper into a semi trailer.
Morning rain turned parts of his cow pasture into a muddy, rutted work site, but the 65-year-old retired teacher didn't seem to mind.
The stream flowing off in the distance was his main concern.
"I think it's a good thing to do for the land,'' he said.
Workers cleared trees from a 66-foot stretch of Pickwick Creek as part of Trout Unlimited's plan to improve 19.1-acres of trout habitat, one of the first "fuel for habitat'' stream restorations in the state.
The group relies on a $300,000 grant from the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Fund to pay for the work.
Instead of burning the harvested trees — which is standard practice — wood chips will be taken to wood-burning energy plants like the one on French Island, said Jeff Hastings, a regional project manager for Trout Unlimited's national branch.
"Now we're coordinating these larger efforts,'' he said. "It really makes sense to do it.''
The restoration follows two years of planning and coordinating with the Minnesota Department of Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Trout Unlimited brought in McGhie & Betts, a Rochester-Minn. based contractor, to manage the permitting process.
About 90 percent of the harvested trees are box elder, said Luke Lunde, a wetland specialist for McGhie & Betts. Workers were careful to mark less-invasive trees, like willow, basswood and cottonwood, with red ribbons.
When the trees are cleared, workers will reshape the steep banks to make them more gradual — further reducing the likelihood that sediment will fall into the water.
"Our streams are great,'' Hastings said. "They got the food, they got the temperature.What they're lacking is the habitat — the overhead cover.''
Wood planks installed under water will offer trout a place to hide. V-shaped stone structures will create deep pools and add similar protection from natural predators.
The trout population is projected to grow from less than 500 fish per mile to as much as 2,000 fish per mile within three years.
Fish will spread out and could be harder to find at first, Hastings said. Eventually, though, clear banks and lots of trout will probably bring in more fishermen.
Harem sold an easement to the DNR more than 30 years ago so any angler could march down the stretch of creek that cuts through his property. The land has been in his family for five generations, but the possibility of extra foot traffic doesn't bother him at all.
"We haven't had any trouble with trout fishermen,'' he said. "Of course, I'm one, myself.''
