MARQUETTE –The Michigan Department of Natural Resources plans prescribed burns, timber harvests and tree thinning to help keep Michigan’s 4 million acres of state forest land healthy and to provide wildlife habitat.

Plans for management activities are finalized two years in advance after public input is gathered in the regional management unit.

This fall, recommendations for 2021 are being presented at open houses across northern Michigan. People can talk to foresters, wildlife biologists and other DNR professionals regarding plans within the management units.

An open house took place Thursday at the Crystal Falls field office for the Crystal Falls Management Unit.

An open house for the Newberry Management Unit will be 3 to 6 p.m. Eastern time Oct. 15 at the Newberry field office, 5666 M-123 South in Newberry.

About a month after each open house, a public compartment review meeting also will take place. That’s where foresters present their final decisions on management activities. Upcoming compartment review meetings include:

— Gwinn Management Unit: 9:30 a.m. Eastern time Wednesday at Northern Michigan University’s University Center, 1401 Presque Isle Ave., Marquette.

— Shingleton Management Unit: 9 a.m. Eastern time Oct. 15 at the Shingleton field office, E1234 M-28, Shingleton.

— Crystal Falls Management Unit: 8 a.m. Central time Oct. 17 at the Crystal Falls field office, 1420 U.S. 2 West, Crystal Falls.

— Grayling Management Unit: 9 a.m. Eastern time Oct. 21 at the Grayling Field Office, 1955 Hartwick Pines Road in Grayling.

— Newberry Management Unit: 9 a.m. Eastern time Oct. 29 at the Newberry Correctional Facility training room, 3001 Newberry Ave., Newberry.

For more information, including a link to the interactive forest map showing details of all forest management activities, go to the public input section of the DNR’s Michigan.gov/Forestry webpage.