LANSING — From the trout-fishing haven of the Pilgrim River on the Keweenaw Peninsula to prime elk habitat in the Pigeon River Country State Forest, Michigan has more than 160,000 acres of environmentally sensitive forests available for public use through the federal Forest Legacy Program.

Administered by the U.S. Forest Service with the land rights held by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the program uses federal and matching funds to protect environmentally important forests by purchasing property outright or acquiring development rights through a working forest conservation easement.

Nomination applications are due May 1 for the nationally competitive program, which provides an opportunity for landowners to keep forests as forests, encourages sustainable management and supports strong markets for forest products.

All interests in land acquired by the Forest Legacy Program last forever, and agreements must contain language to ensure that those rights are perpetual. Michigan’s program also requires that land or rights in land are open to the public, at least for nonmotorized access. Landowners who don’t have an existing forest management plan will need to create one before a project can be completed.

The DNR will review and prioritize eligible projects and may submit the top three to compete nationally for funding. Projects nominated by May 1 will compete for funding in the fiscal year 2025 federal budget, which begins Oct. 1, 2024. The state can request up to $20 million for projects.

Find an application or learn more at Michigan.gov/PrivateForestLand.