For Friday, June 29, 2018

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1 – Prescribed burns, timber harvests and tree thinning are examples of ways that state forest land is managed in Michigan.

This summer, forest management recommendations for the year 2020 are being presented at open houses, where people may speak with foresters, wildlife biologists and other resource professionals.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources finalizes plans for forest management units two years in advance of when management activities take place.

Upcoming open houses include one for the Gladwin forest unit on July 24.

For more information, including maps, see the public input section of the DNR website at michigan.gov/forestry.

2 – Several strong low pressure systems in March and April brought near-to-record-breaking cold temperatures and late season winter precipitation to the Great Lakes basin.

By contrast, most of the basin saw above-normal conditions in May.

This is according to a quarterly Great Lakes regional climate outlook issued this week (Thursday) by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Forecasters predict above-normal temperatures for most of the Great Lakes basin from July through September. Precipitation has been predicted to have an equal chance of being above, near, or below normal for the basin.

Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron water levels are expected to rise over the beginning of the third quarter and start to enter their seasonal fall decline by the end of September.