St. Louis County holds joint public hearing on proposed land exchanges with Conservation Fund and Minnesota DNR

St. Louis County and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources held a joint public hearing to receive public comment on proposed land exchanges with the Conservation Fund, county staff said.

The exchanges would transfer parcels in Kelsey, Meadowlands and Cotton townships. Jason Meyer, director of the county Land and Minerals Department, said the Conservation Fund proposes to exchange 3,190.09 acres of private forest land for 4,172.91 acres of state tax-forfeited (Class B) land; the county would receive 3,190.09 acres valued at $2,871,000 and give away 4,172.91 acres valued at $2,295,000. Meyer said the county obtained a 2023 session law that lets it receive 125% of value in land (or combination of land and money) for exchanges, which is being applied to this transaction.

Minnesota DNR Northeast Region Director Clarissa Spicer told the board the DNR stated the DNR is considering a separate Class A exchange that would consolidate 1,796 acres of trust land (valued at $898,000) for 1,014 acres of private land (valued at $1,141,000) that the Conservation Fund holds, and that the DNR review found no interdepartmental objections.

Meyer described the county parcels proposed to be exchanged away as lower-quality wetland forest (black ash, spruce, tamarack, cedar) and the parcels the county would receive as higher-quality upland forest dominated by aspen and pine. He said timber appraisals show timber value favoring the county going forward because much of the received acreage is near merchantable age. Meyer also noted the Conservation Fund plans to transfer the State-received parcels to Ecosystem Investment Partners (EIP), which intends to pursue permitting for wetland hydrology restoration and wetland mitigation credits; Meyer emphasized that permitting and wetland mitigation banking would be a separate regulatory process if the exchange is authorized.

The county attorney's office was conducting a title commitment search for the lands the county would receive, and the board conditioned approval on a finding of good title.

After presentations, the board closed the hearing and approved the county appraisals and the class B exchange package by vote. Commissioner John Nelson and other board members praised the interagency effort. Spicer said notice of the hearing and the list of lands were posted in the county auditor office and published in the Mesabi Tribune on April 26, 2025.

If the state Land Exchange Board and title review proceed to final approval, the exchanges would consolidate ownership patterns that county and state staff said will improve forest management efficiency and enable wetland restoration by the Conservation Fund or its assignees.