DeWitt board tables updated forest stewardship plan after consultant presentation and teacher concerns

James Gray, a consultant with Natural Capital Forestry, presented an updated forest stewardship, restoration and education plan to the DeWitt Public Schools Board of Education and asked the board to approve it as the district’s guiding document for roughly the next decade. The board instead voted to table the plan until the next meeting after public comment raised concerns about timber-harvest provisions and stakeholder notification.

Gray said the plan updates a document put in place about 11 years ago and reflects a shift from a timber-focused approach to a more ecological model that emphasizes biodiversity, restoration and youth engagement. "I titled it a forest stewardship restoration and education plan," Gray said, describing recommendations to restore oak and hickory regeneration, manage invasive species such as black locust and autumn olive, and use parts of the forest for hands-on education, volunteer projects and…