Rajala Woods

Minnesota Power expects to plant up to 3 million white pine, red pine, jack pine and spruce tree seedlings as part of the Rajala Woods forest management initiative.

Rajala Woods, highlighted on five parcels of company-owned land (map) , is an effort to increase the percentage of longer-lived conifer tree species in Minnesota forests. The initiative is named in honor of the late Jack Rajala, who was chief executive of the Rajala Companies of Deer River, Minn. His strong conservation ethic and love of native northern Minnesota species like white pine exemplified the values behind the Rajala Woods initiative.

The trees will be planted over 10 years across about 3,000 acres at an estimated cost of $1.4 million. The Rajala Woods initiative will take shape on the North Shore near Taconite Harbor Energy Center, on property adjacent to Colby Lake near Hoyt Lakes, at the Boulder Lake Management Area near Duluth, at the Blackwater Environmental Area in Cohasset and near Pillager on property occupied by the Sylvan Hydroelectric Project.

Minnesota Power intends the Rajala Woods initiative to be a catalyst for environmental stewardship. If you’d like to learn how you can help with forest restoration efforts and opportunities to volunteer, please call Kurt Anderson, Director of Environmental and Land Management, at 218-355-3322 or email him at kanderson@mnpower.com.