Northern Michigan is filled with forests, but unfortunately, they’ve become hotspots for dumping waste.
The Huron-Manistee National Forests is no exception to forest dumping.
“This road used to be called the old dump road, and people still treat it like the old dump,” said Debra-Ann Brabazon, public affairs specialist for the Huron-Manistee National Forests.
The U.S. Forest Service says South 31 road in Wexford County has become a hotspot for people discarding yard waste.
“People tend to think dumping of yard wastes and so forth is a fairly harmless thing to do. But, apart from the obvious, which is that it’s unsightly and can ruin the experience for people who are coming to visit. The National Forest has a bigger impact: it can spread species into the forest that we don’t want here,” explained Rich Corner, Forest Ecologist for the Huron-Manistee National Forests.
“We’re also creating fuel loading that in the event we ever had a wildfire in here that would be excess fuel that would continue to cause problems for the firefighters because it would burn longer and hotter,” added Brabazon.
There are also several spots throughout the National Forests where people dispose of household items.
“We often find furniture, appliances, tires, and other items that are difficult to dispose of via traditional methods,” said Travis Owens, Public Affairs Specialists for the Huron-Manistee National Forests.
It’s Illegal to dump anything on public land.
“I don’t understand why people dump when there’s the ability to recycle, and there’s the ability to use a county waste program and also the ability to compost,” said Brabazon. “I find it really disheartening that other residents treat their public lands the way they do because if we continue to do this, there will be nothing here. There’s going to be nothing here for our children or grandchildren.”
If you come across a dumpsite, you can be a part of the solution by reporting it through the Department of Natural Resources Adopt-A-Forest Program.
“You can use the reporting map to provide a GPS coordinate description and even a picture of a dump site if you find one, then volunteers or agency personnel will follow up on those reports and come out and pick them up when we have an opportunity,” explained Owens.
Anyone caught dumping on public land could face a fine between $500 and $10,000.
