{"timestamp":1794336014,"message":"Normal execution.","result":{"forest_id":59,"bbox":{"epsg:4326":[-92.182117,47.894052,-91.919661,48.091598]},"narratives":{"introduction":["Burntside State Forest is located in the northeastern corner of St. Louis County and northern Lake County. ","Parts of the forest lie on the southwestern border of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and more than 80% of it is within the boundaries of the Superior National Forest, making it subject to USDA Forest Service management rules. ","Burntside State Forest also includes 7,134-acre Burntside Lake, which has several public accesses. This lake is renowned for its big lake trout and walleye. It supports one of the largest populations of Minnesota's state bird, the loon. ","The North Arm Trails are popular, well-marked trails open to hiking and cross-country skiing."],"landscape":["The area's signature exposed rocks, boulders, and numerous lakes are a result of the underlying geology. The bedrock formation, called the Canadian Shield, is some of the oldest rock on earth formed by volcanic action approximately 2.7 billion years ago. Later, ancient seas laid down the valuable iron ore that is still mined in the area today. Further volcanic activity swept away the seas and formed two mountain ranges. The advancing and receding of glaciers and millions of years of erosion have worn the mountains down, resulting in the present rugged landscape. ","Located near and within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), this scenic state forest feature boreal forests of pine, spruce, and aspen. The rugged terrain contains large boulders, rocky outcroppings, and several interconnecting lakes, beaver ponds, and streams. Parts of the forest borders the 7,134-acre Burntside Lake, a popular lake for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing."],"management":["From year to year, you may see changes in this forest. The DNR manages the trees, water, and wildlife in state forests to keep them healthy and meet recreational, environmental, and economic goals. Trees are harvested to make a variety of products, such as lumber and building materials, pulp for making paper, pallets, fencing, and telephone poles. Through careful planning, harvesting, and planting, land managers work to improve wildlife habitat. The DNR manages state forests for everyone to use, while preventing wildfires and ensuring forests continue to keep air and water clean."],"history":["This area was first occupied by numerous groups of Dakota, Lakota, and Anishinaabe who harvested wild rice, collected berries, produced maple syrup, fished, and hunted. Beginning in the late 1600s, Europeans (first French, then British and American) arrived to harvest fur pelts for sale in the eastern United States and Europe. When the fur industry declined, loggers moved in and removed much of the virgin timber through the middle of the 20th century. In 1904 the U.S. Congress granted 20,000 acres to the state for the Burntside Forest Reserve for experimental forestry, decreeing that \"State forest reserves should be devoted not alone to the business of raising timber, but to the pleasure of all the people,\" (Minnesota Forestry Commissioner's Report, 1905). In 1915, Minnesota Forest Service planted 200,000 three-year old trees in what is now the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - representing one of the largest tree plantings of the time. In 1963, the Minnesota Legislature designated that state forests be managed for timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation, and water quality. Writer and wilderness activist Sigurd Olson lived on the southeast shore of Burntside Lake. Olson helped draft the Wilderness Act of 1964, which designated much of the area as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. In 1978, the Minnesota Legislature created the BWCAW, adding acres and amending the national Wilderness Act. These laws set aside much of the area as a recreational wilderness for camping and canoe travel. ","In 2018, 700 acres north of Burntside Lake underwent a prescribed burn to increase production of blueberry."]},"alert":{"ohv_trails":[],"general":null,"forest_roads":[]},"id":"sft00011","counties":["St. Louis"],"last_updated":"2026-06-09 13:10:11.796404-05","area":74817,"notes":["Attention Trail Users:
","Portions of this state forest is located within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) are closed to all motor vehicle use."],"nearby_destinations":[{"url":"https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/superior/recreation/boundary-waters-canoe-area-wilderness","type":"other_public_land","name":"Boundary Waters Canoe Area"},{"url":"/state_trails/taconite/index.html","type":"state_trail","name":"Taconite State Trail"},{"type":"state_park","url":"/state_parks/bear_head_lake/index.html","name":"Bear Head Lake State Park"}],"activities":{"boating":0,"dog_sledding":0,"camping_dispersed":0,"fishing_pier":0,"snowmobiling":0,"canoe_kayak":1,"hwt":0,"ohm":0,"horseback":0,"dog_sledding_miles":0,"atv_class_2_miles":0,"horseback_miles":0,"snowmobiling_miles":0,"hwt_miles":0,"swimming":0,"orv":0,"atv_class_1":0,"mountain_biking_miles":0,"orv_miles":0,"picnic_shelter":0,"snowshoeing":1,"picnic_area":0,"cross_country_ski_miles":0,"atv_class_2":0,"hiking":1,"hiking_miles":0,"atv_class_1_miles":0,"campground":0,"mountain_biking":0,"fishing":1,"boat_ramp":1,"hunting":0,"cross_country_ski":1,"ohm_miles":0},"established":1963,"name":"Burntside State Forest","events":null,"maps":[{"title":"state forest map and guide","url":"https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_forests/sft00011.pdf","for":"sft00011","type":"pdf"},{"for":"sft00011","url":"https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_forests/sft00011_geo.pdf","type":"geopdf","title":"state forest map"}],"facilities":[]},"status":"SUCCESS"}