Hannahville Indian Community Forestland Acquisition and Forest-based Business Planning Initiative (2012)

This project aims to assist Hannahville's tribal government by exploring the process of obtaining forestland that may produce supplemental income and other social benefits for the tribe.  The master's project objectives were to identify the qualities of income-producing forestland in the Upper Peninsula, develop an example of a way to search for these real estate assets remotely, and produce profiles of business opportunities that can occur on said lands with discussions of relative benefits.  In the master's project product, an example of a method by which to remotely identify land worth pursuing is given, and which includes maps and descriptions of the applicable areas.  Since logging had been singled out as a possible interest in new land, the master's project team included descriptions of the character of forestry operations and an introduction to timber sales and forest management.  Other land use opportunities are also described, such as for recreation, sporting, and biomass generation, as applies to the forested areas within a limited distance of the Hannahville Indian Reservation.