History of the IIC and the MFRC

The Minnesota Forest Resources Council (MFRC, the Council) was created by the Sustainable Forest Resources Act of 1995. The Council serves as a forum to discuss forest resources issues and to provide sound forest management recommendations to the governor and to federal, state, and local governments. The Council is made up of 14 governor appointed members representing a broad array of interests pertaining to timber harvesting and forest management throughout the state. The Council's diverse membership helps to ensure that its policies and practices will result in the long-term sustainable management and use of Minnesota's forest resources. 

In addition to establishing the Council, the Sustainable Forest Resources Act of 1995 instructed the commissioner of natural resources to coordinate the establishment of an interagency information cooperative (IIC). The establishment of the IIC, like that of the Council, was a response to the findings of the Generic Environmental Impact Statement on Timber Harvesting and Forest Management in Minnesota (GEIS) and to the recommendations of the GEIS Implementation Strategy Roundtable. The Legislature recognized the need to coordinate the development and use of forest resources data and the information systems that facilitate access to that data in order to support the decision making of the Council and other public and private organizations. The IIC was established to meet this need.  The Memorandum of Understanding officially created the IIC.