.jpg)
A bill proposed by State Rep. Roger Skraba would prohibit the sale of 80,000 acres of school trust lands within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee laid the bill over Tuesday for consideration in a committee bill.
Skraba said he’s opposed to selling the land to the U.S. Forest Service and instead would like to see a land swap for equivalent acres outside the federal wilderness.
The Ely Republican argues that the swap is better on economic development grounds and said that the state could acquire acreage outside the wilderness that could be used for timber harvesting or even mineral rights.
“Our communities need wood products to survive,” he said.
The current deal being considered would sell the acres to the U.S. Forest Service at a rate of just $375 per acre.
“The offer as it stands right now is $30 million for all 80,000 acres,” Skraba said. “That is not a deal. That is not something the state of Minnesota should do. I think we’re better stewards of the land; I think we can do a better job.”
School trust land came into being when Minnesota became a state in 1858, as the federal government set aside portions of land to be used to support the state’s schools.
But 80,000 acres that sit within the BWCAW, which was established in 1978, can not generate income for the state and helped prompt the proposal for a sale.
Aaron Vande Linde, director of the School Trust Lands trust, argued that a sale would provide the best return on investment.
He cited a 2024 analysis by his office that showed that the $30 million would grow to $850 million in 50 years, assuming historical interest rates achieved by the fund.
“Investing in stocks and bonds yields significantly higher returns compared to investing in industrial forestland, both in absolute terms and in annualized return on investment,” Linde said.
Skraba countered that the analysis assumes investment success will continue.
Unless Skraba’s bill succeeds, the sale to the U.S. Forest Service could be complete by the end of next year.
Those lands would remain part of the wilderness if a sale occurs and would remain open to the public for recreation, with the lands managed in accordance to the federal wilderness act and forest management plan.
