Forest Township at a glance:
Forest Township is in the heart of the Minnesota lakes country near Itasca State Park and Park Rapids, MN.
White Earth State forest land transfer:
At the 2024 Annual Township meeting the supervisors were requested by unanimous motion to develop a draft letter and contact list for people to use in protesting the proposed Minnesota legislation to transfer public land in the White Earth State Forest to the White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. The transfer would affect access to private property and public recreation on the transferred land. Please feel free to use this draft to contact legislators and media with your views. The information is in both Word and pdf formats so that you can modify it to express your own views, if you wish. Note that the parts highlighted need to be re-written as they ought to be a personal touch
facts:
Two largest lakes: Bad Medicine & Big Basswood
Other Lakes: Bass, Equay, Gardner, Kneebone, Little Basswood, Mallard, Missouri, Sockeye & Wahbegon
Total Area: 36 sq. miles; 32.4 sq. miles of land & 3.6 sq. miles of water
Population: 93 residents
news and information
welcome to forest township
Those of us who own property here in Forest Township are committed to protect the unique qualities of the area that attracted us in the first place. Those include a diverse forest setting, pristine lakes with natural shorelines, clean air, and neighbors who have become friends. Please join us in preserving those qualities.
Website: www.foresttownshipmn.net - Please check out our website. It has a wealth of information about our township and several links to help you find what you need.
Services: Township dump/household garbage – Our dump is located on the south end of East Bad Medicine Road at the town hall. Only household garbage is allowed. PLEASE read the signs posted and/or check out the website if you are wondering what is allowed and when our Amnesty Days are for the year. If you need a key, call Barb Christiansen at 218-573-3931. We do have cameras and will fine for illegal dumping. Any questions, call Tim Holzkamm at 218-573-3442. (see back of page for dump information)
Roads: The roads that the township maintains are graded in the summer and plowed in the winter. Full maintenance roads are graded more in the summer than minimum maintenance roads. Plowing is done after 3 or more inches of snow and after the snow has stopped. If there is a snow storm coming, please plan accordingly. It could take a day or two to be plowed out. Questions about the roads, call Barb Christiansen at 218-573-3931.
Township Zoning: A little bit about Forest Township. According to our township ordinance, the township is divided into two districts- Shoreland District and Conservation District. The Shoreland District is described as the first tier of the riparian property and is measure from the OHWL (ordinary high water level) landward 267 feet on Recreational Development Lakes such as Bad Medicine and Bass Lakes (see Becker County Zoning Ordinance for classification list). For Natural Environment Lakes, such as Basswood Lake, the Shoreland District is described as the first tier of the riparian property and is measure from the OHWL (ordinary high water level) landward 400 feet. All lands beyond the Shoreland Districts fall within the Conservation District of Forest Township. All buildings in the Conservation District of Forest Township require a township building permit. The township ordinance, procedures and forms are posted on the township website foresttownshipmn.net under zoning. If you have any questions please call Lynn Lindow at 218-573-3765. In addition, all buildings, additions, decks, etc. also require a Becker County permit regardless of what township district it is to be built.
Voting – Forest township is a mail in ballot township so ballots will be sent to residents or voting can be done in person at the Becker Co. Courthouse, 917 Lake Ave, Detroit Lakes, MN.
Nextdoor: This is a community posting website for our area. It is a way for our -neighborhood to connect. If you are looking for items, want to sell items, lost dog, etc. is a great way to stay connected. If you have questions on how to get setup call Linda Bentson at 218-684-1234.
Township Officers: (Supervisors) Tim Holzkamm 218-573-3442; Barb Christiansen 218-573-3931; and Lynn Lindow 218-573-3765. (Clerk) Karen Hefner 218-573-6500. (Treasurer) Donna Waliczek 218-573-2254. You can all anyone of the officers with questions or concerns. Thank you.
Becker County Hazard Mitigation Plan
2025 becker county board of appeal and equalizaiton meeting
- Date: June 16, 2025
- Time: 6:00 pm
- Notice of change of date
2025 road tour - May 13
- Date: May 13, 2025
- Time: 4:30 PM
- Where: Beginning at Forest Township Town Hall
- Public Meeting – 6:00 PM
- The public meeting will continue at the Township Hall after the tour for discussion and planning. There is adequate size at the Hall for social distancing.
- The public is invited to participate in the tour but must drive themselves to allow for personal safety.
- If you are interested in meeting with the supervisors while they tour or have information to share before the tour, please contact Barb Christiansen, Roads Supervisor at 573- 3931.
2024 road tour - May 14
- All minimum maintenance roads need the spring grading done.
- Basswood Lake Rd – Road good.
- Basswood Rd – Road good.
- Sunrise Lane – Road good but need to pull in the grass on the edges some.
- East Bad Medicine Rd – 238 yds of Class 5 added in 2023; Calcium Chloride/dust control was approved at the April meeting to apply again from Co Rd 129 to Sunset drive. Leonard would like to pull in the edges some in this area before the Calcuim Chloride is applied. North end needs Class 5 where there are rocks. Sign in ditch needs to be re-installed.
- Sunset Drive – 10 yds of Class 5 in 2023. Some big rocks need to be dug out and Class 5 added.
- Dolly’s Trail – Road good, needs spring grading
- Horseshoe Rd – Road good, needs spring grading
- Black Bear Beach Rd – Road good, needs spring grading. Spot gravel is needed. No trespassing signs still on fence at cul-de-sac. Need to be removed.
- Red Top Rd – 90 yds in 2023. Needs some rocks dug out and Class 5 added in areas.
- Roads are in good shape overall. The supervisors talked about applying 1000 yards of Class 5. If more is needed throughout the year, they will reassess at that time.
- Note: Spring grading had not been done at the time of this road tour.
- Meeting started at 4:00 and adjourned at 5:30
2026 annual meeting
- March 10, 2026, 6:30 pm
- Forest Township Town Hall
- March 17th the back update in the case of bad weather
- The regular monthly meeting will be held Monday, Mar 9th
NOTES REGARDING THE "DUMP"
- We would ask that if you use the dump to be respectful and use proper procedures i.e. recyclable material in the correct recycle bin, no construction material, don't leave garbage of any type on the ground, and close all of the lids by securing the chain. Use the Osage or Detroit Lakes sites to get rid of appliances, tires, etc.
- Penalty for Non-Compliance of Posted Dump Rules
2025 amnesty day
Saturday, May 24, 2025
Saturday, August 23, 2025
Hours of operation
Saturday 8am – 5pm
The dump gate will be locked with an different padlock Friday from 12-5pm and Saturday after 5pm until after the Amnesty Dumpsters are removed.
Please read: Policy Re Amnesty Day - AKA Free Flea Market
Please plan your trip to the dump for the hours noted.
Recycling Update
- Becker County has gone to single sort of metal and plastic at our site. The container has been labeled to indicate that.
- Paper, glass, and cardboard still have separate containers.
Use of the Township Hall
- The town hall is available for area groups for meetings.
- To use the Hall please sign up on the Town Hall Schedule Calendar posted on the bulletin Board by the white board in the building. This will prevent overlapping meetings.
- If you need assistance or a key please contact Lisa Jackson at 218-573-6601 or any of the Township Supervisors.
2025 Meeting Dates
- Township Board meeting dates are scheduled for 2025. See our meetings page or download a PDF of the scheduled dates (click here)
polling and voting re-districting information
Township Ditches and Road Easements
- The ditches and road easements in our township are there to provide correct water drainage,
clear view while driving and an area for snow removal from the roadways. - It has come to our attention that residents use ditches to discard grass clippings, branches, other miscellaneous items and use easements to put private property. By doing this we cannot
correctly maintain our roads while grading, mowing or snow plowing. It also hinders proper
water drainage. Lastly, by putting personal property in the road easement area it creates a
safety hazard. - Residents are asked to discard all waste properly and not in our ditches or easements for personal use.