Saving Minnesota’s Moose

The Nature Conservancy is part of a collaborative effort to improve habitat for the state’s tenuous moose population.

September 14, 2018 Last updated January 26, 2026

A male moose splashes through water several feet deep. — Young Bull Moose A moose leaps through the water. © Frank A. Wyzwywany

Minnesota’s Arrowhead region, from the Boundary Waters southeast toward the Lake Superior shore, has long been a stronghold for moose. But their population experienced a steep decline – in 2006, northeast Minnesota had nearly 9,000 moose. By 2011, that number had declined to just over 3,000.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports this moose population has stabilized to around 4,000 after this decline, which may have been caused by a combination of a changing climate, disease and predation. To help slow population decline and give moose a chance to recover, a diverse collaborative of federal, state, county, tribal and conservation groups is working to improve habitat in prime moose territory.

A moose stands in a forest of aspen trees. — **Moose** Moose rely on white pine, white spruce and other tree species for shade from the summer heat and shelter in harsh winters. © Mark Godfrey/TNC

Minnesota Moose Habitat Collaborative

The Minnesota Moose Habitat Collaborative formed in 2011 to focus on restoring and enhancing moose habitat in Minnesota, the same year that the DNR published its comprehensive Moose Research & Management Plan.

Currently led by the Ruffed Grouse and American Woodcock Society, partners work collaboratively to provide high quality habitat across Minnesota’s moose range. The group secures funding, selects restoration sites and tracks data to report accomplishments. The Nature Conservancy supports the collaborative by adding resources, planning, and on-the-ground capacity to implement moose habitat restoration across partner lands.

Moose Habitat Collaborative Partners

Ruffed Grouse Society
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Gitchi-Onigaming / Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
1854 Treaty Authority
Lake County
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
St. Louis County
The Nature Conservancy
University of Minnesota Duluth Natural Resources Research Institute
U.S. Forest Service

By the Numbers

TNC and the Minnesota Moose Habitat Collaborative

1.3M

tree seedlings planted by TNC in moose habitat
23,965

unique acres of habitat enhancement work completed by TNC
8,000

acres of moose habitat work planned through 2027

Restoring Moose Habitat

Good moose habitat is a mosaic of young and older trees. It includes mature trees that provide cover from summer heat and winter snow and protection from predators for calves, but should also have access to water and plenty of young forest and brush forage for browsing.

The collaborative selects sites for restoration in Minnesota’s known moose range in the northeast, with a focus on areas inland from Lake Superior. Biologists identify sites that have evidence of moose activity, like browsed material, shed antlers and areas where moose have bedded down.

To restore ideal habitat, land managers open up the woods to stimulate new growth for forage using methods like prescribed fire, timber harvesting and mechanical site preparation, which use heavy equipment to create young forest conditions, and brush sawing, which involves giant weed whackers used to cut brush that has become too mature and tough for moose to use as forage.

“In winter, when the ground is frozen, heavy equipment can be brought in to shear brush,” said Chris Dunham, associate director of resilience forestry for TNC. The result of all the brush work is prime moose browsing habitat. “The cleared areas will be full of fresh moose food,” said Dunham.

The collaborative also prioritizes tree planting to ensure moose have sufficient tree cover for summer shade and winter shelter. So far, TNC has planted 1.3 million tree seedlings in Minnesota’s moose habitat. Once planted, the trees may be protected with tree shelters and bud caps to prevent browsing by deer and other animals, helping them grow to maturity.

A pine seedling grows out of a leafy forest floor. — **White pine seedling** A tiny white pine emerging from the forest floor at Upper Manitou Forest Preserve. © Derek Montgomery

What's Next

Since the Moose Habitat Collaborative formed in 2011, nearly $9 million has been allocated from Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund through the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council to this work. In 2023, the DNR received an additional $400,000 from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation’s America the Beautiful grant program to help identify and address key challenges to large-scale moose habitat restoration.

Looking ahead, the collaborative will implement habitat restoration on more than 3,000 acres in priority areas identified through the America the Beautiful grant by 2028. The group is also working to develop methods to assess how moose are using the restored sites to demonstrate the effectiveness of this work.

What’s good for moose is great for the overall health of Minnesota’s forests. This restoration work benefits more than just moose—wildlife including ruffed grouse, snowshoe hare and Canada lynx also thrive in forests with a mosaic of younger and older trees.

Creating patches of younger forest that are planted with a diverse mix of tree seedlings also helps build forest resilience, and resilient forests are more likely to withstand the effects of climate change, pest and pathogen outbreaks, storms and wildfires.