---

PINE RIVER-Cass County sold 211.33 acres of tax-forfeited land at a June 26 auction for $294,473, Land Commissioner Kirk Titus reported to the county board Tuesday, July 17.

Fourteen of the 26 land parcels offered at the auction sold, he said.

In addition, the county sold another eight parcels over the counter from the land office in Backus since the first of this year, netting another $166,750.

Of the $461,223 collected so far on land sales this year, $207,550 will go back to the land department to offset the cost of preparing the sales, $50,735 will be distributed to townships or cities where the land is located, $101,469 will go to schools where the land is located and $101,469 will go to the county general fund.

Cass County offers tax-forfeited properties for sale at current appraised value. There are 101 properties currently available for sale over the counter at the land department from prior auctions, Titus reported.

Anyone can view the parcels online by going to www.co.cass.mn.us/government/county directory/land department/over the counter.php. Appraised value of each lot, its location and a map of the lot are all available at that website.

Titus told the board some lots may be more conducive to preserving due to wetlands or sensitive habitat on the property, so in addition to seeking buyers, he also is working with sensitive habitat preservation groups to possibly set aside some lots which have not sold in several years for future preservation.

He reported six of six tracts offered at timber actions from county administered land sold at April and June auctions, but only three of the six offered in May sold.

Cass County always offers a large amount of aspen, compared with other tree species. The county sold 5,295 cords of aspen in April, 2,133 cords in May and 1,912 cords in June.

In April, loggers paid $37.46 per cord for aspen. They paid $35.80 per cord in May and $41.62 in June.

Among all tree species, Cass sold 7,241 cords of wood for $240,845.35 in April, 2,794 cords for $88,834 in May and 4,279 cords for $168,186 in June.

Second publication rights after Brainerd Dispatch.[[In-content Ad]]

---