Minnesota Forest Industries executive vice president Rick Horton argues in this second installment of my interview with him that loggers don’t determine the age of aspen that is cut on state lands, the Department of Natural Resources does. The conflict is one of a handful of flashpoints that arose after the federal government withheld more than $20 million from the DNR for failing to document wildlife benefits of logging on state wildlife management areas — a controversy about which the Legislative Auditor also issued a critical report. In my November 14 column, I quoted a retired DNR forest wildlife planner and a retired DNR forester who said the state’s timber industry’s influence over the DNR threatens forest wildlife. Headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota Forest Industries represents the state’s approximately 69,000 Minnesotans who cut timber and manufacture lumber, siding and other wood and paper products.