baumzaehlen - Primeval Forests & Their Trees

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan, USA

This park (239 km ² ) borders on Lake Superior and contains 145 km ² of virgin forest, thus being the largest unlogged forest in Michigan ¹ . Small gap formation and light disturbances dominate the stand dynamics; thus the forest is thoroughly uneven-aged and dominated by late-successional species: Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock) near Lake Superior and Acer saccharum (sugar maple) further from the lake ¹ . Other important trees include Tilia americana (basswood) and Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch). Fires are very rare, the natural rotation period being approx. 900 years ¹ . Elevations range from 182 m to 600 m. Annual precipitation is approx. 800 mm ² and fairly evenly distributed throughout the year ¹ . Average annual temperature at low altitudes is approx. 5°C ² .

This is a lovely forest where hiking is easy off-trail, too. Camping is also allowed outside the designated areas.

References :

1 Frelich, L. E. & Lorimer, C. G. (1991): Natural Disturbance Regimes in Hemlock-Hardwood Forests of the Upper Great Lakes Region. Ecological Monographs 61 , 2, 145–64.

2 Barnes, B. V. & Wagner, W. H. Jr. (2004): Michigan Trees. The University of Michigan Press.

Official site:

http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=426&type=SPRK