baumzaehlen - Primeval Forests & Their Trees

Lake Superior Provincial Park , Ontario, Canada

This park on the spectacular eastern shore of Lake Superior protects about 1600 km ² of forest, bogs, shore and some islands.

The forests in different parts of the park differ considerably. The park lies in the transition zone between the temperate deciduous and the boreal forests. Temperate species like Acer saccharum (sugar maple) and Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch) dominate in the south and boreal species Picea glauca (white spruce), Abies balsamea (balsam fir), Betula papyrifera (paper birch) and Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen) in the north ¹ . Most of the former forest type in the park was logged, either before or after the park was created – logging there ended in 1992, 48 years after its creation – while a larger portion of the boreal forests has survived untouched ² . In the northwest, there are “boreal rainforests” near Lake Superior (see Michipicoten parks ).

Highway 17 runs through the park. There are many hiking trails starting from the highway. The Lake Superior shoreline can also be canoed. Camping is allowed only at designated sites.

References:

1 Ross, A. (1992): Lake Superior Provincial Park. In Labatt, L. & Littlejohn, B. (eds.): Islands of Hope, Ontario’s Parks and Wilderness . Firefly.

2 Henry, M. & Quinby, P. (2010): Ontario’s Old-Growth Forests. Fitzhenry & Whiteside.

Official site:

http://www.ontarioparks.com/park/lakesuperior