A Michigan Sustainable Forestry Initiative
Project
Michigan Forest Resource Alliance
Welcome to an Auto Tour of Michigan Forests.
This tour will take you from Clare to Grayling, approximately 67 miles, with the final
stop at Hartwick Pines Forest Visitor Center. Along the way you will see the many types
of forests that make up Michigan's landscape and the management used to enhance them for
the benefit of all Michigan citizens.
Introduction
Michigan's temperate forests are indeed a
vibrant part of the state. They teem with plant and animal life; they provide outdoor
recreational opportunities; they protect and enhance air and water quality; and they
support 150,000 jobs and contribute over $9 billion to Michigan's economy each year. Their
linkage to these and other quality of life issues touch our lives each day.
A recently completed statewide forest
resource inventory, the state's fifth since 1935, provides an opportunity to review
important facets of our forests' extensiveness, health, diversity, and productivity. This
inventory revealed that the forests of Michigan are healthy, vibrant and capable of
sustaining the needs of the public both now and for generations to come.
Sit back, relax and enjoy the next 67 miles
of Michigan's forest resources and look for the 10 points of interest about Michigan
forestry along the way. Each spot will be identified with a "Living Forest" sign
located between designated mile markers. In some cases a key reference will assist you in
locating the point of interest.
Important habitat for deer, grouse & many
songbirds
1 year after an aspen clearcut, 10,000-40,000
aspen trees per acre can sprout from the existing root system.
The forest industry does not need to replant
after most harvesting operations. Foresters prescribe certain types of harvests to insure
natural regeneration from desirable species. An aspen clearcut is one such prescription.
Without a disturbance such as fire, wind or
man's intervention (clearcut), aspen would be lost from the forest landscape.
In the late 1800's, loggers floated white
pine logs down the Muskegon River each spring. This practice is no longer in use.
Today the forest industry follows Best
Management Practice Guidelines (BMP's) during harvest operations to enhance the water
quality of Michigan's lakes, rivers and wetlands.
Rivers like the Muskegon provide recreational
opportunities such as canoeing, fishing, trapping, and wildlife viewing.
For more information on the history of
logging in Michigan visit Hartwick Pines State Park Forest Visitor Center (site 10.)
Maturing oak forest with natural white pine
regeneration in understory (3'15' tall)
Notice the large white pine seed trees
(100'tall) that were not cut during the white pine era in the late 1800's.·
These seed trees have naturally planted the
thousands of smaller white pine you see in the understory.
Here we see how the forest is changing
through natural succession.
Early 1900's:
· Mature white pine was cut and burned
· Gave way to a pure oak forest with a few
scattered large white pine
Today we see white pine reclaiming the site
again because it can grow in the shade.
· Eventually, this forest will contain large
majestic white pines again. However, this process will take 100 years or more. Foresters
can accelerate this process by prescribing an oak thinning to release the white pine for
faster growth
One of the first plantations established in
the state. This area was planted in 1914 by the Dept. of Conservation on an abandoned farm
field.
The research conducted in this stand providedvaluable information to help establish the CCC pine plantations throughout the state
in the 1930's. Many plantations were established to control erosion.
Trees harvested from this stand have produced
utility poles, cabin logs, lumber for building and structural panels and pulpwood for
paper.
Red Pine is the most commonly planted tree
species in Michigan. It does well on sandy soil where hardwood trees do not thrive.
Red Pine provides valuable wildlife habitat
at various stages of its development.
The Grayling area is home to several key
forest products companies that produce the forest products that you use everyday. A few
companies located here include Weyerhaeuser, Georgia-Pacific, AJD Forest Products and the
Graying Generating Station.
Many families depend on these companies for
their jobs and livelihood. In fact, over 150,000 people are employed by the forest
products industry in Michigan.
This forest based industry contributes over
$9 billion to the state's economy each year.
Forestry companies are environmentally
conscious. The billowing white clouds you may see on this tour are mostly steam.
Stop in and see the Michigan Forest Visitor
Center where you can listen to a tree, hear a wolf howl and manage your own woodlot.
The Visitor Center serves as a gateway to one
of Michigan's last stands of virgin white pine. Taste a bit of Michigan's white pine
logging history through an interpretive guided tour through the majestic white pines and
logging museum.
This website is maintained
by Bill Cook, Michigan State University Extension
Forest in the Upper Peninsula.Comments, questions,
and suggestions are gratefully accepted. Last update of this page
was 21 September, 2005
