Auto Tour of Michigan Forests

A Michigan Sustainable Forestry Initiative Project
Michigan Forest Resource Alliance

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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.

Site 1: Young Aspen Forest

14.2 miles north of Welcome Center Right Side

• Mature aspen clearcut in 1988
• Requires full sunlight for growth and development
• 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.

Site 2: Mature Northern Hardwoods

18.3 miles north of Welcome Center Both Sides

• The most common forest type in Michigan
• Major species include sugar maple, beech and basswood.
• These types of forests are typically thinned every 10-15 years by selectively removing mature, defective, diseased and poor quality trees.
• The remaining trees will be healthier and will grow faster and young trees will become established in the openings created.
• These forests provide habitat for black bear, deer, songbirds, owls and many other types of wildlife.

Site 3: Maturing Aspen Forest

Mile Marker 210 Right Side

• 30-40 years old
• Stand is declining in health and vigor.
• Because of the height of the trees, the deer are unable to reach their food source (twigs & leaves).
• To start a new aspen forest like site #1, a forester could prescribe a clearcut to improve food and cover for deer and grouse.

Site 4: Marsh

Mile Marker 212-215 Right Side

• Michigan s wetlands are some of the most productive habitats for plants and animals.
• This marsh was enhanced to provide ideal spawning habitat for Northern Pike.
• Please note the 6 man made osprey nesting platforms located throughout the marsh.
• Eagles, herons, geese, ducks, muskrats and mink are just a few of the species found here.
• Woody shrubs are periodically removed by controlled fires to maintain the open water condition.
• Marshes function as filters to cleanse water.

Site 5: Muskegon River Fishery and Wetland Habitat

Mile Marker 216.4 Both Sides

• 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.)

Site 6: Northern White Cedar Swamp

Mile Marker 217 Right Side

• This forest type is extremely important for the winter habitat needed by deer and other wildlife.
• Cedar is most often found on wet organic soils.
• Other species also found here include balsam fir, tamarack and spruce.
• Wood products from cedar include fence posts, cabin logs, lumber and shingles.

Site 7: Oak/Pine Forest

Mile Marker 220.5 Right Side

• 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

Site 8: Red Pine Plantation

Mile Marker 225 Right Side

• 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 provided valuable 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.

Site 9: Jobs from the Forest

Mile Marker 251 (4 Mile Road) Right Side

• 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.

Site 10: Hartwick Pines State Park Forest Visitor Center

Exit 259

• 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.

Since July, 2001

For more information about the Lower Peninsula Auto Tour, contact the Michigan Forest Resource Alliance at 1-800-474-1718, email: mfraeva@up.net or the webmaster. 

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