Project Area
Most of the parcel is dominated by a historic red pine plantation, with inclusions of jack pine, Scots pine, white pine, and deciduous trees such as black cherry and oak. The southwestern corner of the parcel is characterized by mixed deciduous and coniferous forest. The northwest corner of the parcel is characterized by non-forested habitats, including an area that has previously been used as a landing area for timber harvesting. The northern edge of the parcel (adjacent to 9 Mile Road) is characterized by a mixture of non-forested habitats and patches of young deciduous and coniferous forest.
Management Goals
Use adaptive management to enhance the biological and structural diversity of forested and non-forested habitats. For each habitat:
Red pine plantation:
-Thin red pine as part of a commercial harvest, allowing white pine seedlings and saplings to recruit.
-Remove invasive Scots pine when red pine is commercially thinned.
-Where regeneration not dominant, plant additional tree and shrub species to increase biological diversity.
-Retain biological legacies by leaving at least two dying or dead standing trees per acre, at least one super canopy per 10 acres, and slash material from timber harvesting as coarse and fine woody debris.
Jack pine inclusions:
-Remove mature jack pine when red pine is thinned, leaving at least 2 trees per acre to become snags.
-Plant jack pine seedlings to ensure that this species remains part of the ecosystem.
Mixed deciduous and coniferous forest:
-Remove non-native invasive trees and shrubs such as autumn-olive, black locust, Japanese barberry, and Scots pine.
-Plant under-represented trees and shrubs, including those predicted to do well according to climate change models.
Non-forested habitat:
-Convert areas dominated by non-native invasive species (such as spotted knapweed and smooth brome) to native wildflowers and native grasses historically found in dry sand prairie habitats of Northern Michigan.
Climate Change Impacts
Regional Impacts as they pertain to the project area in Northern Michigan:
Challenges and Opportunities
Challenges
Opportunities
Adaptation Actions
Project participants used the Adaptation Workbook to develop several adaptation actions for this project, including: