Research Forest Maps

All file are under 1MB unless noted

Forest Locations	Base Map	Digital Elevation Model	Roads & Hydrology
Soils	Forest Overstory	Air Photo (43MB)	CFI Plots & DEM (1.7MB)
Topographic Map (1.3MB)	Harvest Schedule JPG Version	1800 Forest Cover

Geologic influences in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan began over 4.6 billion years ago. Two major time periods (eras) were designated for this geologic time: Precambrian (4,600 - 600 million years BP) and Paleozoic (600 - 100 million years BP). The Precambrian Era was marked by the complex formation and movement of continental and oceanic crusts. The Paleozoic Era was marked by the first appearance of animal fossils, rising seas, and glacial influences. Within the Precambrian Era, significant bedrock types, presently underlying the Lake Superior Region, were created. Two epochs are recognized: the Archean (> 2.5 billion years BP) and the Proterozoic (2,500 - 600 million years BP). During the Archean Epoch, various composites of the Canadian Shield were formed. Significant features included greenstone belts, basaltic rocks and pillows, ryolitic volcanic rock, graywackles (sedimentary rock), and iron-formations (LaBerge 1994).

After bedrock formation, major rifting occurred in the Early Proterozoic Epoch (2.5 - 1.6 billion years BP) producing major deposits of sandstone, shale, limestone, and iron in an ocean basin (shelf) called the Anikaime Basin (LaBerge 1994). Major volcanic islands were formed within the basin, adding basalt and ultramafic rocks (rich in magnesium), as well as metamorphosed rocks. In the Western Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin, major subduction of continental shelves created the Niagara Fault. This fault and the major collision of continental shelves created major thrusting zones; most of the Research Forest is located within these thrusting zones.

The Middle (1.6 - 1.0 billion years BP) to Late (1,000 - 600 million years BP) Proterozoic Epochs marked significant times of i) igneous activity, ii) deposition of sedimentary rocks, and iii) erosion of the Penokean Mountains (formed approximately 1.84 billion years BP) located southwest of the Ford Center (LaBerge 1994). The final bedrock geology event in this region, the Keweenawan (1.109 - 1.0 billion years BP), was characterized by a large rift (dome) formed due to pressures from accumulating magma beneath the rock surface. Due to uplifting, many Keweenawan rocks can be seen today. The main Research Forest area and the Prickett Dam tract are south of the Bayfield sandstone area.

A generalized map of bedrock geology for the upper Peninsula of Michigan was developed by Reed and Daniels (1987). Additional maps have been produced by the Great Lakes Ecological Assessment. These maps designate the major bedrock underlying these areas. The Ford Center is within the Lower Proterozoic-Michigamme Formation (Figure 3).

Glacial Geology

The final geologic period, the Paleozoic, brought major changes to the bedrock of this area. Rising seas, in addition to continued movement of older rock formations, created major sandstone accumulations. Abundant plant and animal life in advancing seas created reefs seen only in the eastern Upper Peninsula (Niagara Escarpment). Once the seas had withdrawn (270 million years BP), glacial advances moved significant deposits of weathered rock.

The area around the Ford Center was significantly affected by at least three glacial advances. The Marenisco Phase (11,800 - 11,500 BP), the Porcupine Phase (ca 11,000 BP), and the Marquette Phase (9,900 BP) of the Superior Lobe all affected the glacial geology in this area (Farrand and Drexler 1985). Various glacial lakes were formed and receded from 10,220 to 1,000 BP. Lake Minong (9,200 BP) was formed to the north and may have extended to within a mile of the Ford Center (Farrand, 1960). Lake stages decreased in elevation until Lake Nipissing formed with a lake stage of 631 feet; the present level of Lake Superior is 602 feet. The glacial geology in the area consists of various morainal and outwash deposits. More specifically, end moraines of coarse-textured till, thin to discontinuous glacial till over bedrock, and end moraines of fine textured till comprise the soils in and around the Forest (Figure 4).

Soils Data

Natural Resource Conservation Service soil surveys are available for almost the entire Research Forest area, and this information has been integrated with the other Research Forest records (Figure 5). The original soil maps for the Research Forest are not always consistent with current data from the NRCS (Appendix A). Some soil series have been renamed since the Ford Center maps were drawn and the Forest surveyed, and the legend and mapping unit boundaries are not completely consistent with the NRCS maps. Soil pit excavations and pedon analysis completed on the Research Forest will provide detailed soils data (physical and chemical properties, profile descriptions, etc.) to be included in this plan once the data has been incorporated into the Geographic Information System (GIS). Following completion of this work, the soils data for the Research Forest GIS will include several distinct layers of varying resolution.

Hydrology

The major portion of the Research Forest near Alberta is in the Sturgeon River watershed and includes part of the Canyon Falls reach of the Sturgeon. Surface drainage through the rest of the area is through creeks, particularly Ogemaw Creek, which drains into the Falls River, and Plumbago Creek, which drains into the Sturgeon River (Figure 6). Ford Lake is the only lake on the property. The other lakes in the area include Burns Lake, Jackson Lakes, Little Lake, Vermilac Lake, and Parent Lake. There are some wetland areas on the Forest, some are already in reserve, and identification of these areas is ongoing.

Vegetation

Previous forest cover maps for the Research Forest (Appendix A) date from the 1960s, but provide a past picture of forest condition in that time period. At that time, northern hardwoods and jack pine were the most common types on the Research Forest. There were also a large number of types with small areas including aspen, paper birch, cedar, hemlock, red pine, red oak, and several mixed-species types. There have probably been changes in forest cover due to management activity, forest health problems, and natural succession. There have undoubtedly been considerable changes in stocking and the size of the growing stock. Current cover type maps (Figure 7) have been derived from MI DNR Digital Orthophotos and from the updated GIS (Manty 2000). They provide the most up to date data on forest cover. Type mapping and additional ground truthing is ongoing and updates to the GIS will be made as data is collected.

There is limited current inventory information for the Forest. There is an extensive network of continuous forest inventory (CFI) plots (Appendix A), but the last CFI plot measurements were in the early 1980s; it has now been at least 15 years since there was an updated inventory of the Forest. An inventory system is being developed and implemented which will be continually updated as studies are re-measured, new studies are initiated, and management is carried out.

Management History

Bourdo (1957) describes the area around the Alberta townsite as originally supporting a mixed pine-hardwood forest; it would be valuable to develop a description of the pre-European settlement vegetation of the Research Forest as described in the General Land Office survey notes, including information on tree species and diameters, as well as other landscape features. It would also be useful to compile all available aerial photography for the Research Forest. Historically, the pine was removed about 1898, but no information exists concerning the volumes removed. In the 1950s, many of the remaining stumps had fire scars, and butt rot originating from fire damage was present in a large percentage of hardwoods. The Ford Motor Company conducted "partial cuts" on 75,000 acres in Baraga County between 1938 and 1946 in which about 75% of the volume and 92% of the value were removed. Bourdo (1956) states that ring counts north of the townsite indicate that the harvesting there took place in 1938, with the stand being high-graded, leaving many large cull trees and other trees which were highly defective. In all likelihood, there is no part of the Forest which has not been harvested at some time.

Since the 1950’s, the Research Forest has been inventoried several times and numerous studies have been implemented. In general, the hardwoods have been managed using selection system silviculture, although diameter limit treatments are demonstrated. In general, jack pine has been managed using even-aged methods and a variety regeneration techniques. Red pine on the center consists of a natural stand (a rare forest type in MI) that has been thinned. Many reserve areas exist on the Forest.

There is an extensive road system in the Forest area around Alberta as a result of past management activity. This system has been inventoried to determine compliance with water quality best management practices (Michigan DNR 1994). Although no serious problems exist, a number of upgrades and improvements need to be made throughout this system.