What's so Special about Ecosystems of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan?

Today, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is heavily forested and filled with wildlife of all kinds. To most people, it looks natural and pristine, but it hasn't always been like this. In fact, the forests that you see today are second and third generations that have regrown over the last century. The ecosystems of the U.P. are different from what would be here if the environment had not been disturbed humans, but they also show how ecosystems are capable of being repaired when they are managed more wisely and more carefully.

When Michigan became a state in 1837, politicians sent surveyors to the Upper Peninsula to map the land and its resources. What they found were valuable White Pines and hardwood trees such as Maples, as well as iron ore and copper. This brought thousands of American and immigrant settlers who were hoping the logging and mining opportunities would make them wealthy. According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, intensive logging, beginning with white pine in the late 1800's then moving to northern hardwoods and other species has resulted in major changes in forest types and composition.

Before nonnative settlers arrived, vegetation consisted of diverse forests, including northern hardwood forest, jack pine barrens, white pine-red pine forest, hardwood- conifer swamp, conifer swamp and muskeg. Where bedrock was exposed at the surface, grassland communities were present, and extensive Great Lakes marshes were dominant along the shoreline. Windthrow and fire were common and important natural disturbances on the landscape. By the 1920s, though the iron and copper were nearly gone and most of the UP's forests had been cleared.

Today, the forest ecosystems of the U.P. are managed by National and State biologists and ecologists, as well as professional foresters. Even though logging continues and always has an impact on the ecosystems where it happens, scientists and foresters are working to make logging sustainable. They think about the importance of the wood supply, but they also consider wildlife, habitat, water, plant biodiversity, and fire protection. They realize that forests are important for timber, but that they are also part of an ecosystem that all kinds of plants, animals, micro-organisms, and people also depend on.

The ecosystems of U.P. are beautiful and special places because of what lives here now and what has happened in the past. Learn more about some of the species that make up this environment by clicking here. Michigan Upper Peninsula History- http://faculty.nmu.edu/upced/UPinfo/UPHIST.HTM DNR, Eastern UP Ecosystem Eco-Region Info- http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10366_11865-31471--,00.html Michigan Logging History- http://forestry.msu.edu/uptreeid/History/LogEra.htm History of Forestry- http://www.geo.msu.edu/geo333/history_of_forestry.html

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