Brule River State Forest - Forest Ecology
On the Brule River State Forest, nature surrounds you. The forest's 41,000 acres of land offer a variety of opportunities to appreciate nature whether you are looking to howl for wolves, take a wildflower hike, pick berries, find a bird for your life list, or just relax on the Bois Brule River.
Geology
The Bois Brule River Valley and the uppermost St. Croix River Valley were carved by meltwater flowing south from glacial Lake Superior and the surrounding uplands. When the glaciers receded, a divide formed out of which the Brule and St. Croix rivers flow today in opposite directions.
Plant Communities
Three major eco-regions are represented on the Brule River State Forest: the Lake Superior Clay Plain, the Bayfield Sand Plain, and the Mille Lacs Uplands. The presence of three eco-regions means that the plants and trees on the forest are quite diverse.
The Superior Clay Plain (roughly north of Highway 2) is characterized by upland community types such as aspen/white birch, spruce/balsam fir, grasslands, and northern hardwoods. Common understory plants include upland alder, hazelnut, big leaf aster and wild sarsaparilla.
The Mille Lacs Uplands portion of the Brule River State Forest is about 3,400 acres in size. The dominant upland community types in this area include aspen, white birch, red oak, red pine, and northern hardwood. Hazelnut, blueberry, mountain maple and big leaf aster are common understory species.
The Bayfield Sand plain portion of the Brule River State Forest totals about 16,400 acres. The upland community types within it are red pine, aspen/white birch, jack pine, scrub oak, and grass. Common understory plants include hazelnut, low sweet blueberry, sweet fern, bracken fern, and wintergreen.
Current forest tree cover includes 14,000 acres of aspen, 1,400 acres of white birch, 10,000 acres of red, jack or white pine, 2,300 acres of swamp conifers, 1,000 acres of hardwoods, and 1,100 acres of swamp hardwoods.
Wildlife
The diversity of habitats within the Brule River State Forest is reflected in the equally diverse mix of birds and mammals that inhabit the area, including white-tail deer, black bear, beaver, otter, fisher, mink, badger, bobcat, timber wolf, bald eagle, and ruffed and sharp-tailed grouse. More than 200 species of birds have been recorded in the Brule River State Forest.
State Natural Areas in the Brule River State Forest
State Natural Areas (SNAs) protect outstanding examples of Wisconsin's native landscape and often serve as a last refuge for rare plants and animals. Wisconsin's 414 State Natural Areas are valuable for research and educational use, the preservation of genetic and biological diversity, and as benchmarks for determining the impact of various uses on managed lands. The Brule River State Forest has five State Natural Areas within its boundaries.
Map of Brule River State Forest State Natural Areas [PDF, 475KB]
RSS