Forest #166: Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area
By Network Manager, Nick Sanchez.
On July 30th, the 3,500-acre Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area near Ludington, Michigan became the 3rd Michigan forest to join the Old-Growth Forest Network. This forest is unique to the network as the first forest to be dedicated along the Great Lakes shoreline. The area contains vast mature forests and globally rare ecosystems such as Great Lakes barrens and interdunal wetlands. The dedication was held at the adjacent campground and was well attended by an energetic group of young families. The Wilderness Rangers, made up of interns employed with the US Forest Service through a partnership with the Student Conservation Association, led a presentation on the history of Nordhouse and Leave No Trace ethics. The Rangers led a hike into the Wilderness to showcase the forest and discuss how people can enjoy the Wilderness in a way that protects its unique values.
The region was not spared by the events of modern history. Euro-American settlement displaced the original land stewards, the Anishinaabe, whose vast knowledge sustained natural communities before boundaries were drawn. Waves of loggers leveled the forests, first the pine, then hemlock and hardwoods, destroying its complex structure and diverse habitats. The landscape was swiftly exploited followed by catastrophic slash fires, severe soil erosion, and species loss, the full impacts of which remain unknown.
Despite recent history, a full forest spectrum is developing at Nordhouse Dunes. As you walk from the shelter of the interior forests up along the backdune towards the ridge, you’ll brush against ferns and blueberry and slowly climb amongst oak, beech, maple, and pine. Passing through scattered hemlock patches, you begin to feel the presence of Lake Michigan as the wind picks up and the temperature drops. As you reach the crest of the ridge and take in the great blue lake, you get a clear view of the transition as the structure changes from sun-dappled forests behind you, to a wall of weathered pine, hemlock, birch, and cedar taking the brunt of the shoreline exposure. Descending towards the water, you pass from juniper-dominated barren patches to scattered dunegrass, open sands, and eventually a sea of fresh water. Michigan’s shoreline forests trend towards old-growth and several generations of trees may live and die, growing on the forest of the past before Lake Michigan blows large swaths of the forest down again. Thanks to the Wilderness Act, the capacity for this forest to develop and recover from disturbance is preserved without the pressure and degradation that comes with commercial extraction. The wind, storms, ice, and snow of the Great Lake promise to shape the future of Nordhouse into a complex landscape once again.
Friends of Nordhouse Dunes also seeks to shape its future. This passionate group of volunteers works with the Forest Service to engage visitors in caring for the forests, dunes, and beaches of the Wilderness. These dedicated individuals host events to remove invasive plant species, collect litter, and engage with visitors to promote Leave No Trace principles. These partnerships are critical to the health of our Wilderness Areas and the mature and old-growth forests protected by them. We’d like to thank Anna Kornoelje, OGFN County Coordinator and leader of Friends of Nordhouse Dunes, and Travis Owens, Recreation Management Specialist with the US Forest Service for their partnership and stewardship of this special place.
Do you want to be a part of our community of forest advocates? Sign up today to volunteer to be a County Coordinator!
