Northern Highlands
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Key characteristics: Northern Highlands » Exceptional density of glacial kettle lakes ecological landscape » Former enormous pinery with important stands of white and red pines remaining » Large peatlands (bogs Attributes and Characteristics supplying wood to cities further south. and conifer swamps) Aspen and other trees common to earlier » Intense development pressure Studded with thousands of mostly small kettle succession forests are now common in many along lakeshores lakes, this area epitomizes for many residents areas. Significant stands of older hemlock- » Very soft water lakes the image of “going north” to sit on the shore hardwood forest occur in several parts of a quiet, cool lake under the shade of a majestic Size: of this ecological landscape. white pine. Viewed from an airplane, some » 2,080 square miles areas in this landscape look more like a vast Development pressure in this ecological » 1,331,000 acres lake with many islands rather than upland landscape is intense and focused along lake (3.7% of Wisconsin) with many lakes. This enormous concentration shores and rivers. There are now more than Population: 23,000 seasonal homes in Vilas and Oneida of lakes is a result of the pitted outwash plain » 63,000 left by glaciers and is believed to be the third Counties, the overwhelming majority of which (1.2% of Wisconsin’s highest concentration of lakes in the world. are located along lakes and flowages. Many are population) being converted to year-round residences. Land The area’s other key characteristic is its use in the uplands is largely oriented towards Notable species: forests. White and red pines, once forming the timber and pulp production; recreation is also » Black bear largest pine forests in the state, dominated the important and contributes significantly to » Common loon, osprey uplands. However, by the early 1900s, these great and bald eagle the local economy. Some of the wetlands forests were largely harvested to feed the mills » Blackburnian, Pine, in this ecological landscape are used and Nashville warblers for cranberry production. » Muskellunge » Walleye » Mimic shiner Michigan Legacy Places » EYER Wild rice M IRON BL Border Lakes Region » Calypso orchid THOMAS BL » ASHLAND Swamp-pink VILAS Chequamegon - Nicolet Highlands TF CN » White and red pine Frog Lake and Pines State Natural Area in Iron County National Forests NA Deerskin River Natural communities: DK DK (See Appendix B for descriptions) CN » UW MF Monico Forest Black spruce swamp » Bracken grassland CN NA Northern Highland - American TM Northern » Emergent aquatic SQ Legion State Forest » Northern dry-mesic forest ONEIDA SO Somo River » Northern mesic forest MF FOREST WF PRICE SQ Squirrel and Tomahawk Rivers » Northern sedge meadow » Northern wet-mesic forest TM Thunder Marsh » Northern wet forest TF Turtle - Flambeau Flowage » Open bog » SO Upper Wisconsin River Submergent aquatic UW » Tamarack swamp LINCOLN WF Willow Flowage LANGLADE TAYLOR 92 Legacy Places by Ecological Landscape Wisconsin Land Legacy Report Northern Highlands Conservation Needs and Opportunities landscape form the headwaters of the Wisconsin, Manitowish, Flambeau, and Turtle Rivers. Public Conservation Lands The Northern Highlands ecological landscape ecological landscape Soils are primarily acidic and unproductive due was once the heart of Wisconsin’s great white and to low moisture-holding capacity and humus 1 red pine forests. Although these vast pine forests Map# Property Name Size (acres) loss. Coldwater streams in the area support State have been reduced to remnants, this landscape significant populations of brook, rainbow, and s 1 Hay Creek-Hoffman Lake State Wildlife Area2 1,680 offers the best opportunity in the state to restore brown trout, while warmer waters support s 2 Menard Island State Resource Area 2,600 a functioning white-red pine forest, including walleye, muskellunge, bass, and panfish. s 3 Northern Highland-American 219,700 significant patches of old-growth, within a broader Legion State Forest 2 forest complex. Conservation efforts will need to Recreation Uses and Opportunities s 4 Powell Marsh State Wildlife Area 4,340 continue focusing on the breeding populations of s 5 Thunder Lake State Wildlife Area 3,280 2 Neotropical migrant birds that these forests harbor. Given the thousands of lakes, streams, and s 6 Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area 20,040 flowages here, it is not surprising that many s 7 Willow Flowage Scenic Waters Area 2 7,720 Although much of the private lakeshore has of the recreation opportunities in this landscape s 8 Woodboro Lakes State Wildlife Area 2,470 Miscellaneous Lands 3 12,740 been intensively developed, some lakes remain are water oriented. Boating, paddling, and fish- largely or entirely undeveloped and continue ing attract visitors from around the Midwest. Federal to be important in maintaining loons, osprey, The 220,000-acre Northern Highland-American s 1 Chequamegon-Nicolet 47,100 2 eagles, otters, and other species. Several lakes Legion State Forest offers a variety of recreation National Forests harbor important wild rice beds; others are small, opportunities, now drawing over 2 million visitors County Forest 4 sterile and support rare “rosette” flora and are a year to swim, hike, camp, boat, fish, or just watch s 1 Iron County Forest 2 13,650 particularly vulnerable to water quality changes. the sunset across a lake. During the fall, visitors s 2 Lincoln County Forest 2 8,210 s 3 Oneida County Forest 2 25,270 Mixed within these pine forests and lakes go to hunt and observe the changing colors. Win- s 4 Vilas County Forest 2 35,550 are stands of hemlock-hardwood forest, bracken ter brings skiers, snowmobilers, and ice fishing grasslands, and forested and open wetlands. The fans. Additional opportunities for off road bik- TOTAL 404,350 hemlock-hardwood forests are a mix of hemlock, ing, backbacking, canoe camping, and rustic tent camping in the more remote, large blocks of public 1 Actual acres owned in this Ecological Landscape. white and red pine, yellow and paper birch, sugar 2 This property also falls within adjacent Ecological Landscape(s). and red maple, and red oak. The grasslands occur land could be pursued to meet rising demand. 3 Includes public access sites, fish hatcheries, fire towers, streambank and non-point easements, lands acquired under statewide wildlife, fishery, forestry, and natural area programs, small properties on the sandy till of the end moraines and are Long distance and single day “loop” trails, both under 100 acres, and properties with fewer than 100 acres within this Ecological Landscape. 4 Locations and sizes of county owned parcels enrolled in the Forest Crop Law are presented here. QUEEN along abandoned rail corridors that connect T dominated by bracken fern, Pennsylvania sedge, Information on locations and sizes of other county and local parks in this Ecological Landscape is not readily available and is not included here, except for some very large properties. OBER small towns as well as trails in more challeng- R blueberries, and Canada bluegrass. The vast wetlands scattered through the ecological ing and varied terrain, are in demand here. Blueberry picking up north Figure 61: Land cover of the Northern Highlands Figure 62: Public conservation and other land ownership Figure 63: Land cover of public conservation lands Highlands in the Northern Highlands in the Northern Highlands Agriculture Agriculture Urban County Urban 0% 1% Grassland 1% Grassland 6% 0% 1% Open Water 3% 12% Shrubland Shrubland Open Wetland 4% 3% State 17% Northern 20% Open Wetland 12% Forested Wetland 13% Forested Other Federal Wetland 70% 4% 12% (private land, roads, ER Forest schools, cemetaries, ll 56% military lands, etc.) Forest 65% . J. AND LINDAJ. MI R Ice fishing in Wisconsin Wisconsin Land Legacy Report Legacy Places by Ecological Landscape 93 Northern Highlands 94 Figure 64: Legacy Places by Ecological Landscape Legacy Places and public conservation lands Legacy Places and public conservation lands of the Northern Highlands 2 Hurley Northern Highlands Montreal Michigan 1 51 BL 1 3 TF 47 45 4 6 51 17 NA 4 1 182 DK 155 CN Eagle 70 River 70 UW 70 1 CN 3 1 TM SQ 5 W 47 isc on sin R i v 32 7 e r 17 MF WF 45 3 Rhinelander 8 8 3 Crandon 8 8 2 51 SO Tomahawk 86 55 2 17 45 2 13 102 107 52 Legacy Places BL Border Lakes Region CN Chequamegon-Nicolet 64 Merrill National Forests 64 Antigo 64 DK Deerskin River Public Conservation Lands Medford MF Monico Forest Wisconsin Land Legacy Report State NA Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest SO Somo River 13 Federal 97 SQ Squirrel and Tomahawk Rivers 51 TM Thunder Marsh County Forest TF Turtle-Flambeau Flowage 107 52 UW Upper Wisconsin River Miles WF Willow45 Flowage 0 2.5 5 10 Wausau Abbotsford 29 Wisconsin L Figure 65: a Legacy Places and land cover of the Northern Highlands n d L Legacy Places and land cover 2 e g a c y Re Hurley Northern Highlands p Montreal o r t LAKE SUPERIOR WATERSHED Michigan 51 LAKE SUPERIOR WATERSHED BL TF 47 45 51 17 NA 182 DK 155 CN GREEN BAY Eagle 70 WATERSHED River 70 UW 70 UPPER CHIPPEWA CN WATERSHED TM SQ 47 32 17 MF WF 45 Rhinelander 8 Crandon 8 8 51 SO Tomahawk 86 WOLF RIVER WATERSHED 55 45 17 13 UPPER WISCONSIN NORTH 102 WATERSHED Land Cover 107 Urban 52 Agriculture Lega Grassland c y Pl Shrubland Merrill 64 a ces 64 64 Antigo Forest b Medford y Ecological Landscape Open Water UPPER WISCONSIN CENTRAL WATERSHED 13 Open Wetland 97 51 Forested Wetland 107 52 Miles 0 2.5 5 10 45 Wausau 95 Abbotsford 29 Northern Highlands Northern Highlands ecological landscape BL Border Lakes Region DK Deerskin River Size .