Au Sable State Forest

Last updated
Au Sable State Forest
Michigan State Forests Map US MI.svg
Map showing state forests in Michigan
Relief map of USA Michigan.png
Red pog.svg
Location within the state of Michigan
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Location within the United States
Location Lower Peninsula, Michigan
Coordinates 44°06′N84°10′W / 44.10°N 84.17°W / 44.10; -84.17
Governing body Michigan Department of Natural Resources

The Au Sable State Forest is a state forest in the north-central Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It is operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. [1]

Contents

The Au Sable State Forest is a byproduct of the lumbering boom in Michigan during the late 19th century. Many parcels of old growth timber were stripped of their largest trees. After forest fires had consumed the resulting detritus, the land had no economic value. Typically, it was sold to subsistence farmers or was reverted to the state in lieu of unpaid property taxes.

Today, the Au Sable State Forest is a valuable asset to the state of Michigan. Much of it surrounds the fast-growing communities of Houghton Lake, Higgins Lake and Lake St. Helen adjacent to Interstate 75. In addition, much of the forest is used for wildlife game management and the fostering of rare and endangered species, such as the Kirtland's warbler. Much of the area sits on the "Grayling outwash plain", a unique habitat. [2]

National Natural Landmarks

Two land parcels within the Au Sable State Forest are designated as National Natural Landmarks. See List of National Natural Landmarks.

Dead Stream Swamp, a freshwater swamp forest (northern white cedar) Dead Stream Swamp MI.jpg
Dead Stream Swamp, a freshwater swamp forest (northern white cedar)

Dead Stream Swamp

An 11,680-acre (47.3 km2) parcel within the Au Sable State Forest, the Dead Stream Swamp, located 30 miles northeast of Cadillac, is described by its owner/operator, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment, as "an exceptionally large example of a northern white cedar freshwater swamp forest (Thuja occidentalis), considered to be the climax in bog forest development." [3] The Dead Stream Swamp was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1976. [4]

Roscommon Virgin Pine Stand

A 160-acre (650,000 m2) parcel within the Au Sable State Forest, the Roscommon Virgin Pine Stand 8 miles (12 km) north of St. Helen, Michigan, (Location 8 miles east of Roscommon, off Sunset Drive) is an old-growth stand of red pine, which includes a former national champion red pine. [5] Roscommon Virgin Pine Stand was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1980. [6]

Roscommon Red Pines Red pines.jpg
Roscommon Red Pines

Other points of interest

Backus Creek State Game Area

Backus Creek State Game Area is a state game area within Roscommon County. [7] It incorporates 4,379 acres (17.72 km2) of hunting, recreational, and protected wildlife and wetland areas of rural Backus Township and Higgins Township. [8]

Mason Tract

The Mason Tract Mason Tract September 2019.jpg
The Mason Tract

The Mason Tract covers a portion of the Au Sable State Forest. It is "a 4,493 acre special management area along the South Branch of the Au Sable River designed to protect the quality fishing waters of this area. The Mason Tract originated from acceptance of a 1500-acre gift from the George Mason family in 1954. Over time, additional acreage has been acquired from the US Forest Service and private individuals through land exchanges. The Mason gift was contingent the area be used as a permanent game preserve, no part shall ever be sold or developed [i.e. natural gas fracking] by the state, and no camping be allowed in the area for 25 years. The State of Michigan has continued the no-camping restriction in the Mason Tract. The only camping allowed is within Canoe Harbor State Forest Campground, located at the north end of the Tract on the Au Sable River. The Mason Tract offers quality fishing, hunting, and canoeing opportunities. The Mason Tract is home to the pristine Mason Chapel. The Mason Family constructed the Chapel in 1960 to provide fishermen with a place of reverence and has developed into a popular tourist attraction. The Mason Tract also contains the Mason Tract Pathway, which is used for hiking and cross-country skiing. Mountain biking on the Mason Tract Pathway is prohibited via a Director’s Order." [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Au Sable River (Michigan)</span> River in Michigan, United States

The Au Sable River is a 138-mile-long (222 km) river in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Rising in the Northern Lower Peninsula, the river flows in a generally southeasterly direction to its mouth at Lake Huron at the communities of Au Sable and Oscoda. It is considered one of the best brown trout fisheries east of the Rockies and has been designated a blue ribbon trout stream by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. A map from 1795 located in the United States Gazetteer calls it the Beauais River. In French, the river is called the Rivière au sable, literally "Sand River".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roscommon County, Michigan</span> County in Michigan, United States

Roscommon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,459. The county seat is Roscommon. The county was founded in 1840 and organized in 1875.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crawford County, Michigan</span> County in Michigan, United States

Crawford County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. Its population was 12,988 as of the 2020 census. The county seat of Crawford County is Grayling, the county's only incorporated community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grayling, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Grayling is a city and the county seat of Crawford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the only incorporated community in Crawford County. The population was 1,884 at the 2010 census. The city is surrounded by Grayling Charter Township, but the two are administered autonomously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roscommon, Michigan</span> Village in Michigan, United States

Roscommon is a village in and the county seat of Roscommon County, Michigan, United States. The population was 981 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huron–Manistee National Forests</span> National forest in Michigan, United States

The Huron–Manistee National Forests are two separate national forests, the Huron National Forest and the Manistee National Forest, combined in 1945 for administration purposes and which comprise 978,906 acres (3,960 km2) of public lands, including 5,786 acres (23 km2) of wetlands, extending across the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. The Huron–Manistee National Forests provide recreation opportunities for visitors, habitat for fish and wildlife, and resources for local industry. The headquarters for the forests is in Cadillac, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goose Creek State Park</span> State park in North Carolina, United States

Goose Creek State Park is a North Carolina state park near Washington, Beaufort County, North Carolina in the United States. It covers 1,672 acres (6.77 km2) just off of Pamlico Sound, in North Carolina's Coastal Plain. Goose Creek State Park is home to a wide variety of wildlife that make their homes in the extensive salt water marshes, inlets and creeks on the northern side of the sound. Goose Creek State Park is open for year-round recreation, east of Washington, two miles (3 km) south of U.S. Route 264 on Camp Leach Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Michigan</span> Northern region of Michigans lower peninsula

Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan, is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. A popular tourist destination, it is home to several small- to medium-sized cities, extensive state and national forests, lakes and rivers, and a large portion of Great Lakes shoreline. The region has a significant seasonal population much like other regions that depend on tourism as their main industry. Northern Lower Michigan is distinct from the more northerly Upper Peninsula and Isle Royale, which are also located in "northern" Michigan. In the northernmost 21 counties in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, the total population of the region is 506,658 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartwick Pines State Park</span> Park in Michigan, United States

Hartwick Pines State Park is a public recreation area covering 9,762 acres (3,951 ha) in Crawford County near Grayling and Interstate 75 on the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The state park contains an old-growth forest of white pines and red pines, known as the Hartwick Pines. It is claimed by the Michigan Department of Natural resources that this old growth area, along with the Red Pine Natural Area Preserve in Roscommon County resembles the appearance of all Northern Michigan prior to the logging era. These areas do, however, lack the reoccurring low intensity fires which once occurred throughout northern Michigan, impacting regeneration of red pine and eastern hemlock, as well as leading to an increased content of hardwood species such as sugar maple and beech.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiadaghton State Forest</span> State forest in Pennsylvania, United States

Tiadaghton State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry. The forest is primarily in western and southern Lycoming County, with small portions in Clinton, Potter, Tioga, and Union Counties. The district's topography consists of narrow, flat to sloping plateaus cut by deep, steep-sloped valleys carved by fast moving mountain streams, including Pine Creek, Slate Run, and their tributaries. The Tiadaghton district extends south across the lowland along the west branch of the Susquehanna River to the narrow crests of Bald Eagle Mountain and North and South White Deer Ridge. The majority of forest cover is dominated by mixed oak forests, with some areas of northern hardwoods. The Tiadaghton State Forest is one of eight forest districts in the Pennsylvania Wilds region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manistee River</span> River in Michigan, United States

The Manistee River is a 190-mile-long (310 km) river in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The river rises in the Northern Lower Peninsula, and flows in a generally southwesterly direction to its mouth at Lake Michigan at the eponymous city of Manistee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M-18 (Michigan highway)</span> State highway in Michigan, United States

M-18 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It runs for 77.530 miles (124.772 km) through the central region of the state connecting US Highway 10 (US 10) near North Bradley with M-72 in rural Crawford County near the community of Luzerne. In between, the roadway connects several smaller communities while running through woodlands in both state and national forest areas. Two segments of M-18 run along sections of county boundaries, and one part of the highway forms a component of the business loop for the village of Roscommon.

<i>Lumbermans Monument</i> Bronze statue in Michigan, US

Lumberman's Monument is a monument in Oscoda Township, Michigan, United States. It is dedicated to the workers of the early logging industry in Michigan. Standing at 14 feet (4.27 m), the bronze statue by Robert Ingersoll Aitken features a log surrounded by three figures: a timber cruiser holding a compass, a sawyer with his saw slung over his shoulder, and a river rat resting his peavey on the ground. The granite base of the statue is engraved with a memorial that reads "Erected to perpetuate the memory of the pioneer lumbermen of Michigan through whose labors was made possible the development of the prairie states." It is also inscribed with the names of the logging families who dedicated their time and efforts to the industry in the area. It was built in 1931, dedicated in 1932 and is managed by the USDA Forest Service. The monument is located along the River Road Scenic Byway, a 22-mile (35 km) drive between Oscoda and South Branch that runs parallel with the Au Sable River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairview, Michigan</span> Unincorporated community in Michigan, United States

Fairview is an unincorporated community in Oscoda County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located within Comins Township at the intersection of highways M-33 and M-72 at 44°43′30″N84°03′04″W.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area</span> Protected wildlife area in Michigan, United States

The Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area is a protected wildlife area located in the U.S. state of Michigan. The wildlife management area centers along the Muskegon River about 2 miles (3.2 km) from its source at Houghton Lake. It incorporates rural areas in Enterprise Township within Missaukee County and Lake Township within Roscommon County for an approximate total area of 1,024 acres (4.14 km2). It is controlled and maintained by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houghton Lake Flats Flooding State Wildlife Management Area</span>

The Houghton Lake Flats Flooding State Wildlife Management Area is a protected wildlife area located in rural Lake Township within Roscommon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The wildlife management area incorporates 1,830 acres (7.41 km2) of artificially restored marsh and wetlands just west of Houghton Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Backus Creek State Game Area</span>

Backus Creek State Game Area is a state game area within Roscommon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It incorporates 4,379 acres (17.72 km2) of hunting, recreational, and protected wildlife and wetland areas of rural Backus Township and Higgins Township. Backus Creek State Game Area is administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR).

References

  1. Michigan Atlas and Gazetteer (10th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2002.
  2. Regional geography, geology and ecology of the area. Archived June 25, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Dead Stream Swamp, Department of Natural Resources.
  4. "Dead Stream Swamp". National Natural Landmarks. National Park Service . Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  5. "Roscommon Red Pines". Michigan Department of Natural Resources . Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  6. "Roscommon Virgin Pine Stand". National Natural Landmarks. National Park Service . Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  7. "Backus Creek State Game Area". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  8. Michigan Department of Natural Resources (24 April 2017). "Backus Creek State Game Area: General Map" (PDF). Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  9. "DNR - Grayling". State Of Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved February 5, 2013.