Northern Lakes and Forests (ecoregion)

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Northern Lakes and Forests
Upper Midwest ecoregions.png
Map of ecoregions of the Upper Midwest, with Northern Lakes and Forests shown as number 50
Ecology
Realm Nearctic
Geography
Country United States
States Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin

The Northern Lakes and Forests are an ecoregion in northern Minnesota, [1] northern Wisconsin, [2] and northern Michigan [3] in the United States. It is a Level III ecoregion in the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) classification system, where it is designated as ecoregion number 50. The ecoregion is characterized by coniferous and northern hardwoods forests, morainal hills, large lake basins, and broad areas of sandy outwash plains, with numerous lakes and wetlands. The Northern Lakes and Forests are less well-suited to agriculture than ecoregions to the south, owing to shorter growing seasons, lower temperatures, and soils formed mainly from nutrient-poor sandy and loamy glacial drift material. [4] [5]

Contents

Level IV ecoregions

Following is a list of smaller Level IV ecoregions within the Northern Lakes and Forests ecoregion, as defined by the EPA. [1] [2] [3]

NumberEcoregion nameMichiganMinnesotaWisconsin
50aLake Superior Clay Plain
50bMinnesota/Wisconsin Upland Till Plain
50cSt. Croix Pine Barrens
50dSuperior Mineral Ranges/

Ontonagon Lobe Moraines and Gogebic Iron Range

50eChequamegon Moraine and Outwash Plain
50fBlue Hills
50gChippewa Lobe Rocky Ground Moraines
50hPerkinstown End Moraine
50iNorthern Wisconsin Highlands Lakes Country
50jBrule and Paint River Drumlins
50kWisconsin/Michigan Pine and Oak Barrens
50lMenominee Drumlins and Ground Moraine
50mMesabi Range
50nBoundary Lakes and Hills
50oGlacial Lakes Upham and Aitkin
50pToimi Drumlins
50qItasca and St. Louis Moraines
50rChippewa Plains
50sNashwauk/Marcell Moraines and Uplands
50tNorth Shore Highlands
50uKeweenaw-Baraga Moraines
50vWinegar Dead Ice Moraine
50wMichigamme Highland
50xGrand Marais Lakeshore
50ySeney-Tahquamenon Sand Plain
50zRudyard Clay Plain
50aaMenominee-Drummond Lakeshore
50abCheboygan Lake Plain
50acOnaway Moraines
50adVanderbilt Moraines
50aeMio Plateau
50afCadillac Hummocky Moraines
50agNewaygo Barrens
50ahTawas Lake Plain

See also

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Southeastern Wisconsin Till Plains (ecoregion)

The Southeastern Wisconsin Till Plains is an ecoregion in southeastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois in the United States. It is a Level III ecoregion in the classification system of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where it is designated as ecoregion number 53. The ecoregion represents a transition between the hardwood forests and oak savannas to the west and the tallgrass prairie ecoregions to the south; it is today mostly covered by cropland.

Western Corn Belt Plains

The Western Corn Belt Plains is a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in seven U.S. states, though predominantly in Iowa.

References

  1. 1 2 "Minnesota level III and IV ecoregions" (PDF). United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-04-21. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  2. 1 2 "Level III and IV ecoregions of Wisconsin" (PDF). United States Environmental Protection Agency. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-04-21. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  3. 1 2 "Level III and IV ecoregions of Michigan" (PDF). United States Environmental Protection Agency. June 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-04-21. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  4. "Michigan level III and IV ecoregion descriptions/mapping issues" (PDF). United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2007-12-27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-04-21. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  5. Wilson, Tamara; L. Ryan, Christy (2015-12-11). Northern Lakes and Forests Ecoregion. pp. 33–42.