Wisc. trails head through changing forests

Wisconsin's northern mesic forest, like that found in Chequamegon-Nicolet
National Forest, is an awesome spot for enjoying autumn leaves.

Wisconsin day hikers on several trails can experience autumn forests that are closest to the ones Native Americans and pioneers encountered during the 1800s.

Before Euro-American settlement, the northern mesic forest was the dominant ecological landscape in Wisconsin. It now covers slightly more than half of the state, mainly the northern portion. Today’s mesic forest looks far different than what pioneers found, however, because most of the forest was logged off during the late 1800s and early 20th century.

The second growth forest that replaced it is starting to become an old growth forest, though.

Sugar maple is the mesic forest’s dominant tree. Each autumn, its leaves vary from yellow to orange or red. Basswood, whose leaves turn olive in fall, and white ash, which changes to a deep maroon, usually are mixed in the canopy. In other northern mesic forests, usually those near Lake Michigan, American beech can appear.

In the subcanopy during autumn, balsam fir offers a green accent while ironwood provides light yellow leaves and American elm bright yellow. The shrub layer adds to the leaf display, most notably alternate-leaved dogwood’s deep crimson.

Oak also is common along many of the trails. Red oak often appears in northern mesic forests, and their leaves turn brown in fall, another nice accent to the oranges, reds and yellows of the other trees.

There are some differences between this forest and that which Native Americans and pioneers saw. Eastern hemlock and and eastern white pine both are nearly gone in today’s forest. Deer love the young hemlock’s leaves and so often overgraze it while aspen and maples outcompeted the white pines.

Though yellow birch does show up in today’s northern mesic forests, conditions are no longer ripe for it to reproduce, and so it’s slowly disappearing. Canada yew, a shrub, already is gone, thanks primarily to browsing by deer, whose population has exploded since the mid 20th century.

Some great Wisconsin trails to experience a northern mesic forest that’s slowly become old growth, include:
• Lakeshore Trail (Apostle Islands National Lakeshore)
• Penokee Mountain Trail (segment of North Country National Scenic Trail)
• Ridge View Trails (St. Croix National Scenic Riverway)
• Tower Trail (Potawatomi State Park, segment of Ice Age National Scenic Trail)
• West Torch Trail (Chequamegon National Forest)