Western Great Lakes forests

Western Great Lakes forests
Western Great Lakes forests
	Autumn colours in the Boundary Waters region of Minnesota and Ontario
Ecology
Realm	Nearctic
Biome	Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests
Borders	List Upper Midwest forest-savanna transition; Southern Great Lakes forests;
Bird species	216
Conservation
Conservation status	Relatively Stable/Intact
Habitat loss	2%
Protected	32.4%

The Western Great Lakes forests is a

World Wildlife Fund. It is within the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome of North America. It is found in northern areas of the United States' states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, and in southern areas of the Canadian province of Manitoba and northwestern areas of the province of Ontario

.

Setting

The Western Great Lakes forests, in large part, lie in the northwestern

Upper Peninsula of Michigan and large parts of Northern Wisconsin, around Lake Superior into much of northern Minnesota and a smaller section into Canada. In the west, the ecoregion surrounds the lakes and rivers that divide Minnesota from Ontario, including Lake of the Woods and Rainy River, and it extends near the Winnipeg River into southeastern Manitoba.^[2]

This region has warm summers and cold, snowy winters. This region is generally similar in climate and condition to the

Eastern forest-boreal transition to its east, except that it is generally somewhat drier (the prevailing winds blow west to east and drier air from the plains comes here first before it picks up moisture over the lakes) and, especially in its southern and central areas, its soil is much thicker and less acidic, which makes for more varied vegetation.^[3]

Flora

This ecoregion is a transition area between the

Abies balsamifera), Tamarack (Larix laricina), Northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis), Northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis), and hazel (Corylus cornuta). "Common species of the northern hardwoods include sugar maple (Acer saccharum), red maple (Acer rubrum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), hop hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), basswood (Tilia americana), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) and eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)" and Northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis).^[2]

Fauna

The Western Great Lakes forests are very rich in wildlife. Wildlife "include moose (

Canis lupus) survived in the remote northeastern corner of Minnesota and Ontario. The repopulation of wolves in this region

has occurred naturally as they have expanded their territory.

Threats and use

While the area does now have large protected sections, historically logging (especially of pine wood) has changed many sections and continues today. Agricultural development, especially orchards in Lower Michigan has also reduced the habitat. In addition, the establishment of roads and lakeside homes significantly impacts the forests.

Protected areas

Large protected areas of the Western Great Lakes forests include:

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, northern Minnesota
Quetico Provincial Park, northwestern Ontario - 4,758.19 km2
Voyageurs National Park, northern Minnesota
Isle Royale National Park, northern Michigan
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, northern Wisconsin
Porcupine Mountains State Park
- northern Michigan
Turtle River Waterway Provincial Park - northwestern Ontario- 400.52 km2
La Verendrye Provincial Waterway Park - northwestern Ontario - 183.35 km2
Whiteshell Provincial Park - Manitoba (Backcountry zones) - 913 km2
Nopiming Provincial Park - Manitoba (Backcountry zones) - 316 km2
Lake of the Woods Provincial Park, northwestern Ontario - 129 km2
Lola Lake Provincial Nature Reserve, northwestern Ontario - 65.72 km2
Sandbar Lake Provincial Park, northwestern Ontario - 50.83 km2
Winnange Lake Provincial Park, northwestern Ontario - 47.45 km2
Portions of the
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest)^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "The Atlas of Global Conservation". The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Western Great Lakes forests | Ecoregions | WWF". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
ISBN 978-1-55365-197-0
.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Western Great Lakes forests.

Species finder WWF

"Western Great Lakes Forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.

World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Western Great Lakes forests". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.

Western Great Lakes forests.vanderbilt.edu

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Western_Great_Lakes_forests&oldid=1212282039"

[Atlas-1] "The Atlas of Global Conservation". The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved 2020-08-18.

[WWF-2] "Western Great Lakes forests | Ecoregions | WWF". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2020-11-13.

[Grady-3] ISBN 978-1-55365-197-0
.

[2]

[1]

[3]