Welcome to the Kirtland's Warbler GeoTrail (KWGT). This trail will take you in a loop in central Northern Michigan through the Jack Pine ecosystem, breeding home of the Kirtland's Warbler. This tour takes you to a total of 25 caches with an amazing trackable geocoin as a reward. The KWGT Passport can be downloaded here: https://f81c572e-1d95-4026-befc-8c60f69cbcd9.filesusr.com/ugd/31e003_41b2f3aa918442e8b08c880e746e6946.pdf
The Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana) ecosystem, often called Jack Pine barrens or Jack Pine plains, are found in Canada, the northern Great Lake states, and Maine on poor quality, well drained, sandy soils. In Michigan, the largest areas of Jack Pine are found on sandy, outwash plains. Jack Pine grows in almost pure stands, with few, or no other trees species occurring. Jack Pine forests are naturally patchy, with clumps of pines interspersed with openings consisting of mostly grass and sedge. Ground vegetation in the Jack Pine forests consists mainly of blueberry, sweetfern, bracken fern, and reindeer lichen.
The Jack Pine ecosystem is adapted to reproducing after fire. The majority of Jack Pine cones are serotinous, which means they are sealed with resin and need temperatures over 120 degrees to open. Fire kills most or all the existing forest cover, removes competing plants, exposes mineral soil, opens cones, and creates ideal conditions for tree regeneration. Although some fires still occur, in Michigan, most Jack Pine is regenerated with clearcutting and replanting, due to fire suppression.
Cache
The cache is in Jack Pines created by the 1990 Stephan Bridge Fire. Be sure to check out the serotinous cones on the Jack Pines. Across the road to the northeast is the former breeding territory of “The Governor”. The Governor was a Kirtland’s Warbler captured and banded near Governor’s Harbour in The Bahamas in February 1985. The bird was recaptured by the same person here in the summer of 1985. This was the first migratory bird captured on both its breeding and wintering grounds by the same person.
Jack Pine range map source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pinus_banksiana_levila.png