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
Historically, Jack Pine reproduced after a fire. Due to modern fire suppression, most Kirtland's Warbler breeding habitat is reproduced by clearcutting and reforestation to imitate the results of a burn. Kirtland’s habitat management has transitioned from a single species focus typical of endangered species management, to one that favors ecosystem recovery.
Jack Pines are harvested on a 50-year rotation, leaving snags, downed logs, and strips of living trees that are typically left after a wildfire. Most of the reforestation is done by scraping shallow furrows in a wave pattern (to create small openings), then handplanted using 2-year-old trees. This method reduces ground disturbance. Other methods that are occasionally used are direct seeding in areas that have higher ground moisture and mechanical planting in trenches. Wildfires also still occur.
It may come a shock to see an area that was a “woods” suddenly clearcut, but in a couple of years, the young trees will be noticeable, with this younger habitat benefiting many species including deer and snowshoe hare.
Every year, Huron Pines host a Jack Pine Planting Day in early-May where volunteers get the opportunity to plant a small area of Kirtland’s Warbler habitat. For more information go to: huronpines.org/events
For more information on clearcutting, go to: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/IC4270_48581_7.pdf
Cache
The area on the cache side of the road was clearcut and replanted in the early 2000s. On the opposite side of the road is a clearcut. I would have put the cache there, but it has not been planted yet and would have been destroyed during site preparation. To the west there is an active tree harvesting operation going on. You will see a strip of large trees left standing to emulate trees left unburned in a wildfire.