BROHMAN, MI — Trees at Richmond Nature Preserve creak while dancing violently in 40-mph gusts of wind, showcasing charred trunks and flaking bark.

Beneath bare canopies, leaves crunch as hikers experience living landscapes and diverse habitats. The woodland can age gracefully thanks to continued organized protection efforts.

The national nonprofit Old-Growth Forest Network recently added the 114-acre nature preserve in Michigan’s Newaygo County to its registry of older forests . Land management at the site, which includes controlled burns, will focus on reversing the nationwide decline of old-growth forests, officials said.

“We are slowly expanding throughout the country and showcasing properties like this,” said network manager Nick Sanchez after a guided hike March 21 at the preserve near Brohman.

The organization hopes to designate one forest in every wooded county in the nation that will be allowed to age into old-growth conditions. Counties can nominate a forest which either already has old-growth trees or stands to grow older and provide associated environmental and health benefits.

Richmond Woods Nature Preserve is a known habitat for multiple Michigan species of special concern, such as the American bittern, red-headed woodpecker, and red-shouldered hawk.

Learn more about the Old-Growth Forest Network at www.oldgrowthforest.net online.