BROHMAN, MI – Trees at Richmond Woods Nature Preserve are destined to age until they become old-growth forest.

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 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.

“The goal is to get the public out to experience places like this and … help them see the tremendous value of older forests, older trees. These things are rare on the landscape,” Sanchez said.

In Michigan, examples of remaining virgin or primary old-growth forests can be found at Hartwick Pines State Park in Grayling and in the wilderness of the Porcupine Mountains in the western Upper Peninsula. Most of the rest of the state was heavily logged during the 1800s following European colonization.

Now efforts are underway to grow some forests much older instead of doubling down on more logging. Richmond Woods is the 19th forest in Michigan and the 280th forest out of 39 states to be added to the roster of future old-growth woods, Sanchez said.

“What makes a property like this different from a lot of privately managed lands, or even state forest land or national forest land is that there’s a there’s no intention here to capture large trees for economic value,” he said.

The preserve features a pristine sphagnum bog and high-quality sedge meadow wetland. Hiking trails pass through examples of oak species, white pine, and hardwood-conifer swamp.

Experts at the Land Conservancy of West Michigan hosted the event and guided more than two dozen people on an early-spring hike at the preserve.

Discussion during stops along the preserve’s trail Friday afternoon focused on how conservancy officials want to restore open oak savannahs and oak barrens to the landscape by using prescribed fire and native plantings. Officials highlighted impacts from a past controlled burn during the hike.

“These are fire-dependent ecosystems, and it is awfully hard to restore a fire-dependent ecosystem without fire,” said Justin Heslinga, conservation director for the conservancy.

He explained how a prescribed fire at the preserve during the growing season a few years ago effectively killed back certain tree species like maples and even some of those coveted oaks. And that’s exactly how to restore those special, more open-canopy habitats, he said.

“Look behind you there at how many of those trees have those fire scars. A lot of those are dead and a lot of those are oaks. And at first, it’s like, ‘Oh no, what did we do?’ And then it’s like, ‘Oh yay – we’re creating forest patchiness leading to those old-growth conditions,’” Heslinga told the small crowd.

Hikers at the event also learned how the forest is already providing quality wildlife habitat now, decades before it reaches old-growth status.

“Even though this space looks relatively open, there is still a lot of structural biodiversity,” said Leona Addie, the old-growth network’s Great Lakes regional manager.

“Got your larger white pines, your larger oaks, your smaller oaks. There’s a healthy herbaceous layer, the shrub layer,” she said. “Even though it looks open … it’s great biodiversity for all the different wildlife, especially birds.”

Richmond Woods Nature Preserve is 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.

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