The Huron National Forest is a
National Forest in the
Lower Peninsula of Michigan
The Lower Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Lower Michigan – is the larger, southern and less elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; the other being the Upper Peninsula, which is separated by the S ...
. It was established in 1909 after the logging era began to decline. In 1945, it was administratively combined with the
Manistee National Forest
The Manistee National Forest is a national forest located in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It has a total area of . It was established in 1938, and combined with the Huron National Forest in 1945 for administrative purposes, creating the Hur ...
, to create the
Huron-Manistee National Forest. However, these are not connected and are separate forests. It provides recreation opportunities for visitors, habitat for fish and wildlife, and resources for local industry. The headquarters for the forest is located in
Cadillac, Michigan
Cadillac ( ) is a city in and county seat of Wexford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,371 at the 2020 census, which ranks it the third most-populated city in the Northern Michigan region after Traverse City and Al ...
.
History
During the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
land was bought by the
U.S. Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...
to help farmers and landowners and to inject money into the economy. However, some landowners only sold the unproductive land and kept the productive areas, thus breaking up the land purchases. The Forest Service established the Huron National Forest in 1909.
The Huron National Forest is 437,287 acres spreading 70 miles east to west and 30 miles north to south. The forest was renamed in 1929 after an
Iroquoian
The Iroquoian languages are a language family of indigenous peoples of North America. They are known for their general lack of labial consonants. The Iroquoian languages are polysynthetic and head-marking.
As of 2020, all surviving Iroquoia ...
tribe of the Great Lakes Region—the Huron.
Geography
The Huron National Forest is prone to frequent seasonal forest fires, due to ecological and geological factors including the domination of the
jack pine
Jack pine (''Pinus banksiana'') is an eastern North American pine. Its native range in Canada is east of the Rocky Mountains from the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories to Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, and the north-central and ...
in sections the forests, the needles of which are extremely flammable,
sandy soil composition as a result of glacial
outwash plain
An outwash plain, also called a sandur (plural: ''sandurs''), sandr or sandar, is a plain formed of glaciofluvial deposits due to meltwater outwash at the terminus of a glacier. As it flows, the glacier grinds the underlying rock surface and c ...
geology of sections of the Huron National Forest, and
jack pine
Jack pine (''Pinus banksiana'') is an eastern North American pine. Its native range in Canada is east of the Rocky Mountains from the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories to Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, and the north-central and ...
barrens management practices to create nesting habitat for the
Kirtland's warbler
Kirtland's warbler (''Setophaga kirtlandii''), also known in Michigan by the common name jack pine bird, or the jack pine warbler, is a small songbird of the New World warbler family (Parulidae), named after Jared Potter Kirtland, an Ohio do ...
resulting in dense, young stands of
jack pine
Jack pine (''Pinus banksiana'') is an eastern North American pine. Its native range in Canada is east of the Rocky Mountains from the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories to Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, and the north-central and ...
that are extremely susceptible to crowning wildfires.
In 2010, the Meridian Boundary Fire burned over in and near the Huron District of the Huron National Forest. The fire destroyed 13 homes, damaged two others, and destroyed or damaged 46 outbuildings.
Features
The
Bull Gap ORV Trail is located in the Huron National Forest. It contains of
off-road vehicle
An off-road vehicle, sometimes referred to as an overland or adventure vehicle, is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with de ...
trails.
The threatened
Kirtland's warbler
Kirtland's warbler (''Setophaga kirtlandii''), also known in Michigan by the common name jack pine bird, or the jack pine warbler, is a small songbird of the New World warbler family (Parulidae), named after Jared Potter Kirtland, an Ohio do ...
nests in the area, and tours are available, subject to time restrictions.
Tours, Huron-Manistee National Forest
See also
* *The Michigan AuSable Valley Railroad
The Michigan AuSable Valley Railroad was a , 1/4-scale ridable miniature railway, located in Fairview, Michigan. The railroad runs through the scenic Huron National Forest and the Comins Creek, Michigan, Comins Creek valley. The railroad has rema ...
is a , 1/4-scale ridable miniature railway
A ridable miniature railway (US: riding railroad or grand scale railroad) is a large scale, usually ground-level railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are often models of full-sized railway locomotives (powered by diesel or petrol ...
, located in Fairview, Michigan.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
National Forests of Michigan
1909 establishments in Michigan
Important Bird Areas of Michigan
Northern Michigan
Protected areas of Oceana County, Michigan
Protected areas of Muskegon County, Michigan
Protected areas of Mecosta County, Michigan
Protected areas of Montcalm County, Michigan
Protected areas of Oscoda County, Michigan
Protected areas of Alcona County, Michigan
Protected areas of Iosco County, Michigan
Protected areas of Crawford County, Michigan
Protected areas of Ogemaw County, Michigan
Landmarks in Michigan