The Dukes Research Natural Area is a tract of northern hardwood forest located within the ''Upper Peninsula Experimental Forest'', a unit of the

Hiawatha National Forest Hiawatha National Forest is a National Forest in the Upper Peninsula of the state of Michigan in the United States. Commercial logging is conducted in some areas. The United States Forest Service administers this National Forest; it is physical ...

in the

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...

of the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. The Dukes Research Natural Area was listed in 1974 as a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Ecology

The National Park Service describes the Upper Peninsula Experimental Forest as "an undisturbed

white cedar White cedar may refer to several different trees: * Bignoniaceae ** ''Tabebuia heterophylla'' - native to Caribbean islands and also cultivated as an ornamental tree * Cupressaceae: ** ''Chamaecyparis thyoides'' – Atlantic white cypress ** ''Cup ...

and mixed conifer swamp containing old-growth hardwood stands." The Dukes Research Natural Area consists of several hardwood stands that grow on relatively higher, well-drained elevations within the swamp tract. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) describes the Natural Area as an example of "well-stocked, mature northern hardwood forests that have been undisturbed for over 90 years." Prior to 1920, the ecology of the Upper Peninsula was extensively altered by logging. The USFS notes the presence of

black ash Black ash is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * '' Acer negundo'', native to North America * ''Fraxinus nigra'', native to North America * ''Eucalyptus sieberi ''Eucalyptus sieberi'', commonly known as the silvertop ash or bl ...

yellow birch ''Betula alleghaniensis'', the yellow birch, golden birch, or swamp birch, is a large tree and an important lumber species of birch native to northeastern North America. Its vernacular names refer to the golden color of the tree's bark. In the pa ...

American elm ''Ulmus americana'', generally known as the American elm or, less commonly, as the white elm or water elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America, naturally occurring from Nova Scotia west to Alberta and Montana, and south to F ...

eastern hemlock ''Tsuga canadensis'', also known as eastern hemlock, eastern hemlock-spruce, or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as ''pruche du Canada'', is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It is the state tree of ...

red maple ''Acer rubrum'', the red maple, also known as swamp maple, water maple, or soft maple, is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant nativ ...

, and

sugar maple ''Acer saccharum'', the sugar maple, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and eastern United States. Sugar maple is best known for being the prim ...

in the National Natural Landmark.

Today

The Upper Peninsula Experimental Forest and its Dukes Research Natural Area are located on

M-94 The M-94 was a piece of cryptographic equipment used by the United States Army, consisting of several lettered discs arranged as a cylinder. It was also employed by the US Navy, under the name CSP 488. The device was conceived by Colonel Parke ...

near the extreme eastern edge of Marquette County. They are located approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

. The Dukes Research Natural Area currently serves as a control plot for the experimental forest. Logging continues in the experimental forest. The presence of mature stands in the Natural Area of several of the tree species enumerated, including black ash, American elm, and eastern hemlock, are of special significance because of damage done to these species of trees in other parts of their historic ranges by parasitical invasive species.

References

{{authority control Protected areas of Marquette County, Michigan National Natural Landmarks in Michigan Protected areas established in 1974 Research forests 1974 establishments in Michigan