1. Future of Our Forests Current Issues in Today’s Forests
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
Barry Conservation District
District Forester: Benjamin Savoie

2. Forestry Assistance Program
Advice and referrals
Public education
Encourage active management of forested land
Gateway to programs and professionals

3. Objectives for Today Understand the History of Forest Management
Pre-European Settlement
Fire Suppression
Impacts of biodiversity
Current Issues
Introduction of invasive species
Management practices

4. A Brief History

5. Examples of Forest Types in MI
Oak Barrens

6. Examples of Forest Types in MI
Central Hardwoods

7. Examples of Forest Types in MI
Northern Hardwoods

8. A Brief History
Change from Mostly Oak-Hickory Forest to Mostly Agriculture and Urban.
Bits that remain unchanged are highly fragmented or too swampy to develop.

9. How Did We Get Here?
Open areas and Oak Savannas were really convenient for agriculture.
Growing population requires more farms for food, more houses.

10. How Did We Get Here? Fragmentation of Ecosystems
When broken into smaller pieces, reduces available habitat for species.
Affects animals and even plants, they can’t adapt and move fast enough.
Smaller patches support smaller amounts of species, lowers biodiversity.

11. How Did We Get Here?
Fire as method of forest and wildlife management pre-colonization.
Native peoples planning regular burns to promote new plant growth, open up forests and plains.
Oak-Hickory transition to Beech-Maple
Fire-adapted to shade-tolerant.
Lack of disturbance, natural succession.

13. How Did We Get Here? Fire Suppression
Deadly forest fires from ’s cause panic, policy of immediate extinguishing.
Some forest types depend on fire to maintain species composition.

14. Back to Present Day Importance of native species?
What is an invasive species?
Biodiversity in today’s forests?

15. Biodiversity How many unique living things are there?
Plants, animals, etc.
Niches, the Assembly Line of nature.
Structural Diversity is important as well.
Trees → Shrubs → Ground Cover
When many ecological roles are filled, it is harder to disrupt the system.

16. Biodiversity Alpha Diversity: Diversity within local units.
Beta Diversity: Differences between local units
Gamma Diversity: Composition of local units.
Some species grow by themselves, but over a large region may add to total biodiversity.

17. Biodiversity

18. Why Native Species?
Native: Indigenous to the area, and occurs naturally, without human intervention.
People have been a part of native ecosystems, but we can introduce non- native species that cause problems.
The preferred ecosystem has all native plants, since they have adapted their survival strategies around each other.

19. Why Not Invasive Species?
An invasive species is any non-native, plant, animal, or pathogen, that is introduced to an ecosystem and likely to cause harm.
Not all non-natives are invasive, but all invasive species are non-native.
Since the ecosystem typically has no way to compete against the invasive species, they tend to take over large areas.
A few species will be discussed later on.

20. Dealing with Invasive Species

21. Dealing with Invasive Species
CISMAs!
Cooperative Invasive Species Management Network
Agencies partnering up to educate landowners and eliminate invasive species.
Barry, Calhoun, and Kalamazoo for local area.

22. Look Familiar?

23. Tree Diseases and Pests
Species across the ecological landscape feed off of trees and shrubs.
Fungi
Insects
Bacteria
And many more!
Not all are deadly, not all are dangerous.

24. Native Diseases and Pests
Eastern Tent Caterpillar
Forest Tent Caterpillar
Many wood-boring beetles and woodwasps
Armillaria Root Rot
Bacterial Leaf Scorch
Maple Tar Spot

25. Invasive Species Past examples include:
Emerald Ash Borer
Autumn Olive
Dutch Elm Disease
These are widespread throughout the region and we have seen the effects, but we're learning from them and we can do something about more recent threats.

26. Image Source: MSU Extension
High Risk for SW MI
HEMLOCK WOOLY ADELGID
Image Source: MSU Extension

27. High Risk for SW MI HEMLOCK WOOLY ADELGID
Produce white, waxy protective shell
Sap-feeders
Most of hemlock population in MI is very old, very susceptible to damage from HWA
Spreads via wood movement, birds
Adelgid most vulnerable in larval stage, before producing wax

28. Impacts
Infestation extreme on East Coast, found in few counties in SW Michigan
Still in early eradication phase for MI
Internal Quarantine for known area.

29. Image Source: MSU Extension
High Risk for SW MI
OAK WILT
Image Source: MSU Extension

30. High Risk for SW MI OAK WILT Ceratocystis fagacearum
Parasitic fungus, Oaks act as hosts
Red Oak Family particularly vulnerable
Travels via Nitidulid beetles, spores, and roots
Feeds off of vascular tissue
Severe symptoms, but can be confused with many other diseases (Root rot, Scorch)

31. Impacts Small Pockets in SW MI Dunes in Ottawa County
Potential loss of main component of Barry County’s woods if nothing done.

32. Image Source: MSU Extension
High Risk for SW MI
BEECH BARK DISEASE
Image Source: MSU Extension

33. High Risk for SW MI BEECH BARK DISEASE
Fungal infection, carried by Beech Scale
Scales produce white, waxy cover to protect themselves while feeding.
Causes rapid decay, “widowmakers”, inhibits reproductive growth.
Formation of Beech “Thickets”
Beech is an important hard mast available to wildlife.

34. Impacts
Not much Beech in Barry County, looking more near western lakeshore habitats.

35. High Risk for SW MI ASIAN LONG-HORNED BEETLE
Image Source: MSU Extension

36. ASIAN LONG-HORNED BEETLE
High Risk for SW MI
ASIAN LONG-HORNED BEETLE
Not seen in Michigan yet, but very close by.
Wood-boring beetle, like Emerald Ash Borer
Generalist for hosts
Maples, Elms, Ash, Hackberry, Birches, Aspens, Willows, and more...
On top of other invasive species, could spell for ecological disaster

37. Impacts

38. The Takeaway Message

39. The Takeaway Message Management is key! Walk through your woods.
Passively owning forests not enough to deal with current issues.
Walk through your woods.
You never know what you’ll find!
Ask questions.
Friendly neighborhood District Forester!

40. Questions?