The Au Sable State Forest is a

state forest A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by a sovereign state, sovereign or federated state, or territory (country subdivision), territory. Background State forests are forests that are Administration (gov ...

in the north-central Lower Peninsula of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. It is operated by the

Michigan Department of Natural Resources The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the state of Michigan founded in 1921, charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appoint ...

. The Au Sable State Forest is a byproduct of the

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

ing boom in Michigan during the late 19th century. Many parcels of

old growth An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Natio ...

timber were stripped of their largest trees. After

forest fire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire ( in Australia), dese ...

s had consumed the resulting detritus, the land had no economic value. Typically, it was sold to subsistence

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer ...

s or was reverted to the state in lieu of unpaid

property tax A property tax (whose rate is expressed as a percentage or per mille, also called ''millage'') is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or Wealth t ...

es. Today, the Au Sable State Forest is a valuable asset to the state of Michigan. Much of it surrounds the fast-growing communities of Houghton Lake, Higgins Lake and Lake St. Helen adjacent to

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

. In addition, much of the forest is used for wildlife game management and the fostering of rare and endangered species, such as 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 (biology), family (Parulidae). Nearly Extinction, extinct just ...

. Much of the area sits on the "Grayling outwash plain", a unique habitat.

National Natural Landmarks

Two land parcels within the Au Sable State Forest are designated as

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 e ...

s. See List of National Natural Landmarks. Dead Stream Swamp MI

Dead Stream Swamp

An parcel within the Au Sable State Forest, the Dead Stream Swamp, located 30 miles northeast of

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

, is described by its owner/operator, the

Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the state of Michigan founded in 1921, charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appoint ...

, as "an exceptionally large example of a northern white cedar freshwater swamp forest (''Thuja occidentalis''), considered to be the climax in

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...

forest development." The Dead Stream Swamp was designated as a

in 1976.

Roscommon Virgin Pine Stand

A parcel within the Au Sable State Forest, the ''Roscommon Virgin Pine Stand'' 8 miles (12 km) north of St. Helen, Michigan, (Location 8 miles east of

Roscommon Roscommon (; ; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60 road (Ireland), N60, N61 road (Ireland), N61 and N63 road (Irelan ...

, off Sunset Drive) is an old-growth stand of

red pine ''Pinus resinosa'', known as red pine (also Norway pine in Minnesota), is a pine native to Eastern North America. Description Red pine is a coniferous evergreen tree characterized by tall, straight growth. It usually ranges from in heigh ...

, which includes a former national champion red pine. Roscommon Virgin Pine Stand was designated as a

in 1980.

Other points of interest

Backus Creek State Game Area

Backus Creek State Game Area is a state game area within Roscommon County. It incorporates of hunting, recreational, and protected wildlife and wetland areas of rural Backus Township and Higgins Township.

Mason Tract

The Mason Tract covers a portion of the Au Sable State Forest. It is "a 4,493 acre special management area along the South Branch of the Au Sable River designed to protect the quality fishing waters of this area. The Mason Tract originated from acceptance of a 1500-acre gift from the George Mason family in 1954. Over time, additional acreage has been acquired from the US Forest Service and private individuals through land exchanges. The Mason gift was contingent the area be used as a permanent game preserve, no part shall ever be sold or developed .e. natural gas frackingby the state, and no camping be allowed in the area for 25 years. The State of Michigan has continued the no-camping restriction in the Mason Tract. The only camping allowed is within Canoe Harbor State Forest Campground, located at the north end of the Tract on the Au Sable River. The Mason Tract offers quality fishing, hunting, and canoeing opportunities. The Mason Tract is home to the pristine Mason Chapel. The Mason Family constructed the Chapel in 1960 to provide fishermen with a place of reverence and has developed into a popular tourist attraction. The Mason Tract also contains the Mason Tract Pathway, which is used for hiking and cross-country skiing. Mountain biking on the Mason Tract Pathway is prohibited via a Director’s Order."

References

External links

Michigan Department of Natural Resources: Au Sable State Forest webpage

{{Authority control Michigan state forests National Natural Landmarks in Michigan Protected areas of Crawford County, Michigan Protected areas of Oscoda County, Michigan Protected areas of Roscommon County, Michigan Bogs of the United States Important Bird Areas of Michigan