Old-Growth Red Pine Forest Found in Michigan

Foresters identified a rare, ancient 105-acre pine stand near Lake Superior.

Updated on Sept. 23, 2026 in Botany

Sunlight filters through a dense stand of ancient red pine trees with reddish bark, casting soft shadows on a needle-covered forest floor. — State foresters in Michigan have identified a rare 105-acre stand of old-growth red pine near the Two-Hearted River, providing critical insights into fire-dependent ecosystems. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should local agencies use controlled burns to restore natural forest ecosystems in your area?

On June 6, 2026, state foresters discovered a 105-acre old-growth red pine stand near Michigan's Two-Hearted River. The rare ecosystem, which survived the 1800s logging boom, features trees ranging from 200 to over 400 years old.

Why it matters

This forest is threatened by encroaching species like spruce and fir due to a lack of natural fire cycles. Preserving this site provides critical data on fire-dependent ecosystems that were decimated by widespread clear-cutting in previous centuries.

The stand spans 105 acres along sandy dune ridges and features trees estimated between 200 and 400 years old. Researchers identified the site using field surveys and trunk core sampling to determine the age of the remaining red pine.

The players

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

This state agency is responsible for managing public lands and recently designated the 105-acre site as an ecological reference area.

The details

The forest was identified during a routine compartment review and is now designated as an ecological reference area. Without intervention, native red pine seedlings struggle to reach the soil due to understory competition from paper birch, spruce, and fir trees that proliferate in the absence of fire.

The 1800s logging boom led to the near-total clear-cutting of regional pine forests.
A forester observed the stand during a survey on June 6, 2026.

The Big Picture

This discovery challenges previous assumptions regarding the extent of old-growth loss in the Upper Peninsula. It establishes a new baseline for conservation efforts in fire-dependent pine ecosystems that were long thought to be entirely extirpated by 1800s logging.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recommends manual removal of spruce and fir trees, followed by prescribed burns every 10 to 30 years to restore the stand. These management steps will ultimately help maintain the ecological health of the regional forest trails for public access.

The takeaway

Preserving ancient forests requires active management, such as controlled fire, to replicate natural environmental conditions. Readers can support conservation by observing posted trail guidelines during future restoration work near the Two-Hearted River.