Doering Woods State Natural Area

Doering Woods is a mature stand of hemlock-hardwoods which has a history of selective cutting throughout. Canopy dominants are hemlock, and yellow birch. Canopy associates include red maple, sugar maple, paper birch, and white pine with occasional white spruce, balsam fir, and basswood. The largest trees are white pine, several of which have girths in excess of 30 inches in diameter (dbh). Red maple and sugar maple are reproducing successfully, but very little hemlock reproduction is occurring. Deer are undoubtedly having a negative impact on hemlock and yellow birch regeneration both of which are favored by deer and intolerant of heavy browsing. Characteristic shrubs are mountain maple, beaked hazelnut, American fly honeysuckle, and red-berried elder. The groundlayer includes species such as intermediate wood fern, Canada mayflower, mountain wood-sorrel, three-leaved goldthread, and small enchanter's nightshade. Club-mosses are common throughout the tract. Other noteworthy species include slender lady's-tresses, creeping rattlesnake plantain, and spotted coral-root. Several spring runs occur within the site. Associated with these are pockets of wet forest in which the dominant trees are white cedar, black ash, and red maple. A 10-acre conifer swamp composed of black spruce and tamarack is also present south of the South Fork of the Flambeau River, which drains the nearby Pike Lake chain and flows southwesterly to eventually join the main channel of the Flambeau River. The river supports many species of game fish including walleye, muskellunge, and northern pike. In addition, the uncommon to rare lake sturgeon is found throughout the stream. Doering Woods is owned by the US Forest Service and was designated a State Natural Area in 2007.