Memorial Grove Hemlocks State Natural Area

Memorial Grove Hemlocks features an excellent example of old-growth hemlock forest dominated by hemlock with yellow birch and sugar maple and exhibiting very little evidence of human disturbance. Other trees include basswood, white ash, black ash, paper birch, and balsam fir. Sugar maple is reproducing vigorously in canopy gaps created by windthrow and disease while hemlock seedlings are frequent on down, well-rotted logs but are not reaching sapling size due to browsing by deer and snowshoe hare. Deer browse is also responsible for the reduction of Canada yew, which is present but uncommon in the understory. The shrub layer and herb layer consist of mountain maple, fly honeysuckle, beaked hazelnut, red elder, intermediate wood fern, small enchanter’s-nightshade, Canada mayflower, wild sarsaparilla, shining club-moss, and wood sorrel. The forest is situated on end moraine with numerous kettle holes throughout. The site provides good habitat for a variety of forest songbirds including blackburnian, and black-throated green warblers, ovenbird, solitary vireo, golden-crowned kinglet, and brown creeper. The grove was established as a memorial to four Forest Service employees who lost their lives in World War II. Memorial Grove Hemlocks is owned by the U.S. Forest Service and was designated a State Natural Area in 1996. This site is also recognized by the Forest Service as an established Research Natural Area.