Woods Creek State Natural Area

Woods Creek features northern mesic, wet-mesic, and wet forest within a wetland mosaic of numerous ephemeral ponds and small bogs and swamps in a hummocky landscape. A tributary of Woods Creek breaches a well-developed moraine ridge. One-quarter mile of the ridge lies within the site boundary. Along the southern edge of the moraine ridge there appears to be terracing. The origin of the terracing and breach is not found in any literature, but it appears that the terracing arose from lake waters that were dammed by the morainal ridge to the south. The tributary appears to be the remnant of the waters that once breached the moraine. The northern dry-mesic forest features super-canopy white pine, large hemlock, and a surprising amount of upland northern white cedar. Relict white pine are commonly 30 inches or more in diameter and estimated at 200 years old, predating the earliest logging episodes. The hemlock grades into the swamps below and into northern mesic forest where it increases in abundance. Large sugar maples are also present. Stumps of white pine and other species were common, some apparently harvested within the past few decades. However, the canopy is still intact. Snags, den trees, and coarse woody debris are present although not common. The understory includes bunchberry, black cherry, early low blueberry, beaked hazelnut, yellow bluebead lily, American starflower, and wild sarsaparilla. Along the moraine and in the western portions, the forest has been more recently and frequently cut resulting in a stand with more pole-sized sugar maple. Hemlock with yellow birch, white cedar, and occasional super-canopy white pine dominate the northern mesic forest. In areas with a 70% closed canopy, the understory was thick with red raspberry, sugar maple seedlings, lycopods, and beaked hazelnut. Black spruce, white cedar, tamarack, and sphagnum moss dominate the northern wet forest. Understory species include leather-leaf, labrador tea, and sedges. Documented breeding birds include winter wren, magnolia warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, black and white warbler, ovenbird, rose-breasted grosbeak, red-eyed vireo, and white-throated sparrow. Woods Creek is owned by the US Forest Service and was designated a State Natural Area in 2007.