The Old Growth at Hartwick Pines State Park
Grayling, Michigan

Hartwick Pines State Park is located in the Northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. At 9,672 acres, Hartwick is a large park and is easily accessed via Interstate-75 and M-93, several miles north of Grayling. Dedicated in 1935, acreage for the park was acquired from Karen Hartwick in 1927.

The preeminent natural feature in the park is a forest grove dominated by old growth white pines. Associates in this forest include eastern hemlock and red pine. Adjacent to the stand is a vigorous beech-maple community that, due to fire suppression over the years, is gradually succeeding the pines.  Originally 85 acres in size, the area measures approximately 49 acres today, due to the 1940 Armistice Day storm.  Hurricane force winds were funneled along nearby highway M-93 and hit the pines full-force or so the story goes. It was estimated that nearly half of the big trees were blown down at that time and the park staff did much clearing away of fallen timber. Attempts to age the fallen trees were made and anecdotal reports place the remaining trees close to 350 years old. Efforts to confirm the ages of the pines have been unsuccessful to date, due to a lack of the appropriate equipment.

An on-going forest inventory is being conducted throughout Hartwick Pines and this research has revealed that the old pines are an even-aged stand, with origins dating back to the 1600s, should the 350-year age prove to be accurate. Another study originates out of Michigan State University and is seeking to determine the genetic health of the old growth white pines. At this point, cone tissue collection is complete and specimen analysis is in progress.

In appearance, the pine stand exhibits characteristics of old growth forests; large, aged trees at spacious intervals, much dead and down wood, fallen moss-covered logs, pit and mound topography, deep shade and a lack of abundant understory growth. Height measurements are very incomplete for the pines; ENTS members plan to visit the park in August 2000 to collect accurate data; a very welcome visit. Using a clinometer, park staff, over the years, has measured a very limited number of trees. A couple of notable heights using this method, were 155 (now topped to 115 to 125 feet) and 158 feet tall. Some trees display a circumference greater than 12 feet, with most of the big pines falling in the 9 to 11 foot range.

Breeding birds in the old growth include the ovenbird, black-throated green warbler, pine warbler, blackburnian warbler and scarlet tanager. Many more species inhabit outlying areas of the park, migrate through the area or are year round residents. Hartwick Pines is a "watchable wildlife" location in Michigan and visitors enjoy occasional glimpses of white-tailed deer, turkey, bear and bobcat, but both flora and fauna are undoubtedly very different from the associations found in this area in pre-settlement times. Only one previously extirpated species, the pine marten, has been reintroduced to northern Lower Michigan. Gone are the gray wolf, woodland caribou, mountain lion, fisher, wolverine and lynx of earlier times. Logging of the big pines and use of the area rivers to transport the timber also helped lead to the demise of the grayling, a fish once extremely abundant in the Au Sable River system.

Most of Hartwick Pines State Park was logged off in the late 1800s, as was the surrounding landscape. Post-logging farm failures led to large-scale tax reversions and are the reason Crawford County boasts a significant amount of public lands. Some areas within park boundaries, vast stumpfields, exhibit the lack of forest recovery after the white pine logging era. Fire scarring is evident upon close examination of the stumps. Ironically, Hartwick Pines is the location of the Logging Museum administered by the Department of State, Michigan Historical Center. Staff is able to interpret ìlife in a logging campî next door to a tiny remnant of the 10,000,000 acre white-pine dominated pre-settlement forest that fueled an industry for 70 years.

Related features in the park that may be of interest to ENTS members and fans of big trees everywhere, include a pure stand of mature eastern hemlock along the Au Sable River Foot Trail and jack pine 100 years of age along the scenic drive. Other attractions include four glacial kettle lakes, a bog, the east branch of the Au Sable River, mountain bike and ski trails, a campground and the Michigan Forest Visitor Center.

When traveling to observe the Hartwick Pines, it makes sense to also visit the Red Pine Natural Area in nearby Roscommon County.  A side-trip of two hours and a brief ferry ride to South Manitou Island (part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore) is rewarded with views of some old growth northern white cedar. Back on I-75, head north to the Upper Peninsula (UP) and Tahquamenon Falls State Park for more big tree opportunities. In the western UP, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park (Porkies) is known for its old growth hardwoods and has significant large white pines as well. A private reserve, the Estivant Pines, may be visited in Copper Harbor, a small community at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, enroute to the Porkies.

Back at Hartwick, it is easy to walk through the old growth pines. A paved, accessible trail loops for a mile and a half through the woods just outside the Visitor Center. A walk through the pines is a sensory experience; a sampling follows.

On bright days, filtered shafts of sunlight slice through the canopy to create an ethereal setting among the big pines. Windy days make massive swaying trunks groan and creak until visitors report that bears are growling in the woods. Abundant snowfall, that stays ever so clean, blankets the ground beneath the pines during winter and falls like a curtain from huge branches with every puff of wind. Some magical months of May, snow stays late in the old growth and sudden 70-degree daytime temps will create an otherworldly mist that fogs the trail. After spring puddles turn yellow from pine pollen, the heat of the summer sun bakes a heady fragrance out of pine needles. Pick your season to visit the pines.

For more information, contact: Hartwick Pines State Park
                                                 4216 Ranger Road
                                                 Grayling, MI 49738
                                                 Office   517/348-7068
                                                 Visitor Center   517/348-2537