Memorial Grove Hemlocks

State Natural Area (No. 294)

Location: Within the Chequamegon National Forest, Price County. T39N-R3E, Sections 1, 12. 182 acres.

Access: From the intersection of State Highways 70 and 13 in Fifield, go east on 70 18 miles to a small wayside on the north side of the road. A footpath from the parking area leads north into the forest.

Description: 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.D.A. Forest Service and was designated a State Natural Area in 1996. In 2007, the site was expanded to include the associated wetlands north to the creek.