Perkinstown Hemlocks

State Natural Area (No. 469)

Location: Within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Taylor County. T31N-R2W, Sections 15, 16, 21, 22. 102 acres.

Access: From Perkinstown, go south and west on FR 121 approximately 2.25 miles, then south on FR 199 nearly 2 miles, then east on FR 554 1.2 miles. The site lies north of the road.

Description: Located within the Perkinstown End Moraine Landtype of ridges, knobs, kettle depressions, and eskers, this site features a forest of medium to large sized hemlock, yellow birch, and sugar maple. Super-canopy white pines occur locally. Other canopy associates are paper birch, red maple, white ash, and basswood. The forest contains many structural features characteristic of older forest. Saplings are primarily sugar maple, balsam fir, and occasionally white ash. Hemlock saplings are absent or very local, although seedling hemlocks do occur. The shrub layer is sparse and composed of beaked hazelnut, American fly honeysuckle, mountain maple, red elderberry, and leatherwood. Representative herbs include Canada mayflower, sweet cicely, intermediate wood fern, bristly club-moss, northern tree club-moss, and shining club-moss. Moister areas support mountain wood sorrel, three-leaved goldthread, yellow bluebead lily, and bunchberry. A tiny gravel bottomed stream with clear but humus stained water runs through the site draining surrounding stands of black ash swamp forest. Perkinstown Hemlocks is owned by the US Forest Service and was designated a State Natural Area in 2007.