Germain Hemlocks State Natural Area

Situated between three lakes, Germain Hemlocks features steep-sided stony ridges that support old-growth northern mesic forest dominated by large hemlock with supercanopy white and red pines. Canopy associates include yellow birch, sugar maple, red maple, and red oak. The site has numerous large standing snags, pit and mound microtopography, and an abundance of coarse woody debris covering the forest floor. There is strong local reproduction of hemlock. The shrub layer is sparse to moderate and includes beaked hazelnut, American fly honeysuckle, and maple-leaved viburnum. East-facing slopes above Long Lake are covered in some areas by dense hemlock bushes while west-facing slopes above Corner and Tyler Lakes have pockets of small hemlocks 5-10 feet tall. Large red oak is dominant on south slopes with a well-developed shrub layer present. Along the shore of Corner Lake is a small but good stand of large red pines with an understory of huckleberry and blueberry. Canada mayflower, clubmosses, and intermediate wood fern dominate the understory throughout the area. Other herbaceous species include wild sarsaparilla, rosy twisted-stalk, partridgeberry, wintergreen, large-flowered bellwort, and elliptic shin-leaf. Bird species include common raven, pileated woodpecker, scarlet tanager, red-eyed vireo, ovenbird, and black-and-white, black-thoated blue, blackburnian, pine, yellow-rumped, and black-throated green warblers. The natural area is named in honor of Clifford E. Germain, first ecologist and coordinator of the State Natural Areas Program, who helped protect many such places during his DNR career. Germain Hemlocks is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 2002.