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Photo of a riparian area in the Ottawa National Forest from a similar tree planting project in 2021. Photo by Kim Steinberger.
IRON RIVER – Michigan’s Nature Conservancy (TNC), in partnership with Ottawa National Forest, announced that teams are planting 40,000 trees across 131 hectares in the Paint River watershed. The aim of the project is to underplant conifers near cold and cold water rivers to replace trees affected by spruce budworm, thereby protecting the region’s well known cold water trout fisheries.
“In three years, these trees will be tall enough to provide shelter for small animals and to provide shade for the river,” said Michael Crump, Ottawa National Forest interim forest warden. “Partnering with Michigan’s The Nature Conservancy provides the expertise to provide nature-based solutions to natural resource problems.”
The spruce budworm is a native pest that defoliates the spruce and fir trees along streams, resulting in the streams getting daylight. Daylight exposure to streams harms native brown trout by increasing stream temperature and affecting critical cold-water streams. In the long term, the project will create a canopy over the river that will help keep temperatures down and create healthy habitats for fish. It also diversifies forest cover near streams, which are needed for both aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, and protects water quality by stabilizing riverbanks to reduce the potential for erosion.
“Our forests are vital to both people and nature, serving as habitat for wildlife, filtering our water, mitigating our climate and providing the shelter for countless outdoor adventures,” said Mindy Kantola, forest partnerships project manager at TNC in Michigan. “We are proud to partner with the Ottawa National Forest on this ongoing initiative because climate resilient lands and waters benefit us all.”
Through the partnership, TNC has identified and prioritized planting areas. The underplanting of a mix of white pine, red pine, white spruce, tamarack, hemlock and cedar trees is currently underway for project implementation with the help of Timberland Forestry Services, a Munising-based contractor.
TNC provides the logistics to deliver trees to staging points near the planting site and to mark the areas where planting is to occur. The trees will be planted in riparian areas that connect the watershed to streams and upland areas. A crew of seven is expected to take a week to plant the trees by hand.
The seedlings will replace spruce and balsam trees damaged by the spruce budworm. The budworm damages trees by eating their foliage and creating large gaps in the canopy. This damage reduces tree growth under the best of circumstances, but causes large groups of trees to die under the worst of conditions.
“We appreciate projects like this one that provide streams, rivers and riparian areas with the ingredients they need for natural, process-based recovery,” said Ryan Beatty, biologist at Ottawa National Forest Fisheries. “Planting efforts like this are long-term investments in shading streams, protecting cold-water trout habitat, and long-term recruitment of fallen trees, which are important to fish habitat.”
TNC has a long track record of working with the US Forest Service, including planting more than 1,200 acres of riparian trees, harvesting timber under administration, and maintaining recreation and wilderness areas and building boardwalks in the Ottawa National Forest.
Just over half of Michigan—or 20 million acres—is forested and is an important part of Michigan’s natural environment. Our forests are home to famous wildlife like gray wolves, black bears, and migratory birds that fill the trees with color in the spring. They are also an important legacy for the people as they support more than 100,000 jobs and a $20 billion economy.
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to preserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, TNC works to create innovative, practical solutions to the world’s toughest challenges, so nature and people can thrive together. Learn more online at nature.org/michigan and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
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