Location: Emmet County, Center Township, T37N, R5W, Sec 10, NE1/4 of SE 1/4
Valley Road, 1.5 miles south of Levering Road – property lies on west side of Valley Road
Overall property description
This 40 acre property mostly consists of typical northern hardwoods, with gently rolling hills. A wide array of spring ephemerals carpets the ground early in the year. Aside from sugar maple and basswood, it also contained a good mix of ash and beech until emerald ash borer and beech bark disease swept through.
It is enrolled in the Commercial Forest program, which means that it is open to the public for hunting and other nonmotorized access.
Management activity
In early 1990’s a selection cut was done to remove residual culls, high-risk trees, and almost all high quality hardwood trees 16” inches and larger in DBH. A firewood cut was done during the winters of 1992-1993 and 1993-1994 to start bringing this even-aged stand under uneven-age management. With an over-population of deer throughout the years, their selective browsing has removed the more desirable hardwood species and left an established understory of beech and ironwood seedlings/saplings. Canopy gap opening were establish for research by Mike Walters of MSU starting in 2007. These gaps were fenced with plastic fencing to keep deer out (deer exclosures) and to see what tree and herbaceous species would survive without the over-browsing by deer. Numerous trees have metal tags on their bases, part of MSU’s research. A select harvest was conducted in 2018 to remove all remaining beech and individual sugar maples. The residual stand is growing well.
Honoring our promise to our late friend Fred Prince, proceeds from the sale will be devoted to outreach and education efforts.
Select views of the property:
