Duck Lake Fire Update

Out of the fire comes life. So often we hear about the devastation caused by wild fires, but not much follow up on the amazing recovery of the natural systems. On August 11, I revisited some of the same areas of the Duck Lake fire near Newberry, which I had previously visited in June. This most recent visit came only 11 weeks after the third worst wild fire in Michigan’s history. It is truly amazing to see the forest and wetlands that were so severely burned, are now rapidly recovering and bursting with new life. As the fire swept through it cleaned up some of the buildup of organic matter on the forest floor, and as a result also released nutrients back into the soil.

Many plant species are reemerging from the ashes. Blueberries are sprouting up all over as well as young shouts from the bases of deciduous trees. Mushrooms can be found on the forest floor. Wintergreen and Bunchberry are returning with vibrant colors of green found in the new foliage, and Meadowsweet was blooming in an area that had been burned over near a lake, and the ferns seem as if nothing happened. Grasses dominate in the more open fertile areas.

Some species such as the blueberry thrive in the years after a fire and in some cases morel mushrooms are abundant the next spring. Jack pines need the intense heat to release their seeds from the cones and start a new generation of trees.

Logging operations have swung into high gear and none too soon. At one stop in a Jack Pine area, we found significant signs of the Flathead Pine Borer. The larvae chew through the inner bark with a voracious appetite. As they feed they push long thin, saw dust looking pieces of wood out of through holes in the bark. The base of the trees become covered with this material and can quickly catch the attention of anyone in the immediate area.

As the ant lions have begun digging pits to trap ants again and vegetation returns, life goes on in the burned over forest. The black makes a beautiful contrast with the new greens and the browns from the fire scorched trees. My friend who accompanied me on this trip found many scenes to be quite beautiful. Let’s watch over the next few years as life continues to rise from the ashes.