Revegetation of beech-maple areas in the Douglas Lake (Cheboygan Co.), Michigan region.

1. Douglas Lake region, Cheboygan County, Michigan, lies in the transition zone between the northeastern coniferous forests and the central deciduous forests. Many well-drained ridges are occupied by virgin beech-maple forests unless this forest has been destroyed by fire or lumbering. 2. A typical beech-maple forest is dominated by Acer saccharum, Fagus grandifolia, Betula lutea, Tilia americana, Acer rubrum, Ulmus americana, and Ostrya virginiana. Shrubs are few and there are about 35 typical ground plants almost always present in beech-maple forests together with some ground plants found in several habitats. Many individuals in this ground cover are seedlings. 3. The reforestation of beech-maple forests in 11 areas was studied during 1936 by the quadrat method. 4. Where the area had been lumbered, a dense coppice of Acer saccharum alone has developed, and for a time the ground plants are very few. As the coppice grows older and becomes less dense, seedlings of other species become established and gradually a second growth beech-maple forest develops. 5. Where the fire has been severe, the reforestation process is very slow for the area is first covered with pioneer ground plants, then pioneer shrubs and then the aspen association. From the aspen association the area reverts to beech-maple. However, if the fire is not too severe, the beech-maple forest comes back by means of stump sprouting without going through the aspen stage. 6. Where the area has been or is being pastured, the destruction is gradual instead of suden and damage is done not so much by destruction of trees already in existence as by the elimnation of seedlings. The character of the ground plants is radically changed and some typically beech-maple plants are destroyed while introduced species such as Poa pratensis, Phleum pratense and Trifolium repens take their place. 7. If any of these areas are cultivated for a time after clearing and are then abandoned, the succession is quite long and involved, including a weed stage, a meadow stage and then stages of native ground plants, shrubs and trees to the climax beech-maple forest.