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ELEVATION: 580 to 1,040 feet (177 to 317 m).

AREA: 1,256 square miles (3,254 sq km).

STATES: Michigan and Wisconsin.

CLIMATE: Growing season is approximately 140 days in both sub-subsections in Michigan, but increases to 160 days at the southern edge of VIII.1.3 in Wisconsin (Eichenlaub et al. 1990, Hole and Germain 1993). Sub-subsection VIII.1.3 also receives less snowfall than Sub-subsection VIII.1.1, 60 inches and 80 inches respectively. Average precipitation is 30 to 32 inches, almost identical to that of Sub-subsection VIII.1.1. Extreme minimum temperatures are lowest inland, where they can be as cold as -46½F, and highest along the Lake Michigan shoreline, where they are as high as -30½F.

BEDROCK GEOLOGY: The entire sub-subsection is underlain by Silurian- and Ordovician-age sedimentary bedrock, principally limestone and dolomite, but also including less resistant shale and gypsum (Dorr and Eschman 1984, Morey et al. 1982). The resistant Niagaran series dolomite and limestone of Silurian age form the Niagaran Escarpment, which is locally exposed as cliffs and flat limestone pavement along the Lake Michigan shoreline of the Stonington, Garden, and Door Peninsulas. Little Bay de Noc and Big Bay de Noc in Michigan and Green Bay in Wisconsin occupy depressions where soft gypsum and shales were eroded, probably by both glacial and lacustrine processes (Sinclair 1960). Devonian limestone, dolomite, and breccia are locally exposed at the southern edge of the sub-subsection. The underlying bedrock is typically less than 50 feet below the surface of the glacial drift (Vanlier and Deutsch 1958; Sinclair 1959, 1960; Vanlier 1963b). Limestone is mined in several places within the sub-subsection.

LANDFORMS: Various landforms of glacial lacustrine origin characterize the sub-subsection, including flat lake bed, deltaic deposits of sand, parabolic dune fields, and shallow embayments containing transverse dunes. Beach-ridge and swale topography, consisting of dozens of low, linear beach ridges alternating with shallow depressions (swales), commonly forms a narrow 1- to 2-mile-wide band along the shorelines of protected embayments of Lake Michigan.

There are large areas of lacustrine sand deposits that have flat to gently undulating surfaces; regional slope is typically only 8 to 10 feet per mile. On this topography, only a few inches of elevation change can greatly alter drainage conditions. Drainage conditions also depend on depth to underlying bedrock or fine-textured substrate.

Ground moraine is quite extensive on the Door Peninsula in Wisconsin and locally present in Michigan south of Escanaba along the Lake Michigan shoreline and north of the Garden Peninsula. Throughout the sub-subsection, ground-moraine deposits are often quite thin over bedrock; cobbles and boulders of dolomite are common within the sandy loam till. Bedrock is commonly exposed near the shoreline, either as cliff or flat pavement.

Outwash deposits are located near the Lake Michigan shore just northeast of Escanaba. Small barchan dunes (crescent shaped) are scattered on the outwash plain.

LAKES AND STREAMS: Many rivers. The larger include the Menominee, Whitefish, Escanaba, Ford, and Sturgeon, but there are many more small rivers draining the flat outwash and lake plain of Michigan's eastern Upper Peninsula. Where these rivers flow over bedrock, they are typically shallow and broad. Where they flow across sand lake plain, they have steep banks and generally meander considerably, forming numerous oxbow lakes. There are only two large lakes, Indian and Moss.

SOILS: Diverse soils. Lacustrine soils are primarily sands, but the sands are often underlain by lake clays or bedrock within only a few feet of the surface. The sands are generally either excessively drained or poorly drained. Excessively drained sands are on beach ridges or dunes. Poorly drained sands are more common, occupying much of the flat lake plain or depressions between dunes and beach ridges. Soils of the ground moraine are stony, with textures ranging from loamy sands to loams. Where bedrock is near the surface, soils are often calcareous and poorly drained. The most common soil orders here are Alfisols (Boralfs), Histosols, and Entisols (Aquepts), with some Orthods and Aquods (USDA Soil Conservation Service 1967).

PRESETTLEMENT VEGETATION: Extensive swamps of northern white-cedar grew on the poorly drained soils of the lake plain, extending inland several miles from the present shoreline (Albert 1990, Comer et al. 1993a). These cedar swamps were interrupted by narrow, low beach ridges, which often supported upland conifer forests of hemlock, white pine, or a mixture of the two. These upland conifer types also occurred locally on narrow beach ridges along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Low broad upland areas of lacustrine sands supported the same upland conifer forests or occasionally, northern hardwood forest dominated by beech and sugar maple. Although cedar was the tree species most commonly referenced by GLO surveyors, other common wetland species included tamarack, balsam fir, [red] maple, [paper] birch, black ash, [black] spruce, hemlock, [trembling] aspen, and balsam poplar. Depressions within the extensive wetlands of the lake plain were often dominated by low productivity tamarack swamps or black spruce swamps.

Along embayments of Lake Michigan were extensive complexes of dunes and swales, where the drier ridges were dominated by forests of white pine or red pine, along with white spruce, balsam fir, and hardwoods. Lower ridges were often dominated by northern white-cedar, as were some of the drier swales. The wetter swales supported emergent marsh or sedge meadow.

Along the sandy shoreline of Lake Michigan, marshes were generally narrow because of severe wave action. The only extensive marshes within the sub-subsection were near Escanaba, at Portage Bay, and in Little Bay de Noc at the mouth of the White River.

Extensive flood-plain forest occurred along the Sturgeon River and along the Menominee River. The flood-plain forest along the Sturgeon River was dominated by silver maple, and it also contained abundant butternut; both of these species are rare in the Upper Peninsula. Most of the flood plains this far north were dominated by conifers, especially northern white-cedar.

Northern hardwood forest of beech and sugar maple grew on ground moraine and on thin soils over limestone bedrock. Where bedrock was exposed at the surface, as on portions of the Garden, Stonington, and Door Peninsulas, open cedar glades were common, and alvar was locally present.

Jack pine barrens, containing scattered red pine, occurred on the outwash sands near Rapid River. GLO surveyors noted large portions of the pine barrens as burned over.

NATURAL DISTURBANCE: Windthrow is the most common type of disturbance. Along the Lake Michigan shoreline between Menominee and Escanaba, 18 windthrows (mostly under a square mile in area) were noted within 1 to 2 miles of the shore by GLO surveyors. Occasionally surveyors noted that windthrows burned later. Windthrows destroyed both upland and wetland forests.

Fires were also noted on pine plains near Native American settlements near Menominee, Escanaba, and Rapid River in Michigan. Other Native American settlements were on the Stonington and Garden Peninsulas, where sugar bushes and gardens were also noted. Indian trails were commonly noted, especially along major rivers and the Lake Michigan shoreline.

The dynamic water level fluctuations of Lake Michigan cause changes in the vegetation of coastal marshes, wet meadows, and swamps. In other parts of the Great Lakes, these water level fluctuations were documented by the original surveyors.

PRESENT VEGETATION AND LAND USE: After European settlement, logging began, first for white and red pines, then for northern white-cedar and hemlock, and finally for hardwoods and pulp. Logging mills were located along many of the rivers near the Lake Michigan shoreline. Most of the sub-subsection remains forested, but the composition of the forests has changed from predominantly conifer to a much greater proportion of hardwoods, both on the uplands and in swamps. The species most affected by logging were white pine, red pine, hemlock, and northern white-cedar. Post-logging fires reduced regeneration of the pines, and severe deer browse has reduced regeneration of hemlock and cedar.

Agricultural land use has been limited to pasturing on the ground moraine and occasionally on small areas of sand lake plain. Few of the wetlands have been greatly altered for agricultural purposes.

Major roads are located along much of this shoreline. Urban development is concentrated along the shoreline; major cities here are Menominee, Escanaba, Gladstone, Rapid River, and Manistique.

RARE PLANT COMMUNITIES: High quality areas of alvar occur on the Garden Peninsula. In both Michigan and Wisconsin, conifer-dominated upland forests are present and have been called boreal forest. These forests also contain many species with a more southerly distribution that are not typically considered boreal. In Wisconsin, cobble beaches, sand dunes, and interdunal wetlands are all restricted to the Door Peninsula. Great Lakes estuaries also occur on the Mink River.

RARE PLANTS: Michigan only: Amerorchis rotundifolia (round-leaved orchid), Iris lacustris (dwarf lake iris), Ranunculus lapponicus (Lapland buttercup), Solidago houghtonii (Houghton's goldenrod), and Sporobolus heterolepis (prairie dropseed). Wisconsin only: Calamintha arkansana (low calamint), Calamovilfa longifolia (sand reed), Elymus lanceolatus ssp. psammophilus (thick-spike wheatgrass), Festuca occidentalis (western fescue), Orobanche uniflora (one-flowered broomrape), Parnassia parviflora (small-flowered grass-of-Parnassus), Solidago ohioensis (Ohio goldenrod), Solidago simplex var. gillmanii (dune goldenrod). Michigan and Wisconsin: Asplenium viride (green spleenwort), Calypso bulbosa (Calypso orchid), Carex richardsonii (Richardson's sedge), Cirsium pitcheri (Pitcher's thistle), Cypripedium arietinum (ram's-head lady's-slipper), Juncus stygius (moor rush), Tanacetum huronense (Lake Huron tansy).

RARE ANIMALS: Michigan only: Charadrius melodus (piping plover). Wisconsin only: Somatochlora hineana (Ohio emerald). Michigan and Wisconsin: Haliaeetus leucocephalus (bald eagle), Sterna caspia (Caspian tern), Trimerotropis huroniana (Lake Huron locust), Chlidonias niger (black tern), and Sterna hirundo (common tern).

NATURAL AREAS: Michigan: Michigan Nature Association Preserves: Two Wilderness Islands, Garden Peninsula, Escanaba River; Proposed Research Natural Area's (Hiawatha NF): Nahma, Sturgeon River. Wisconsin: State Natural Areas: Peninsula Park Beech Forest, Peninsula Park White Cedar Forest, The Ridges Sanctuary, Sister Islands, Two Creeks Buried Forest, Seagull Bar, Toft Point, Newport Conifer-Hardwoods, Jackson Harbor Ridges, Mud Lake, Whitefish Dunes, Marshall's Point, Moonlight Bay Bedrock Beach, Coffey Swamp; The Nature Conservancy Preserves: Mink River Estuary.

PUBLIC LAND MANAGERS: Michigan: National Forests: Hiawatha; State Forests: Lake Superior, Escanaba River; State Parks: Fayette, Palms Book, Wells; Environmental Areas: Portage Point, Rapid River, St. Vital Island, Fishdam River, Ford River, Round Island (Delta County), Ogontz River. Wisconsin: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Spider, Gravel, Fish Islands; State Parks: Newport, Peninsula, Whitefish Dunes, Rock Island, Potawotami, State Wildlife Areas: Mudlake.

CONSERVATION CONCERNS: In Wisconsin, the sensitive shoreline areas have deservedly been the focus of virtually all protection efforts, while the rich mesic forests of the Door Peninsula interior have been largely destroyed and severely fragmented. Some of the larger remnant forests in Peninsula State Park are currently severely overbrowsed by deer.

Low sand dunes and beach ridges along the shoreline support healthy populations of Pitcher's thistle (federally threatened), a Great Lakes endemic, as well as Lake Huron tansy. Two other Great Lakes endemics are found near the shoreline: dwarf lake iris (federally threatened) is found on calcareous till or sand deposits near the shoreline, and Houghton's goldenrod (federally threatened) grows in moist interdunal swales along the shore.