Regeneration Patterns at the Lost 40 in the Chippewa National Forest, Minnesota

Investigators: Julia Rauchfuss and Susy Ziegler

We determined regeneration patterns and disturbance history in an old-growth red and white pine (Pinus resinosa and Pinus strobus) forest (the Lost 40) in the Chippewa National Forest in Minnesota. The Lost 40 was not logged in the late 1800s due to a surveying error. It is one of the few old growth stands left in Minnesota. The oldest pine reached coring height in 1769; however, most pines were rotten inside and pith dates could not be obtained in most cases. Basal area data show that the pines are still the dominant trees in the plots. However, white and red pines are only canopy trees and no saplings grow in the understory. Species in the understory include birch (Betula spp.), maple (Acer spp.), and balsam fir (Abies balsamea). Fire scars and charcoal were absent in the plots. Because white and red pines often establish after fire, this could mean that fire has been absent long enough for evidence of fire to disappear. The exclusion of fire and lack of widespread disturbance by wind or logging would also explain the absence of regeneration of white and red pine.