Many forest types occur throughout southeast Michigan. Based on the water-holding capacity of the soil, different tree species (like all other plant species) tend to grow in different locales. These groupings can be roughly divided into three different forest community types: wet forest <anchor to wet forest heading below>, mesic forest <anchor to mesic forest heading below>, and dry forest<anchor to dry forests heading below>.

Wet Forest
Of the three, the wet forest is most easily recognized. Found in flat, poorly-drained bottomlands along streams and the river, a wet forest can be expected to flood in the spring. Wet forests often contain tall trees with a dense closed canopy and few shrubs beneath.

Mesic Forest
The mesic forest is better drained, but is still most typical in moister sites as well as the richer glacial till soil of moraines. Mesic forests support communities characterized by a closed to semi -closed tree canopy with scattered shrubs in the understory and a rich display of wildflowers in the spring.

Dry Forest
The dry forest grows on sites with the best drainage, usually in areas with a layer of glacial outwash underlying the soil. It is often dominated by oaks (Quercus). In instances where these trees are so scattered that the canopy is fairly open, allowing a moderate amount of sunlight to reach the ground, the term "savanna" is used to describe this type of dry forest.

For many animals, the most important feature of forested communities is the presence of deadfall or standing dead trees, and the cavities they offer. As a result, cavity -nesting birds abound. Among birds, chickadees, titmice, wrens, owls, and woodpeckers are common forest residents. The forest also offers nesting opportunities for the Scarlet Tanager which nests in the canopy of taller trees, and the Red -eyed Vireo, which nests in the canopy of under -story trees. Also look for Turkey Vultures, Cooper's Hawks, Broad -winged Hawks, Acadian Flycatchers, Blue -gray Gnatcatchers, and Wood Thrushes in and around forest communities. Among mammals, squirrels, raccoons, and opossum are commonly found using tree cavities in forested communities.

Most of the forests in our area are "second growth," which means they were once logged or farmed then allowed to grow back on their own. Evidence of furrows, fences and foundations can sometimes be found amidst the trees. Generally, plants which were originally found in these forests have regenerated and now create an approximation of the original forest community. An exception to this is the wet forest at Parker Mill/Forest Park. The ground cover vegetation and the apparent lack of old fence remnants suggest that the area along the river and south of the railroad tracks was probably neither logged intensively or plowed.

Listed below are plants that may be found in southeast Michigan forest communities. To view most of the wildflowers, visit these areas in the spring, before the leaf canopy shades the forest floor.
Wet Forest: In the Ann Arbor are you can visit Parker Mill/Forest Park or Nichols Arboretum for a good example of wet forest. Non -native species are noted with an asterisk (*).

Trees
American elm (Ulmus americana)
black willow (Salix nigra)
black maple (Acer nigrum)
black ash (Fraxinus nigra)
box elder (Acer negundo)
cottonwood (Populus deltoides)
hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana)
red maple (Acer rubrum)
red ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica)
silver maple (Acer saccharinum)
swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor)

Shrubs
bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia)
elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula)*
red -osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera)
Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes
bulrush (Scirpus atrovirens)
fowl manna grass (Glyceria striata)
sedges (Carex lupulina, Carex retrorsa)

Wildlowers
fringed loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata)
great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)
skunk -cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)
smooth hedge nettle (Stachys tenuifolia)
touch -me -not (Impatiens capensis, Impatiens pallida)

Ferns
ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)
Mesic Forest: In the Ann Arbor area visit Bird Hills and Kuebler Langford Nature Areas for good examples of mesic forest.

Trees
basswood (Tilia americana)
black cherry (Prunus serotina)
bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa)
chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)
hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana)
ironwood (Ostrya virginiana)
red oak (Quercus rubra)
sugar maple (Acer saccharum)
white ash (Fraxinus americana)
white oak (Quercus alba)
Shrubs and Vines
bristly greenbrier (Smilax tamnoides)
gooseberry (Ribes cynosbati)
gray dogwood (Cornus foemina)
river bank grape (Vitis riparia)
serviceberry (Amelanchier)
wild black current (Ribes americanum)
Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes
long -awned wood grass (Brachyelytrum erectum)
sedge (Carex blanda)
silky wild rye (Elymus villosus)

Wildflowers
blue -stemmed goldenrod (Solidago caesia)
cut -leaved toothwort (Dentaria laciniata)
early meadow -rue (Thalictrum dioicum)
false Solomon -seal (Smilacina racemosa)
fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum)
large flowered trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
wild geranium (Geranium maculatum)
yellow trout lily (Erythronium americanum)

Ferns
lady fern (Athyrium filix -femina)
maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum)
spinulose woodfern (Dryopteris carthusiana)

Dry Forest: In the Ann Arbor area, visit Foster, Cedar Bend, and South Pond Nature Areas to see examples of dry forest. Non-native species are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Trees
black oak (Quercus velutina)
bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa)
pignut hickory (Carya glabra)
sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
shagbark hickory (Carya ovata)
white oak (Quercus alba)
Shrubs and Vines
downy arrow -wood (Viburnum rafinesquianum)
maple -leaved viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium)
hazelnut (Corylus americana)
summer grape (Vitis aestivalis)
witch -hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes
bottlebrush grass (Hystrix patula)
Canada brome (Bromus pubescens)
Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica)

Wildflowers
bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
early buttercup (Ranunculus fascicularis)
early meadow -rue (Thalictrum dioicum)
May apple (Podophyllum peltatum)
nodding wild onion (Allium cernuum)
round -lobed hepatica (Hepatica americana)
shining bedstraw (Galium concinnum)
wild ginger (Asarum canadense)
wood anemone (Anemone quinquefolia)
woodland sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus)

Ferns
bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum)
The above definition and plant list were taken with permission from Along the Huron: The Natural Communities of the Huron River Corridor in Ann Arbor, Michigan written by the Natural Area Preservation Division, Department of Parks and Recreation, City of Ann Arbor, 1999. You can order the book from the University of Michigan Press.

Additional definitions and pictures

• See photos of Northern Lowland Forests, Northern Upland Forests, Boreal Forests, Beech Forests, from the Vegetation of Wisconsin Habitats
• See page 33 of the terrific book Along the Huron: the Natural Communities of the Huron River Corridor in Ann Arbor, MI by the Natural Area Preservation Division of the Department of Parks and Recreation, the City of Ann Arbor
• Also see the description in the Michigan Natural Features Inventory