Dry Lake

State Natural Area (No. 424)

Location: Within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Ashland County. T43N-R2W, Sections 1, 2, 11, 12. 358 acres.

Access: The site is located approximately 5.5 miles north of Glidden, Wisconsin. Access is via County Highway X to FR 357 (Old Morse Road), then to FR 358 (Dry Lake Rd). Take FR 358 2 miles. The site lies east of the road.

Description: Dry Lake features intact, older second-growth upland hemlock-hardwoods surrounded by a fringe of hemlock and cedar forest. Locally (within Morse Township) as well as regionally, this forest type historically dominated the landscape and today is nearly gone in its original form. Also present is an extensive open wiregrass poor fen and tussock sedge meadow surrounding a spring-fed bog lake, northern wet forest, and a rocky-bottomed, shaded stream stretch that is a tributary to the Bad River. Although lightly managed about 20 years ago, the uplands are now approaching an old growth state and the forest supports other old growth attributes including snags, coarse woody debris, along with ephemeral ponds and intact gradient from upland to lowland. Sugar maple, yellow birch, and hemlock dominate the uplands with a sparse midstory and shrub layer. A few widely scattered super canopy white pine and white spruce are present. Canopy associates include balsam fir, red maple, white cedar, and ironwood. The ground flora is typical of ATO habitat type with wood fern, lady fern, and species of the lily family. A nice gradient exists from the uplands down to the open sedge meadow. Common understory plants include leather-leaf, tussock sedge, bladderwort, cat-tail, wild calla, crested shield fern, small cranberry, mountain holly, marsh bellflower, marsh cinquefoil. Rare species include Robbins spikerush (Eleocharis robbinsii) and dragon’s-mouth orchid (Arethusa bulbosa). Surrounding Dry Lake are open wetlands that represent the best examples of poor fen and sedge meadow on the Valhalla/Marenisco Moraines Landtype on the Forest and provide excellent habitat for unique flora and fauna. Plants characteristic to poor fens, bogs and marshes are present including tamarack, sphagnum, leatherleaf, tussock sedge, willow, and cat-tails. The north side of the lake is characterized by tussock sedge and blue-joint grass meadow. The wetlands on the south side of the lake represent a unique poor fen community with boreal bog sedge, creeping sedge, white beak-rush, and cotton-grasses. The conifer swamp is patchy with alder and mixed northern white cedar, hemlock, and black ash. Ground flora includes dewberry, three-leaved goldthread, mountain wood sorrel, and ferns. Dry Lake is owned by the US Forest Service and was designated a State Natural Area in 2007.