Download the North Central Forest chapter [PDF] of the Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin. This chapter provides a detailed assessment of the ecological and socioeconomic conditions for the North Central Forest. It also identifies important planning and management considerations and suggests management opportunities that are compatible with the ecology of the landscape. The tabs below provide additional information.
Please note that each of these topics is covered in much more detail in the North Central Forest chapter [PDF].
Physical & Biotic Environment | Socioeconomic Conditions | Considerations for Planning & Management
| Physical & Biotic Environment | |
|---|---|
|
Size |
9,543 square miles (6,107,516 acres), representing 17.1% of the total land area of the state. |
|
Climate |
Typical of northern Wisconsin, mean growing season in the North Central Forest is 115 days, the shortest growing season of all Ecological Landscapes in the state. The mean annual temperature is 40.3 deg. F. Summer temperatures can be cold or freezing at night in the low-lying areas, limiting the occurrence of some biota. The mean annual precipitation is 32.3 inches and the mean annual snowfall is 63 inches. However, heavier snowfall can occur closer to Lake Superior, especially in the northwestern part of the Ecological Landscape in the topographically higher Penokee-Gogebic Iron Range. The cool temperatures and short growing season are not conducive to supporting agricultural row crops such as corn in most parts of the Ecological Landscape. Only six percent of the North Central Forest is in agricultural use. The climate is especially favorable for the growth of forests, which cover roughly 75% of the Ecological Landscape. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Bedrock |
Predominantly igneous and metamorphic rock, generally covered by 5 to 100 feet of glacial drift deposits. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Geology & Landforms |
Landforms are characterized by end and ground moraines with some pitted outwash and bedrock-controlled areas. Kettle depressions and steep ridges are found in the northern portion of the North Central Forest. Two prominent areas here are the Penokee-Gogebic Iron Range in the north (which extends into Upper Michigan), and Timm's Hill, the highest point in Wisconsin (at 1,951 feet) in the south. Drumlins are important landforms in some parts of the North Central Forest. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Soils |
Soils consist of sandy loams, sands, and silts. Organic soils, peats and mucks, are common in poorly drained lowlands. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Hydrology |
Rivers, streams, and springs are common and found throughout this Ecological Landscape. Major rivers include the Wisconsin, Chippewa, Flambeau, Jump, Wolf, Pine, Popple, and Peshtigo. Large lakes include Namekagon, Courte Oreilles, Owen, Round, Butternut, North Twin, Metonga, Pelican, Pine, Kentuck, Pickerel, and Lucerne. Several large man-made flowages occur here such as the Chippewa, Turtle-Flambeau, Gile, Pine, and Mondeaux. There are several localized but significant concentrations of glacial kettle lakes associated with end and recessional moraines (e.g., the Perkinstown, Bloomer, Winegar, Birchwood Lakes, and Valhalla/Marenisco Moraines.) In southern Ashland and Bayfield counties, the concentrations of lakes are associated with till plains or outwash over till. Lakes here are due to dense till holding up the water table. Rare lake types in the North Central Forest include marl and meromictic lakes. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Current Landcover |
Forests cover approximately 75% of this Ecological Landscape. The mesic northern hardwood forest is dominant, made up of sugar maple, basswood, and red maple, with some stands containing scattered hemlock, yellow birch, and/or white pine pockets. The aspen-birch forest type group is also abundant, followed by spruce-fir (most of the spruce-fir is lowland conifers on acid peat – not upland "boreal" forest). Forested and non-forested wetland communities are common and widespread. These include Northern Wet-mesic Forest (dominated by either northern white cedar or black ash), Northern Wet Forest (acid conifer swamps dominated by black spruce and/or tamarack), non-forested acid peatlands (bogs, fens, and muskegs), alder thicket, sedge meadow, and marsh (including wild rice marshes) are widespread in the North Central Forest. Learn more from the chapter [PDF] |
|
Socioeconomic Conditions
(based on data from Bayfield, Washburn, Rusk, Sawyer, Chippewa, Iron, Ashland, Price, Taylor, Lincoln, Langlade, Forest and Florence counties) |
|
|---|---|
|
Population |
244,782, 4.4% of the state total |
|
Population Density |
19 persons/ sq. mile |
|
Per Capita Income |
$26,738 |
|
Important Economic Sectors |
Government, tourism-related, manufacturing (non-wood) and retail trade sectors in 2002 reflecting high government and tourism-related dependence. Although forestry does not have a large impact on the number of jobs it produces, it is the sector that has the largest impact on the natural resources in the Ecological Landscape. |
|
Public Ownership |
42% is publicly owned, mostly by federal, state or county governments. Federal ownership includes the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. State ownership includes the 90,000 acre Flambeau River State Forest and several other large properties, including the Kimberly-Clark Wildlife Area. Counties in or partially within the North Central Forest with large County Forests include: Ashland, Bayfield, Chippewa, Florence, Forest, Iron, Langlade, Lincoln, Oneida, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, and Washburn counties. A map showing public land ownership (county, state, and federal) and private lands enrolled in the Forest Tax Programs in this Ecological Landscape can be found at the end of this chapter. |
|
Other Notable Ownerships |
The Wisconsin Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has several major projects in the North Central Forest, in northern Vilas County, and at Catherine Lake in Ashland-Iron counties. TNC has also partnered with the WDNR, the USFS, and various private groups on various research, land use planning, and protection projects, including one in the Pine-Popple Watershed (in part to remedy poorly sited or constructed stream crossings or culverts that act as barriers to the movement of aquatic life) in the eastern part of the Ecological Landscape. Native American lands include the Lac Courte Oreilles, Lac du Flambeau, and Potawatomi Reservations. |
| Considerations for Planning & Management | |
|---|---|
One of the major considerations in the North Central Forest is clarification of the roles played by and ecological relationships among public, private, industrial, and tribal lands from a conservation, socioeconomic, and recreational perspectives. In recent years there has been documentation of widespread negative impacts to forests from: excessive deer browse; invasive earthworms, insects, plants and pathogens; divestitures of large private holdings (especially estates and industrial forests); increased parcelization; and the development of shoreline habitats. Other important factors to consider include: the potential implications of climate change; ecological impacts of increased biomass harvest; forest type conversions; forest simplification and homogenization; and the need to develop ecologically appropriate and economically viable restoration methods for mesic forests. Learn more about management opportunities from the chapter [PDF] |
The following species are listed according to their probability of occurring in the North Central Forest Ecological Landscape, based on the findings in Wisconsin's 2015 Wildlife Action Plan.
See the key to association scores [PDF] for complete definitions.
(Please see also the Significant Flora [PDF] and the Significant Wildlife [PDF] sections in the North Central Forest chapter).
| Amphibians | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-toed Salamander | Hemidactylium scutatum | 3 |
| Mink Frog | Lithobates septentrionalis | 3 |
| Pickerel Frog | Lithobates palustris | 1 |
| Ants, wasps, and bees | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Sanderson's Bumble Bee | Bombus sandersoni | 3 |
| Confusing Bumble Bee | Bombus perplexus | 2 |
| Frigid Bumble Bee | Bombus frigidus | 2 |
| Yellowbanded Bumble Bee | Bombus terricola | 2 |
| Indiscriminate Cuckoo Bumble Bee | Bombus insularis | 1 |
| Yellow Bumble Bee | Bombus fervidus | 1 |
| Aquatic and terrestrial snails | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Boreal Top | Zoogenetes harpa | 2 |
| Cross Vertigo | Vertigo modesta | 2 |
| Appalachian Pillar | Cochlicopa morseana | 1 |
| Black Striate | Striatura ferrea | 1 |
| Bright Glyph | Glyphyalinia wheatleyi | 1 |
| Cherrystone Drop | Hendersonia occulta | 1 |
| Sculpted Glyph | Glyphyalinia rhoadsi | 1 |
| Birds | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| American Bittern | Botaurus lentiginosus | 3 |
| American Woodcock | Scolopax minor | 3 |
| Black-backed Woodpecker | Picoides arcticus | 3 |
| Boreal Chickadee | Poecile hudsonicus | 3 |
| Brewer's Blackbird | Euphagus cyanocephalus | 3 |
| Eastern Whip-poor-will | Antrostomus vociferus | 3 |
| Evening Grosbeak | Coccothraustes vespertinus | 3 |
| Golden-winged Warbler | Vermivora chrysoptera | 3 |
| Gray Jay | Perisoreus canadensis | 3 |
| Least Flycatcher | Empidonax minimus | 3 |
| Northern Goshawk | Accipiter gentilis | 3 |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | Contopus cooperi | 3 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | Buteo lineatus | 3 |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | Regulus calendula | 3 |
| Spruce Grouse | Falcipennis canadensis | 3 |
| Swainson's Thrush | Catharus ustulatus | 3 |
| Black Tern | Chlidonias niger | 2 |
| Bobolink | Dolichonyx oryzivorus | 2 |
| Cerulean Warbler | Setophaga cerulea | 2 |
| Common Goldeneye | Bucephala clangula | 2 |
| Connecticut Warbler | Oporornis agilis | 2 |
| Long-eared Owl | Asio otus | 2 |
| Rusty Blackbird | Euphagus carolinus | 2 |
| Sharp-tailed Grouse | Tympanuchus phasianellus | 2 |
| American Black Duck | Anas rubripes | 1 |
| Common Nighthawk | Chordeiles minor | 1 |
| Dickcissel | Spiza americana | 1 |
| Eastern Meadowlark | Sturnella magna | 1 |
| Grasshopper Sparrow | Ammodramus savannarum | 1 |
| Henslow's Sparrow | Ammodramus henslowii | 1 |
| Least Bittern | Ixobrychus exilis | 1 |
| Loggerhead Shrike | Lanius ludovicianus | 1 |
| Purple Martin | Progne subis | 1 |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | Melanerpes erythrocephalus | 1 |
| Upland Sandpiper | Bartramia longicauda | 1 |
| Vesper Sparrow | Pooecetes gramineus | 1 |
| Western Meadowlark | Sturnella neglecta | 1 |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | Icteria virens | 1 |
| Yellow-headed Blackbird | Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus | 1 |
| Butterflies and moths | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| West Virginia White | Pieris virginiensis | 3 |
| Semirelict Underwing Moth | Catocala semirelicta | 2 |
| Bina Flower Moth | Schinia bina | 1 |
| Chryxus Arctic | Oeneis chryxus | 1 |
| Doll's Merolonche | Acronicta dolli | 1 |
| Midwestern Fen Buckmoth | Hemileuca nevadensis ssp. 3 | 1 |
| Caddisflies | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| A Fingernet Caddisfly | Wormaldia moesta | 3 |
| A Giant Casemaker Caddisfly | Banksiola dossuaria | 3 |
| A Phryganeid Caddisfly | Beothukus complicatus | 3 |
| Dragonflies and damselflies | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Extra-striped Snaketail | Ophiogomphus anomalus | 3 |
| Forcipate Emerald | Somatochlora forcipata | 3 |
| Incurvate Emerald | Somatochlora incurvata | 3 |
| Lake Emerald | Somatochlora cingulata | 3 |
| Mottled Darner | Aeshna clepsydra | 3 |
| Sioux (Sand) Snaketail | Ophiogomphus smithi | 3 |
| Sphagnum Sprite | Nehalennia gracilis | 3 |
| St. Croix Snaketail | Ophiogomphus susbehcha | 3 |
| Pronghorn Clubtail | Gomphus graslinellus | 2 |
| Delta-spotted Spiketail | Cordulegaster diastatops | 1 |
| Plains Emerald | Somatochlora ensigera | 1 |
| Spatterdock Darner | Rhionaeschna mutata | 1 |
| Fishes | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Gilt Darter | Percina evides | 3 |
| Lake Sturgeon | Acipenser fulvescens | 3 |
| Longear Sunfish | Lepomis megalotis | 3 |
| Least Darter | Etheostoma microperca | 2 |
| Pugnose Shiner | Notropis anogenus | 1 |
| River Redhorse | Moxostoma carinatum | 1 |
| Shortjaw Cisco | Coregonus zenithicus | 1 |
| Flies | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| A Non-biting Midge | Pseudodiamesa pertinax | 3 |
| Grasshoppers and allies | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Crackling Forest Grasshopper | Trimerotropis verruculata | 3 |
| A Spur-throat Grasshopper | Melanoplus foedus | 2 |
| Bruner's Spur-throat Grasshopper | Melanoplus bruneri | 2 |
| Clear-winged Grasshopper | Camnula pellucida | 2 |
| Forest Locust | Melanoplus islandicus | 2 |
| Huckleberry Spur-throat Grasshopper | Melanoplus fasciatus | 2 |
| Rocky Mountain Sprinkled Locust | Chloealtis abdominalis | 2 |
| Speckled Rangeland Grasshopper | Arphia conspersa | 2 |
| Spotted-winged Grasshopper | Orphulella pelidna | 2 |
| Blue-legged Grasshopper | Melanoplus flavidus | 1 |
| Stone's Locust | Melanoplus stonei | 1 |
| Leafhoppers and true bugs | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| A Backswimmer | Notonecta borealis | 3 |
| A Broad-shouldered Water Strider | Microvelia albonotata | 3 |
| A Water Boatman | Dasycorixa hybrida | 3 |
| Mammals | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| American Marten | Martes americana | 3 |
| Northern Flying Squirrel | Glaucomys sabrinus | 3 |
| Silver-haired Bat | Lasionycteris noctivagans | 3 |
| Water Shrew | Sorex palustris | 3 |
| Woodland Jumping Mouse | Napaeozapus insignis | 3 |
| Big Brown Bat | Eptesicus fuscus | 2 |
| Little Brown Bat | Myotis lucifugus | 2 |
| Northern Long-eared Bat | Myotis septentrionalis | 2 |
| Prairie Deer Mouse | Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii | 1 |
| Mayflies | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| A Spiny Crawler Mayfly | Eurylophella aestiva | 3 |
| A Flat-headed Mayfly | Maccaffertium pulchellum | 2 |
| A Flat-headed Mayfly | Rhithrogena undulata | 2 |
| A Large Square-gilled Mayfly | Neoephemera bicolor | 2 |
| A Small Minnow Mayfly | Plauditus cestus | 2 |
| A Small Minnow Mayfly | Paracloeodes minutus | 2 |
| A Spiny Crawler Mayfly | Drunella cornuta | 2 |
| Mussels and clams | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Elktoe | Alasmidonta marginata | 3 |
| Purple Wartyback | Cyclonaias tuberculata | 3 |
| Sheepnose | Plethobasus cyphyus | 2 |
| Ellipse | Venustaconcha ellipsiformis | 1 |
| Salamander Mussel | Simpsonaias ambigua | 1 |
| Slippershell Mussel | Alasmidonta viridis | 1 |
| Spectaclecase | Cumberlandia monodonta | 1 |
| Reptiles | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Wood Turtle | Glyptemys insculpta | 3 |
| Blanding's Turtle | Emydoidea blandingii | 1 |
| Stoneflies | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| A Perlodid Stonefly | Isogenoides olivaceus | 3 |
| A Perlodid Stonefly | Isogenoides frontalis | 3 |
The Natural Heritage Inventory has developed scores indicating the degree to which each of Wisconsin's rare plant species is associated with a particular natural community or ecological landscape. This information is similar to that found in the Wildlife Action Plan for animals. As this is a work in progress, we welcome your suggestions and feedback.
Scores: 3 = "significantly associated," 2 = "moderately associated," and 1 = "minimally associated."
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Amerorchis rotundifolia | Round-leaved Orchis | 3 |
| Astragalus alpinus | Alpine Milkvetch | 3 |
| Botrychium minganense | Mingan's Moonwort | 3 |
| Botrychium mormo | Little Goblin Moonwort | 3 |
| Calypso bulbosa | Calypso Orchid | 3 |
| Carex novae-angliae | New England Sedge | 3 |
| Dryopteris expansa | Spreading Woodfern | 3 |
| Dryopteris filix-mas | Male Fern | 3 |
| Epilobium strictum | Downy Willow-herb | 3 |
| Galium brevipes | Swamp Bedstraw | 3 |
| Geum macrophyllum var. perincisum | Large-leaved Avens | 3 |
| Juglans cinerea | Butternut | 3 |
| Malaxis monophyllos var. brachypoda | White Adder's-mouth | 3 |
| Melica smithii | Smith's Melic Grass | 3 |
| Menegazzia terebrata | Treeflute | 3 |
| Moehringia macrophylla | Large-leaved Sandwort | 3 |
| Najas gracillima | Thread-like Naiad | 3 |
| Nuphar microphylla | Small Yellow Pond Lily | 3 |
| Oxytropis campestris var. chartacea | Fassett's Locoweed | 3 |
| Polemonium occidentale ssp. lacustre | Western Jacob's Ladder | 3 |
| Polystichum braunii | Braun's Holly-fern | 3 |
| Potamogeton diversifolius | Water-thread Pondweed | 3 |
| Potamogeton hillii | Hill's Pondweed | 3 |
| Potamogeton oakesianus | Oakes' Pondweed | 3 |
| Pseudocyphellaria crocata | Yellow Specklebelly | 3 |
| Ribes oxyacanthoides ssp. oxyacanthoides | Canadian Gooseberry | 3 |
| Sceptridium oneidense | Blunt-lobe Grape-fern | 3 |
| Sceptridium rugulosum | Rugulose Grape-fern | 3 |
| Schoenoplectus torreyi | Torrey's Bulrush | 3 |
| Tiarella cordifolia | Heartleaf Foamflower | 3 |
| Vaccinium cespitosum | Dwarf Bilberry | 3 |
| Vaccinium vitis-idaea | Mountain Cranberry | 3 |
| Valeriana uliginosa | Marsh Valerian | 3 |
| Viburnum edule | Squashberry | 3 |
| Aplectrum hyemale | Putty Root | 2 |
| Asplenium trichomanes | Maidenhair Spleenwort | 2 |
| Asplenium trichomanes-ramosum | Green Spleenwort | 2 |
| Boechera missouriensis | Missouri Rock-cress | 2 |
| Botrychium lunaria | Common Moonwort | 2 |
| Callitriche hermaphroditica | Autumnal Water-starwort | 2 |
| Callitriche heterophylla | Large Water-starwort | 2 |
| Carex livida | Livid Sedge | 2 |
| Carex merritt-fernaldii | Fernald's Sedge | 2 |
| Cypripedium arietinum | Ram's-head Lady's-slipper | 2 |
| Cypripedium parviflorum var. makasin | Northern Yellow Lady's-slipper | 2 |
| Drosera linearis | Linear-leaved Sundew | 2 |
| Elatine triandra | Longstem Water-wort | 2 |
| Eleocharis quinqueflora | Few-flowered Spike-rush | 2 |
| Eleocharis robbinsii | Robbins' Spike-rush | 2 |
| Equisetum palustre | Marsh Horsetail | 2 |
| Eriophorum russeolum ssp. leiocarpum | Russet Cotton-grass | 2 |
| Geum macrophyllum var. macrophyllum | Large-leaved Avens | 2 |
| Goodyera oblongifolia | Giant Rattlesnake-plantain | 2 |
| Homalosorus pycnocarpos | Glade Fern | 2 |
| Huperzia selago | Fir Clubmoss | 2 |
| Juncus stygius | Bog Rush | 2 |
| Leucophysalis grandiflora | Large-flowered Ground-cherry | 2 |
| Littorella uniflora | American Shoreweed | 2 |
| Packera indecora | Plains Ragwort | 2 |
| Penstemon pallidus | Pale Beardtongue | 2 |
| Phegopteris hexagonoptera | Broad Beech Fern | 2 |
| Piptatheropsis canadensis | Canada Mountain Ricegrass | 2 |
| Platanthera flava var. herbiola | Pale Green Orchid | 2 |
| Platanthera hookeri | Hooker's Orchid | 2 |
| Poa paludigena | Bog Bluegrass | 2 |
| Potamogeton bicupulatus | Snail-seed Pondweed | 2 |
| Potamogeton confervoides | Algae-leaved Pondweed | 2 |
| Potamogeton perfoliatus | Clasping-leaf Pondweed | 2 |
| Potamogeton vaseyi | Vasey's Pondweed | 2 |
| Pyrola minor | Lesser Wintergreen | 2 |
| Ranunculus gmelinii | Small Yellow Water Crowfoot | 2 |
| Rhynchospora fusca | Brown Beak-rush | 2 |
| Tephroseris palustris | Marsh Ragwort | 2 |
| Utricularia resupinata | Northeastern Bladderwort | 2 |
| Adlumia fungosa | Climbing Fumitory | 1 |
| Carex backii | Rocky Mountain Sedge | 1 |
| Carex festucacea | Fescue Sedge | 1 |
| Carex lenticularis | Shore Sedge | 1 |
| Carex michauxiana | Michaux's Sedge | 1 |
| Carex prasina | Drooping Sedge | 1 |
| Cystopteris laurentiana | Laurentian Bladder Fern | 1 |
| Eleocharis flavescens var. olivacea | Capitate Spike-rush | 1 |
| Hypericum prolificum | Shrubby St. John's-wort | 1 |
| Petasites sagittatus | Sweet Colt's-foot | 1 |
| Trichophorum cespitosum | Tufted Bulrush | 1 |
| Woodsia oregana ssp. cathcartiana | Oregon Woodsia | 1 |
The North Central Forest Ecological Landscape contains opportunities to manage for the following natural communities, based on the findings in the 2015 Wildlife Action Plan (originally presented by the Ecosystem Management Team).
See the key to association scores [PDF] for complete definitions.
The North Central Forest contains the best large-scale interior forest management opportunities in the state. There are opportunities to create or maintain large habitat patches, develop or re-establish greater connectivity between forest habitat patches and restore missing and diminished cover types. Restoring conifers to many hardwood forests is a major opportunity. Hemlock and yellow birch, once the dominant species in this landscape, are greatly reduced and declining. Both species are difficult to regenerate, so developing effective regeneration methods given deer herbivory challenges is a management opportunity.
Old forests are a rare and declining resource in Wisconsin. The North Central Forest offers excellent opportunities to manage areas for older forest within a context of outstanding aquatic features, intact and relatively undisturbed wetlands and vast public landholdings. Working forests could include areas with extended rotations, the development of old-growth forest characteristics and/or stands of "managed old-growth."
Wetlands are abundant here and include forested, shrub and herbaceous types. Collectively, wet-mesic forests, including Northern Wet-mesic Forest and Hardwood Swamp, are more common here than anywhere else in the state. Acid peatlands are common and widespread. Ephemeral Ponds are abundant and provide important habitat for numerous animals. Protecting the hydrology and integrity of the landscape's wetlands is a major opportunity.
Aquatic resources are in good condition compared to many areas elsewhere in the state. Water quality is high, sediment and pollutant loads are low, flow levels tend to follow normal patterns on many streams and the diversity of aquatic organisms is significant. Maintaining the existing high percentage of forest cover within watersheds is, arguably, the most critical factor in maintaining high water quality and supporting all of the aquatic species native to northern Wisconsin's lakes and streams.
Invasive species are, generally, less abundant here than in many other ecological landscapes, especially those in the southern half of the state. However, invasive species detections are increasing in this landscape. Controlling these species before they become abundant, as they have in many other parts of the state, is an important opportunity as both control efforts and costs are more manageable when problems are still localized.
There are good opportunities to maintain communities and habitats that are either especially well-represented here or rare elsewhere in the state. These include lowland forests dominated either by white cedar or black ash, acid peatlands, bedrock glades and moist cliffs. It should be possible to provide for the needs of the vast majority of plants and animals native to the North Central Forest, including the many rare species that have been documented.
1. The text presented here is a summarized version of a longer section developed for the Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin.
Also see the statewide maps.
Landtype Associations (LTAs) are units of the National Hierarchical Framework of Ecological Units (NHFEU), a hierarchical ecological land classification system. LTAs are much smaller than Ecological Landscapes, ranging in size from 10,000 and 300,000 acres. In Wisconsin, they are usually based on glacial features like individual moraines or outwash plains. LTAs can be very useful for planning at finer scales within an Ecological Landscape.
The following are the LTAs associated with the North Central Forest Ecological Landscape. The North Central Forest LTA map [PDF] can be used to locate these LTAs. Clicking on an LTA in the list below will open a data table for that LTA in PDF format. Descriptions are included, where available.
Map of Wisconsin's 16 Ecological Landscapes