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Forests

Trees - Images of Marvelous Individuals or as Forests
"I never saw a discontented tree. They grip the ground as though they liked it, and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do." - John Muir

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Old Growth Forest, Brandarsaig, Isle of Skye It required a bit of belly crawling to find my way into this thicket of ancient pines on the slopes of Beinn na Moine of the Duirinish Peninsula on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. A determined shaft of sunlight managed to pierce the tightly packed trees to the carpet of pine needles below; the depth of which could only be imagined. An eerie sense of undisturbed history pervaded the area.

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Autumn on Hemlock Ridge A stand of hemlocks is silhouetted against the glow of autumn colors. Hemlocks are found throughout Saugatuck Dunes. The short-needled conifers are extremely shade tolerant and thrive under the taller oak, maple and beech trees. Hemlocks often live for 250 to 300 years. Some have been found to be more than 500 years old. Historically in Saugatuck, they were heavily harvested for the use of their bark in the tanning industry.

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Autumn Rain in the Forest As the rain lets up on an autumn day in Saugatuck Dunes State Park, a momentary brightening of the clouds serves to deepen the contrast between the changing leaves and the wet tree trunks. The dunes forest consists of beech, white and red oaks, maple and sassafras trees.

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Crescendo A steady wind out of the west worked to cleanse the remaining leaves from a stand of red oaks. The wind tilted the highest leaves away from the setting sun causing them to reflect its light, as other leaves glowed from sunlight shining through them. By dawn the trees were bare. Although they can live to be about 500 years old, in West Michigan red oaks typically live a healthy life of about 150 years and can grow to a height of 75 feet.

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Autumn in Singapore Where the town of Singapore once prospered alongside the mouth of the Kalamazoo River, only dunes and trees now stand.

Ten Thousand Leaves to Every Tree A hike in the woods of Saugatuck Dunes never disappoints. An autumn view captures the carpet of fallen golden leaves on the forest floor between the ever-shifting hills of sand. The mix of oak, maple, and beech grow tall and slender in order to reach the canopy above and sunlight. The northern hemlocks, in contrast, are content in the cool shade below.

North Trail, Saugatuck Dunes State Park The North Trail in Saugatuck Dunes State Park cuts across the ridge line of a forested dune. Leaves that once blocked the sun now become the forest's carpet, striped with the shadows of the trees that dropped them.

Winter in Saugatuck Dunes Laid bare in winter, the forest reveals the lesser but still formidable dunes throughout Saugatuck Dunes State Park. A fresh snowfall hides the footprints of all resident creatures leaving only trails of tree trunks, sunlight and shadow.

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The Blizzard of '22 A blast of lake effect snow sweeps through a stand of hemlocks on the ridge top of a Saugatuck dune. The December 2022 blizzard brought steady winds of 25 mph to the area with gusts as high as 60 mph.

The Tangly Forest As the Blizzard of '22 subsides, the Silver Creek ravine in Saugatuck Dunes quietly lies in a momentarily gentle snowfall. Although the two-day blizzard brought steady winds of 25 mph and more to the area, the fine powder of the lake effect snow only reached accumulations of about a foot.

Which Way the Wind Blows A day into the Blizzard of '22, the windward side of trees in a young forest bear clear testimony of the force behind the blowing snow. Steady winds of 25 mph along with heavy gusts kept lake effect snow moving horizontally through the lakeshore area.

Hardwood Forest, Sleeping Bear Dunes A grove of American beech, within a beech-maple forest, spreads its canopy high above. The shade provided by this 'climax' forest prevents other types of trees and brush from growing, leaving a relatively clear forest floor.

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A row of mature cedar trees with thick trunks and lush green foliage, native to West Michigan, stands in a forested area, showcasing their conical shape and potential use for lining driveways, roads, and boundaries. Pieces of wood nailed to the trunk of one form a ladder disappearing into the tree.

Stairway to Heaven Cedars, which are native to West Michigan, are common in many of the region’s landscapes. These trees can live for hundreds of years and are among some of the longest living plant species in the area. A mature cedar can grow up to 40 or 50 feet in height with trunk diameters up to two or three feet. Its thick conical shape makes it popular in landscapes for lining driveways, roads and boundaries.

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Autumn Blaze, Pier Cove On a perfect autumn day, a skyward view through a maple tree, exhibits every stage of the leaves' color transitions.

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