Sylvania, MI

This federally owned wilderness in Ottawa National Forest, was designated by Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. It features 15,000 acres of unlogged hemlock and sugar maple forest with system of small lakes. Much of the research on long-term dynamics of sugar maple and hemlock patches has taken place here.

Leaf-off infared aerial photos of old-growth hemlock (orange) and maple (beige) in Sylvania Wilderness, Michigan.
Leaf-off infared aerial photos of old-growth hemlock (orange) and maple (beige) in Sylvania Wilderness, Michigan. Photos: USGS.
Leaf-off infared aerial photos of old-growth hemlock (orange) and maple (beige) in Sylvania Wilderness, Michigan