Warren Woods State Park
Encyclopedia
Warren Woods is a 311 acre (1.26 km²) state park in Berrien County
, Michigan
, near the town of Three Oaks
. It is leased by private owners to the state of Michigan.
The woods are named for Edward Warren (1847-1919), the inventor of the featherbone corset (which replaced the whalebone corset with turkey bones and secured his fortune), who bought 150 acres of the woods and 250 acres of the dunes.
The park is home to the last climax
beech-maple forest
in Michigan, which occupies 200 acre (0.809372 km²). The virgin North American beech (Fagus grandifolia) and Sugar maple
(Acer saccharum) forest has specimens 125 feet tall and with girths greater than five feet in diameter. The remaining area in the park consists of floodplain oak-hickory forest. Because of the size and age of the trees, and the rarity of the ecosystem, the area has been designated since 1967 as a National Natural Landmark
. Unfortunately, many of the beeches, with their temptingly smooth, thin, silver-grey bark, are heavily scarred by hand-carved graffiti, some of it decades old; however, this practice seems to have fallen out of favor in recent years.
The park has few facilities and is administered by nearby Warren Dunes State Park
. Most visitors come to walk the 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of hiking trails
, which run from the northern boundary on Warren Woods Road to a parking area accessed from the southern boundary on Elm Valley Road. In the middle of the park the trail crosses the Galien River
on a pedestrian bridge, where there is an interpretive station. Birders cite the park as a particularly good place to spot pileated woodpeckers
. Other visitors come to picnic. In addition, the park is often the subject of ecological
studies, since, in combination with the ecosystems preserved in nearby Warren Dunes State Park
, it completes a progression of ecological seres
.
Berrien County, Michigan
Berrien County is a county located in the extreme southwest of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 156,813. The county seat is St. Joseph....
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, near the town of Three Oaks
Three Oaks, Michigan
Three Oaks is a village in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,829 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Three Oaks Township.-Geography:...
. It is leased by private owners to the state of Michigan.
The woods are named for Edward Warren (1847-1919), the inventor of the featherbone corset (which replaced the whalebone corset with turkey bones and secured his fortune), who bought 150 acres of the woods and 250 acres of the dunes.
The park is home to the last climax
Climax community
In ecology, a climax community, or climatic climax community, is a biological community of plants and animals which, through the process of ecological succession — the development of vegetation in an area over time — has reached a steady state. This equilibrium occurs because the climax community...
beech-maple forest
Beech-maple forest
A beech-maple forest is a climax mesic closed canopy hardwood forest. It is primarily composed of American Beech and Sugar Maple trees which co-dominate the forest and which are the pinnacle of plant succession in their range...
in Michigan, which occupies 200 acre (0.809372 km²). The virgin North American beech (Fagus grandifolia) and Sugar maple
Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum is a species of maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas...
(Acer saccharum) forest has specimens 125 feet tall and with girths greater than five feet in diameter. The remaining area in the park consists of floodplain oak-hickory forest. Because of the size and age of the trees, and the rarity of the ecosystem, the area has been designated since 1967 as a National Natural Landmark
National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...
. Unfortunately, many of the beeches, with their temptingly smooth, thin, silver-grey bark, are heavily scarred by hand-carved graffiti, some of it decades old; however, this practice seems to have fallen out of favor in recent years.
The park has few facilities and is administered by nearby Warren Dunes State Park
Warren Dunes State Park
Warren Dunes State Park is a Michigan state park, located along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan in Berrien County. The park's large sand dunes and lakeshore beaches make it one of the most popular of Michigan’s state parks with an average of about one million visitors annually.Large sand dunes...
. Most visitors come to walk the 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of hiking trails
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, which run from the northern boundary on Warren Woods Road to a parking area accessed from the southern boundary on Elm Valley Road. In the middle of the park the trail crosses the Galien River
Galien River
The Galien River is a stream in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. The river begins at the outlet of Dayton Lake and flows in a predominantly westerly direction until it enters southeastern Lake Michigan at New Buffalo...
on a pedestrian bridge, where there is an interpretive station. Birders cite the park as a particularly good place to spot pileated woodpeckers
Pileated Woodpecker
The Pileated Woodpecker is a very large North American woodpecker, almost crow-sized, inhabiting deciduous forests in eastern North America, the Great Lakes, the boreal forests of Canada, and parts of the Pacific coast. It is also the largest woodpecker in America.Adults are long, and weigh...
. Other visitors come to picnic. In addition, the park is often the subject of ecological
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
studies, since, in combination with the ecosystems preserved in nearby Warren Dunes State Park
Warren Dunes State Park
Warren Dunes State Park is a Michigan state park, located along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan in Berrien County. The park's large sand dunes and lakeshore beaches make it one of the most popular of Michigan’s state parks with an average of about one million visitors annually.Large sand dunes...
, it completes a progression of ecological seres
Seral community
A seral community is an intermediate stage found in ecological succession in an ecosystem advancing towards its climax community. In many cases more than one seral stage evolves until climax conditions are attained...
.
External links
- Warren Woods State Park Michigan Department of Natural ResourcesMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesThe Michigan Department of Natural Resources is the agency of the state of Michigan charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appointed by the Governor and accepted by the Natural Resources Commission...
- Warren Woods Nature Study Area Michigan DNR
- Park Map Michigan DNR
- Warren Woods A Naturalist's Tour of Southern Lake Michigan, University of Chicago Press
- Warren Woods State Park Protected Planet (World Database on Protected Areas)