Explore Wisconsin's Unique Pine Barrens

A whopping 48% of Wisconsin’s landscape is forests. When you read that statement, did you picture stately white pine trees? Or maybe a shady maple forest or hilly oak savannah? Maybe you thought of a monolithic aspen forest, its yellow leaves shaking in the autumn breeze. With the huge variety of forest types that exist in our state, there are many correct answers to the question of what Wisconsin’s forests look like. One forest type that may not have come to mind is the pine barrens.

As the name suggests, pine barrens are a forest ecosystem that is in some part characterized by a lack of trees. Scattered trees or groups of trees are interspersed with large openings, where shrubs, prairie grasses, and other herbaceous plants unique to the barrens ecosystem thrive. They are a type of savannah, with jack pine and red pine as the traditionally dominant trees. Barrens are found in sandy, glaciated soils and thrive on the presence of both natural and human induced fire.

Photo courtesy of Wisconsin DNR

Pine barrens hold particular cultural significance to the Indigenous tribes of Wisconsin who used, and continue to use, these open landscapes for blueberry harvesting and other food gathering activities. Plants found in barrens also have important non-food uses, such as for medicines and spiritual needs. Pine barrens provide critical habitat for game animals like sharp-tailed grouse, elk and turkey, which are traditional food sources for Wisconsin tribes like the Ho Chunk and Ojibwe.

Following the great cutover, when reforestation and fire suppression efforts took hold in our state’s natural resource practices, pine barrens as a forest type began to decrease in health and number. Conservationists, eager to re-establish our forests, often planted the grass and shrubland segments of barrens with red pine. The historic fire cycles long maintained by tribes were stopped. Today, only 1% of historic pine barrens habitat remains in the state.

Some rare, threatened or endangered species, such as the Kirtland’s warbler, Karner blue butterfly, and Greater Prairie Chicken, call Wisconsin’s pine barrens home. Because of this, many of the state’s remaining pine barrens have recently been given special focus as a priority landscape for protection and restoration. The Spread Eagle Barrens in the northeast, Namekagon Barrens in the northwest, and Waazija Haci in the southwest are three of the nearly 30 pine barrens that have all been designated as State Natural Areas. In some cases, restoration means cutting trees to open the canopy and bring the tree density back down to more natural levels that support habitat for endangered populations of native birds and understory plants. Bayfield County’s forestry department has implemented a management plan for Barnes Barrens that includes a unique blend of forestry techniques which will restore native barrens habitat to the county forest while also maintaining a source of timber sale income. This project reminds us that sustainable forestry is good for the environment, the community, and the economy.

Cyclical fire is also essential to pine barrens, so restoration efforts must include a return to natural fire patterns. Traditional Ecological Knowledge about fire and a large body of scientific research tells us that pine barrens burned on a regular basis in what is now Wisconsin, both through natural causes and by the controlled starting of fires. Read more about Indigenous-focused fire knowledge in this page one article - “Traditional Native Fire Management Goes Mainstream” - in Mazina'igan, a Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission publication. In recent years, often in partnership with tribal land managers, fire has returned to many of these forest ecosystems.

November is National Native American Heritage Month. We encourage you to seek out additional stories of how Traditional Ecological Knowledge is an important part of natural resources management. For example, though not a pine barrens, this fall’s prescribed burn of the red pine forest at Wisconsin Point was perhaps the most visible example of a partnership between tribal and non-tribal resource managers.

If you live within a short drive to one of Wisconsin’s remaining pine barrens, consider planning a field trip with your students to help them learn about the diversity of our state’s forest lands, the importance of good fire, and how humans have and continue to use these unique resources. If you do, be sure to send us some photos at leaf@uwsp.edu. 

Recognize excellence!

School Forest seedling order form is open

• Do your research first. 
  
  Landscapes for planting are very diverse. Consult your school forest management plan and DNR forester to find out which tree species are most suitable for your property. Available seedling types and descriptions can be found in the Nursery Seedling Catalog and DNR's tree and shrub inventory. The catalog does a great job explaining the growing requirements and provides pictures and a distribution map of each species. 

• Once you have decided which species to plant, 
  
  Fill out either the online form or the paper form. In the "Free Order" section, choose "Registered School Forest or Community Forest". Note: school forests do not need to order the bulk number of trees. You may order less than the minimum requirements listed; however, there is a maximum of 5,000 trees and 3,000 shrubs school forests can receive. If you have questions, contact Carey Skerven at Carey.Skerven@wisconsin.gov or 715-424-3700, or contact your local DNR forester. 

Recognizing International Games Month in the Classroom

Did you know that November is International Games Month? We thought we'd take this opportunity to introduce you to some games we like.

Suitable for 4th grade and up, up to six players can play together at the same time. Each game clocks in at about 20-30 minutes of play time. Pairing the gorgeous art on the cards with a calming nature soundtrack makes this game one that can soothe and regulate, and its lightly competitive play style encourages positive social interactions.

As young people play Ecosystem, they begin to recognize beneficial combinations, building pattern recognition and systems thinking skills along the way. Totaling up the score at the end reinforces mathematical operations skills that students are developing as they become more comfortable working with numbers. And, of course, the possibilities for connections to the study of interdependence and energy flow in ecosystems are endless.

Consider pulling out Ecosystem on a rainy day when heading outside isn’t an option, during free-choice times, or as a station activity during an environmental science lesson. Some other ideas include:

• Use the game as a journal prompt, where students can reflect on their own ecosystem and those of the other players in their game. Have them consider the combinations of animals and environments, which combinations were most beneficial or detrimental, and how the number of points earned correlate to their perceptions of the health of their ecosystem.
  
• After students play through Ecosystem, take a photo of their grid. Then, have students use the photograph to create a model of energy flow through their ecosystem. This version of a “food chain” activity can be designed to meet students’ individual needs and challenge levels - they can choose to emphasize just one string of the chain or create a complex model of interconnections! Encourage kids to get creative and draw their own versions of the environments or organisms, or print out images for folks not as interested in the artistic aspect of the project.

• Have students play through the game once as usual, discussing the experience and connections afterwards. Then, reveal a “special scenario” (or multiple, if you have more than one group playing the game) that removes or drastically reduces the number of cards of one or two types. For example, the local area could be getting more and more developed, reducing the number of “meadows” and “bees” available. After they play through this scenario, talk with kids about how their game changed and what they noticed.

• After getting familiar with the game, head outside and observe your local area. Ask students, "If you were to design a version of Ecosystem, which organisms and environment types would you include? How would they be connected, and what would their point value be?" Encourage student creativity and critical thinking as they design their own unique version, tailored to your very own outdoor space!

Contact Us! 

Have questions or need additional resources? Contact us at leaf@uwsp.edu. We are here to support educators and students with forestry opportunities.

Published for November 2025