Candidate Research Natural Areas
If you would like to apply to conduct research on a candidate RNA, fill out an RNA Research Use Application.
Michigan | Minnesota | New Hampshire | New York | Ohio | Vermont | West Virginia
Michigan
Huron-Manistee National Forest (7,689 acres)
| Candidate RNA | Size (acres) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bear Swamp (includes Yonker's Meadow) | 2139 | A rich conifer swamp, a southern swamp, and intermittent wetlands. Five rare plant species and one rare animal species are known to inhabit these areas. |
| Big South (includes Whelan Lake) | 1842 | Contains several vegetative communities including a bog, intermittent wetland, oak-pine barrens, southern floodplain forest, and emergent marsh. This area represents a large, diverse, highly undisturbed floodplain with high floral and faunal diversity. |
| Black River Complex | 750 | Globally rare wooded dune and swale complex along the Lake Huron shoreline |
| Blockhouse Swamp | 1010 | Rich conifer swamp and a small mesic northern forest. |
| Brandybrook | 1300 | Located on poorly drained glacial outwash sands and includes a complex of wetland communities, of which five are considered high quality natural communities. |
| McDonald Creek Forest | 103 | Dry-mesic northern forest with mature white pine, aspen and some red pine. Currently the best identified representative of white pine-aspen forest located in the Harrisville Moraines Subsection. |
| O’Brien Lake Forest and Swamp | 130 | Dry-mesic northern forest dominated by red pine some of which are over 100 years old, and a poor conifer swamp dominated by black spruce. The best known example of a poor conifer swamp in the Mio Outwash Plains Subsection. |
| South Olga Bog | 30 | Located in Big Rapids loamy moraine subsection. |
| Trout Lake Swamp | 185 | Second-growth hardwood-conifer swamp dominated by northern white cedar, black ash, balsam fir, and black spruce. This area is primarily in an undegraded state and contains a high level of diversity. |
| Vaughn Lake | 200 | A high quality, highly diverse bog surrounded by a forested zone of tamarack, black spruce, white pine, and red maple. The sandy uplands around the forested wet zone support a dry-mesic forest. |
Minnesota
Chippewa National Forest (934 acres)
| Candidate RNA | Size (acres) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Otter Tail | 434 | LT 46- Fire Intolerant Northern Hardwood Forest; LT 55- Fire Intolerant Northern Hardwoods-Conifer Forest |
| Pimushe Lake | 500 | LT 46- Fire Intolerant Northern Hardwood Forest |
Superior National Forest (17,958 acres)
| Candidate RNA | Size (acres) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Big Lake-Seven Beavers | 5,599 | Excellent representation of variety of characteristic upland and lowland plant communities. cRNA dominated by wetland communities including lowland black spruce, lowland cedar, shrub swamp, and bog, connected to Sand Lake Peatland SNA. |
| Blueberry Lake | 2,445 | Good representation of jack pine, spruce-fir, aspen birch, paper birch, upland black spruce, and lowland black spruce plant communities, as well as well as aquatic communities in streams and small lakes. |
| Cabin Creek | 2,085 | Large block of old growth upland forest communities including spruce-fir, sugar maple, upland cedar. Also aspen-birch, paper birch, lowland black spruce and lowland cedar forests, plus sedge meadows. |
| Dragon Lake | 2,075 | Good representation of old growth red pine, upland and lowland black spruce, wetland bog, and wetland shrub swamp communities. Good representation of former Isabella pinery. Also aquatic communities. |
| Lake Agnes | 792 | Site dominated by northern hardwoods forest community in uplands and lowland black spruce along Poplar River . Extensive river floodplain. |
| Loka Lake | 1,661 | cRNA part of an extensive peatland dominated by stunted black spruce and tamarack with interspersed upland islands. Peatland has developed some patterning. |
| Pike Mountain | 709 | Site is on top of Mesabi Range and has good representation of old growth northern hardwood communities (sugar maple and red oak), paper birch forest, and rock/talus communities. |
| Sullivan Creek | 1,495 | Site includes Toimi drumlins, Cloquet River floodplains, red maple-northern hardwoods and aspen-birch upland forests, lowland black spruce and tamarack forests, wetland shrub swamp. |
| Wolf Lake | 1,097 | Good representation of paper birch and aspen-birch forest; boreal hardwood-conifer forest; upland and lowland white cedar; lowland black spruce and shrub swamps; and highly diverse aquatic plant communities. |
New Hampshire
White Mountain National Forest (2,805 acres)
| Candidate RNA | Size (acres) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bowl Extension | 940 | This site enlarges and helps protect the integrity of “The Bowl" providing an additional area of old northern hardwood forest. Distinguishing features include old beech, yellow birch and spruce and its cirque-like shape. |
| Gibbs Brook | 360 | This property is considered to be nearly virgin timber. Cores from Red spruce trees date back to an average year-of-origin between 1755 to 1904. Gibbs Brook is located between 3700-4050 feet of elevation where 102 species of vascular plants have been identified. |
| Mountain Pond | 106 | An excellent example of large-diameter northern hardwoods including old growth sugar maple and white ash up to 35 inches diameter breast height. |
| Peabody Mountain | 230 | Northern hardwood spruce forest. |
| Shingle Pond | 1169 |
New York
Finger Lakes National Forest (544 acres)
| Candidate RNA | Size (acres) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hector Oak Woods | 332 | Appalachian oak-hickory forest that is mature in some portions and provides rare plant habitat. |
| Sawmill Creek Ravine | 212 | Mature hemlock-northern hardwood forest along a series of ravines formed by Sawmill Creek and its tributaries. |
Ohio
Wayne National Forest (981 acres)
| Candidate RNA | Size (acres) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Hollow | 981 |
Vermont
Green Mountain / Finger Lakes National Forests (58 acres)
| Candidate RNA | Size (acres) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge Fen | 58 |
West Virginia
Monongahela National Forest (2,370 acres)
| Candidate RNA | Size (acres) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Black Cherry | 189 | Even-aged stand dominated by mature black cherry |
| Pike Knob | 1,999 | Xeric oak and pine-oak forests and woodlands. Southernmost native stand of red pine. |
| Red Spruce | 60 | Even-aged stand of pure red spruce and uneven-aged red spruce/northern hardwood mix. |
| Yellow Poplar | 122 | Mature mixed deciduous forest dominated by yellow poplar. |
Research Natural Areas
Last Modified: April 28, 2021