Northern Highland Landscape

Map showing the Northern Highland Ecological Landscape

General Description

The Northern Highlands Ecological Landscape is located in northern central Wisconsin. It is known for its pitted outwash plains and kettle lakes mixed with extensive forests and large peatlands. Its landforms are characterized mainly by pitted outwash but also contain some coarse-textured moraines. Soils are acidic and relatively unproductive due to low moisture-holding capacity and lack of organic matter.

Vegetation

Historically, this was Wisconsin's greatest pinery. White and red pine forests largely dominated the vegetation, with some smaller pockets of jack pine. On the more mesic soils, hemlock-hardwood forests were common. Aspen-birch forests occurred in openings formed by disturbance events such as wind or fire. Current forest vegetation is primarily aspen, with some white, red and jack pine in both natural and plantation form. Northern hardwood forests, though reduced in extent, still occur on the more mesic soils. Lowland conifer occupies the many peatlands that are scattered throughout the Ecological Landscape.

Hydrologic Features

The Northern Highlands is known for having one of the highest concentrations of kettle lakes in the world. The kettles were formed as glaciers melted, when large ice blocks became stranded and outwash materials were deposited over them. As the ice blocks slowly melted and collapsed, kettles were formed. Lakes developed in portions of kettles that were below the level of ground water. The sandy bottoms and shorelines of these lakes make them some of the most desirable areas for water recreation in the state. The Wisconsin and Manitowish are the two main rivers that run through the Landscape. Wetland types in this area such as open bog, fen and wild rice marsh contain rare flora and fauna. Watershed pollution is about average for the state according to Wisconsin DNR.

Land Use

The Northern Highland Ecological Landscape comprises approximately 1.4 million acres of which 64% is forested. Almost 30% of the land is in public ownership, including the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest

Socioeconomics

Socioeconomic data are summarized based on county-level approximations of the Ecological Landscape (referred to as a "region"). Economic data are available only on a political unit basis with counties as the smallest unit. The counties included in this socioeconomic region are Iron, Oneida and Vilas (Northern Highland Region). As is common in northern Wisconsin, the timber industry is extremely important in local economies. Much of the land is used for timber and pulp production, made possible by the availability of public land and the ownership of 17% of the timberland by the forest industry. Recreation is also significant in the region, as is typical in northern Wisconsin. Agriculture productivity is low for most crops due to the short growing season and poor quality soils. The population density of the Northern Highland Region (59 persons/ sq. mile) is about two-thirds that of the state as a whole (96 persons/sq. mile), and its economy is below average. Per capita income for the region is lower than statewide, although it has been increasing for the region. The service sector employed the most people. The regional poverty rates for all people and for children under age 18 were higher than for the state as a whole. The Northern Highland counties each had higher unemployment rates than the state average. Iron, Oneida, and Vilas counties are all service-dependent.

For any questions regarding the maps presented on this site or the "DNR Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin" handbook, please contact Jeff Schimpff at Jeff.Schimpff@wisconsin.gov. Suggested Citation for Handbook: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. In Prep. DRAFT Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin. State of Wisconsin, Dept. of Nat. Resources, Handbook. 1805.1. Madison, WI.

Last Revised: Thursday February 08 2006