M-07 - Cleveland Hardwood Swamp

Site Description

Cleveland Hardwood Swamp is an isolated depressional swamp with small upland forest inclusions located on top of a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan in southern Manitowoc and northern Sheboygan Counties. The swamp lies just west of Lake Michigan. A county road separates the wetland and the bluff top. The forest is mostly second growth and predominantly hardwood swamp (red maple, black and green ashes), though in the most intact portions of the site's interior white cedar is predominant. In areas where the canopy has been opened by recent logging, shrub swamp and open meadows, dominated by red-osier dogwood, speckled alder and blue joint grass, have developed. This swamp is one of few remaining large blocks of forest along Wisconsin's Lake Michigan coast and is important habitat for a diverse assemblage of plants and animals, including migratory songbirds.

Additional Comments

This stretch of the Lake Michigan coast is heavily developed and the vast majority of the former regional forest has been cleared. Use of coastal forests by migratory songbirds is very high, especially during spring.