Unappealing Hartwick Pines

If you’ve been up to see the old growth forest known as the Hartwick Pines, you’ll understand that these three words make no sense at all. It is a breathtakingly beautiful place, as is every forest I’ve ever been in. But how did this old growth forest come to be? It is one of only a handful in Michigan.

In the late 19th century, the golden era for lumber barons in Michigan, the pine trees in the Hartwick forest were found to have wood that had a more yellow shade than the lighter pines that people were used to. So these great trees were spared and remain for us to explore and admire today.