The Barrens

The Barrens is a landscape of pines and stunted oak, a plant and animal community common in central Wisconsin and in portions of the northeastern and northwestern parts of the state. On a warm summer day, the air is heavy with the smell of pine and sweet fern. This type of vegetation covered approximately 12% of Wisconsin's original landscape. Infertile sandy soils are largely responsible for barrens vegetation, but fire has also played a historic role in shaping the landscape. Early European explorers and settlers saw a pattern of prairie-like areas with scattered oaks and pines, marshes, and natural cranberry bogs. The entire landscape was much more open than what is seen today. Animals that can inhabit this landscape include white-tail deer, sharp-tailed grouse, prairie chickens, red-headed woodpeckers, and the timber wolf.

Manchester, Wisconsin · United States