17 - Yellow Birch & Lichen

Take time to admire this grand old yellow birch. It is about 150 years old. According to the Wisconsin DNR's forest data report in 2019, "The volume of yellow birch has increased 23% since 1983 but remained largely unchanged in the last two decades. The number of sawtimber trees has increased since 2004 but the number of saplings and poles has decreased..

Notice the light blue-green organisms growin on the bark; they are lichens."Lichens are a complex life form that is a symbiotic partnership of two separate organisms, a fungus and an alga. The dominant partner is the fungus, which gives the lichen the majority of its characteristics, from its thallus shape to its fruiting bodies." (USFS)

As you continue along the trail, notice that you are now walking on the back side of Jyme Lake.

17N 45° 50.344'W 89° 40.364'