This is a box insert in Moore article, "Pine Plantations--Farming Our Forests."
- Bookwood Historical Collection, Star Lake
The very first state pine plantation is right out our backdoor...Star Lake. The pines at Star Lake were planted in 1913 and came from the first state tree nursery at Trout Lake. The Trout Lake nursery was first started in 1911. The site for the plantation was chosen because of the bare ground that was there, due to its prior use as pasture for horses used in the large sawmill located just off of the peninsula.
Thinning of the plantation took place in 1929 and 1934. In 1943 it was decided that the plantation should be used for research purposes and so it was divided into two plots, one-acre each. one plat was managed and the other was left as a control.
Research information from the Star Lake plantation has been published in textbooks and foresters have traveled to the site from around the world. Even today, our own Trees for Tomorrow students visit the site to compare tree measurements and density between the two plots.
The plantation hosts thousands of visitors each year as the peninsula provides a wide variety of tree species and habitats. The nature trail winds through these different habitats starting and ending at the plantation plots. Many species of pines were planted to determine which could survive in the region. Although only one know ponderosa pine is barely surviving today, red, white, and Scotch pine are still growing strong at Star Lake.