Hiawatha National Forest

Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan has implemented a wide range of reforestation efforts in recent years to restore native species, increase habitat diversity, and support the recovery of the Kirtland’s warbler—a habitat-dependent songbird once listed under the Endangered Species Act.

In 2025, three large-scale planting efforts were carried out. The East Zone Kirtland’s Warbler Planting project introduced 119,000 jack pine seedlings to create breeding habitat for the Kirtland’s warbler. In addition, the West Zone Diversity Planting added 72,300 trees, and the East Zone Diversity Planting contributed 71,000 trees, both aimed at increasing forest species diversity across the landscape.

In 2024, the Jack Pine Kirtland’s Warbler Planting project resulted in the planting of 98,000 trees, continuing long-term efforts to establish suitable nesting grounds for the warbler by mimicking the conditions historically created by wildfire.

In 2023, the Hardwood Diversity Planting project added 52,000 native hardwood seedlings to promote mixed-species forest development and improve habitat variety for wildlife.

In 2021, the forest carried out three major reforestation projects: the Diversity Planting project introduced 185,800 trees, the American Beech Gap Planting added 229,800 trees to replace beech trees lost to disease, and the Native Species Restoration project contributed another 229,300 trees across various zones.

Earlier efforts included the Understory Diversity Planting in 2019, which introduced 13,000 trees to enhance species richness in lower canopy layers, and the Beech Gap Planting, which added 131,527 trees to areas where American beech had declined due to beech bark disease.

Together, these reforestation projects represent a coordinated strategy to improve forest structure, enhance biodiversity, and restore essential wildlife habitat. The forest’s targeted jack pine plantings in particular have supported the long-term recovery of the Kirtland’s warbler, whose population has rebounded significantly through habitat restoration efforts.