Most of this region is composed of glacial materials deposited during the Wisconsin Ice Age, but the southwest portion consists of older, pre-Wisconsin till with a more dissected topography. Agricultural and residential interests throughout the landscape have significantly altered the historical vegetation. Most of the rare natural communities that remain are associated with large moraines or in areas where the Niagara Escarpment occurs close to the surface. The current vegetation is primarily agricultural cropland. Remaining forests occupy only about 10% of the land area and consist of maple-basswood, lowland hardwoods, and oak. No large mesic forests exist today except on the Kettle Interlobate Moraine. Some existing forest patches that were formerly savannas have succeeded to hardwood forest due to fire suppression.

Protection and Preservation

Management Opportunities

• Restore large-scale oak forests and savannas and manage for forest interior species and rare fen plants.
• Link scattered woodlots and control invasive exotic species.
• Restore, manage and protect scattered tamarack swamps.
• Restore and manage wetlands.
• Protect and restore floodplain forests on the Sugar River and the lower Wolf River.

Representative Sites

• 2. Cedarburg Bog
• 9. Muralt Bluff Prairie
• 10. Scuppernong Prairie