NERSTRAND-BIG WOODS STATE PARK:
Forest Conservation
The Big Woods of the region are significant not only to the history of the state, but to the present time because they are a remnant of what was once a vast expansion of old growth forest in MN.
Nerstrand State Park has a long history that can connect a person to the land not only because of its current state but its past as well. The Big Woods was a colonizer of a prairie region, after which it was conserved by same human species which caused it to decline considerably in size. It is a remnant of the once 2 million acre old growth forest west and south of the Twin Cities (Tester, 1995). The previous frequency of fire restricted trees and promoted prairie. A succession to trees occurred when fire resistant species such as oak, aspen, and willow populated the area. These species persisted until the 1600s and 1700s, when a climate shift to cooler, wetter conditions promoted big woods species of american elm, basswood, sugar maple, and ironwood (Grimm, 1984). Starting about 1850, the Big Woods were significantly logged and cleared for farming (MN DNR). In response, hundreds of landowners did not over forest. These lands eventually became Nerstrand Big Woods State Park in 1942, initially covering 100 acres. In 1976, the park had grown to almost 1,000 acres in size (Nerstrand Bicentennial Committee).
Nerstrand Big Woods State Park is considerably large despite the fact that it is a small remnant of this once expansive forest. It contains many unique species of trees and flowers including the MN state flower, the lady slipper.
The current size of Nerstrand State Park is 2,882 acres. It is located in the city of Nerstrand, MN (MN DNR). The maple-basswood forest of today include species of maple, basswood, elm, red oak, ironwood, ash, butternut, and bitternut hickory (Rogers, 1981). It supports such wildflowers as hepatica, bloodroot, dutchman's breeches, the lady slipper, and the dwarf trout lily (MN DNR).
Nerstrand Big Woods State Park is a piece of the past that has been, and still is, conserved for the future.
The primary method that Nerstrand is protected is through designation as an official state park, however various local efforts contribute to its success. The Big Woods Project was started in 1992 and serves to protect the Big Woods not only of Nerstrand Big Woods State Park but of the Cannon River Wilderness Area and the Seven Mile Woods with an ecosystem based approach. The Big Woods project provides landowners with information on how to manage their lands with reference to forest preservation, participates in public outreach through education, and increases land area of parks (MN DNR).