Prior to settlement by Europeans, northern Minnesota was inhabited by indigenous tribes- primarily Ojibwe and Dakota- who managed the lands. Tribes often burned portions of forest to promote blueberry growth or wild rice paddies, provide grazing grounds for large herbivores, or control insects (Forrester 2004).
The earliest data from the original land survey suggest that the dominant vegetation was white and jack pine with patches of birch, cedar, spruce, and tamarack (Forrester 2004, Frelich and Rich 1995). Fire was the most common disturbance regime in the area and allowed fire-resistant white and jack pine to thrive while all other species were limited. Fires primarily started naturally and were caused by lightning rather than humans.
The most common animals in the region included eagles, osprey, elk, caribou, moose, cougar, lynx, wolverine, wolves, woodpecker, beavers, and bears. Most of these species do best in mature forests and have become very rare or no longer exist here (Forrester 2004).
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