The towering white cedars and yellow birch found in places like the Lutsen Scientific and Natural Area are more than scenic landmarks—they're part of a nationwide effort to recognize and celebrate some of America's oldest forests.

According to Nick Sanchez, Network Manager for the Old-Growth Forest Network (OGFN), the nonprofit was founded in 2012 by ecologist, professor, and writer Dr. Joan Maloof after research showed that only five percent of old-growth forests remained in the western United States and less than one percent remained in the East. Many of those forests lacked protection from logging and were difficult for the public to experience. Sanchez said OGFN was created to establish "the first national network of current and future old-growth forests recognized for their rich ecological character, protection from commercial logging, and public accessibility."

The organization's goal is to recognize and help protect at least one forest in every county where forests can grow—about 2,370 counties nationwide. Today, forests in 337 counties have been inducted into the Network, including eight in Minnesota.

Sanchez explained that the Network includes both existing and future old-growth forests. In some counties, the oldest available forest may be a mature second-growth stand that can naturally develop into old-growth if protected over time.

In Minnesota, where old-growth forests in State Parks and Scientific and Natural Areas already receive legal protection, induction into the Network is primarily honorary. Sanchez said the Network focuses on "ensuring that the old-growth forests within these places are visible nationwide for public education and enjoyment, supporting their stewardship by encouraging local volunteerism, and involving the public in opportunities to participate in decision making to ensure their sustained long term protection."

At the Lutsen Scientific and Natural Area, visitors can identify old-growth by looking beyond the largest trees. Sanchez described the site as "a moist forest with very large white cedar trees and yellow birch." He said hikers will also find "abundant large living and dead standing trees, large fallen logs, dens, cavities, complex branching patterns and reiterations in the canopies as well as elevated lichens and mosses."

Although much of the North Shore was logged more than a century ago, Sanchez said each remaining old-growth forest has "its own story worth being discovered." Some survived because steep terrain made logging impractical, while others were preserved by landowners, used as recreational properties, or even overlooked because of mapping errors.

The forest's oldest trees may capture visitors' attention, but Sanchez said species such as tree lungwort lichen and shingle moss play equally important roles. These organisms store moisture, provide habitat for invertebrates that help control forest pests, and, in the case of tree lungwort, supply nitrogen that is essential for plant growth.

Those interested in learning more can visit the Old-Growth Forest Network website for guides to identifying old-growth forest characteristics and information about recognized forests across the country.