Jack Pine

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and Great Lakes speaker. She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has written three books about the Great Lakes [A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach *a Heartland Indie Bestseller*, A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk *winner of the Great Lakes Great Reads Award*, and A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure]. To learn more about her work, or to book her as a speaker, go to http://LakeTrek.com

Isle Royale has a mixture of trees, conifers and deciduous of many types.

Trees (and me) on Isle Royale

The jack pine grows here, unique because its pinecones are tightly closed.

jack pine pinecones

close shot of pinecones

And they only open when burned.

The jack pine cone opens when burned, releasing the seeds within

During Moosewatch in 2014, my team hiked through an area of the island that burned many years ago. The area was still recovering. Ash was still present on the ground in places.

Burned area

This natural process is necessary for the jack pine to flourish.