We examined 1 sediment core from Kerr Lake and 8 cores from the adjacent peatland in the Sylvania Wilderness Area of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S.A. Radiocarbon dating of the interface between peat and the underlying glacial till showed that the peatland grew by paludification of the surrounding uplands, implying a rising water level in the lake. Pollen analysis of the cores showed that the peatland began expanding just before the arrival of Tsuga in the surrounding forests. The most rapid growth of the peatland occurred between 3,900 and 3,000 B.P. This is also the time when the forests were being transformed from dry, Pinus strobus -dominated woodlands to moister Tsuga and Acer saccharum-dominated northern hardwoods. Our results imply a large increase in available moisture at the time of Tsuga colonization.
KEYWORDS: Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Sylvania Wilderness Area, Peatlands, Bogs, Paludification, Lake Level
Kerr Bog in the Sylvania Wilderness Area