Most of Van Buren County was at one time covered with forest vegetation. Numerous openings were in the oak forests in the southern part of the county. The extreme northern part and the area along Lake Michigan were covered by white pine and hemlock. The hardwood forests included beech, maple, whitewood, basswood, elm, ash, black walnut, butternut, oak, cherry, linden, tamarack, aspen, hickory and sycamore. The swamps were covered by black ash and tamarack.
The openings in the forests in the southern part of the county were created when the Indians burned underbrush. The openings were covered by tall grasses and numerous wild flowering plants. These areas could be more easily prepared for cultivation that the other areas and were the first to be used for farming. Later, the forests were cleared and the ground was broken. Some of the mucky lowland was cleared and used for agriculture. The present forests in Van Buren County consist of small farm woodlots and narrow bands of woodland along the wet areas of streams and rivers.
Taken from the Soil Survey of Van Buren County.
Related Links:
Map of Presettlement Vegetation
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