Toumey Woods facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Toumey Woods |
|
|---|---|
| Toumey Woodlot | |
Southeastern corner of Toumey Woods, fall 2015
|
|
 Toumey Woods
Location in Michigan
|
|
| Location | East Lansing, Michigan |
| Area | 24 acres (9.7 ha) |
| Designated: | 1976 |
Toumey Woods, also called the Toumey Woodlot, is a special forest area. It covers about 24 acres (around 9.7 hectares). You can find it on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.
A big part of this forest, about 13.5 acres (5.5 hectares), is known as an old-growth woodland. This means it's a very old forest that has not been cut down or disturbed much by people. Because it's so special, this part of Toumey Woods was named a United States National Natural Landmark in 1976. This title means it's a nationally important natural site.
What Trees Grow Here?
Michigan State University (MSU) owns Toumey Woods. They report that the main types of very old trees in Toumey Woods are the American beech and Sugar maple.
Other trees you might see growing there include White ash, basswood, wild black cherry, and red oak. This mix of trees makes it a Beech-maple forest.
A Look Back: The History of Toumey Woods
Long ago, many of the first European-American settlers in Michigan would set aside small forest areas. These were called woodlots. Families used them for their own needs, like getting wood.
The Bennett family did this when they settled this land in 1852. They kept about 13.5 acres of the forest untouched. This untouched part later became Toumey Woods. The family sold this woodlot to MSU in 1939. From 1852 until today, this forest has only had two owners.
The woods are named after James Toumey. He was a graduate of Michigan State University. Later, he became a dean at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. He also helped start the Ecological Society of America, which is a group that studies how living things interact with their environment.
