This area lies near the center of the Northwest Sands ecological landscape. The topographic relief is rolling outwash plain with extensive flat areas, especially along river ways. These rolling uplands consist of native and restored pine barrens, with patches of grassland interspersed with groves of jack pine and red pine. The flat basins are vegetated with wiregrass sedges for the most part. In a few places, rivers with their seeps and springs add diversity to the landscape. Some red pine plantation and swamp conifers also are present.

This site is considered a pine barrens core habitat, with up to 40,000 acres of habitat available for barrens species. Sharp-tailed grouse, upland sandpiper, northern harrier, brown thrasher, and Connecticut warbler all breed here.

Photo Credit: Andy Paulios