The Chippewa National Forest, located in the heart of northern Minnesota, is a celebration of seasons, culture, and environment. This northern hardwood forest blends with the western prairies and the northern boreal forest to the north and east. It is a Forest created from shared ecological boundaries, red oak to white pine, wild ginger to wild rice and Canada lynx to sandhill cranes. The border is shared between governments and people as well, with Chippewa National Forest personnel working  together with tribal members of the  Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.  The Forest and the Leech Lake Indian Reservation share goals as well as boundaries that offer visitors a chance to experience Anishinaabe culture, a rich history, ranging from prehistoric times to the early logging era and CCC days and a unique future. 

LAKES and WETLANDS 

Water is abundant on the Chippewa. The Forest’s landscape is a reminder of the glaciers that sculpted northern Minnesota’s landscape 10,000 years ago.    

1300 Lakes and ponds, 925 Miles of Rivers; 440,000 acres wetlands, 25 watersheds.  

• 13% of all surface water in National Forest System  
• Three of the ten largest lakes in Minnesota: Leech Lake, Lake Winnibigoshish and Cass Lake.  
• Part of the Mississippi Headwaters region.  
• The Chippewa is the headwaters of two major drainages, the Mississippi River and Hudson Bay.

 

   

WILDLIFE, FISH AND PLANTS 

• Largest breeding population areas of bald eagles in the lower 48 states;  180 nesting pairs of bald eagles 
• Over 250 wildlife species 
• Active fisheries program, walleye, muskie, lake trout, panfish, bass. 70 species of fish, 9 species of freshwater mussels. 

SOILS

The soils here on the Chippewa National Forest are formed from glacial sediments deposited around 10,000 years ago as the last glaciers retreated across Minnesota. As the glaciers moved across the landscape, they ground up bedrock and deposited glacial till sediments, which were typically finer-textured and could contain rocks of all different sizes. Then, glacial meltwater deposited coarse-textured outwash sediments when the glaciers retreated, forming much of the topography we see today.

Over time, these sediments began to develop into soils, with distinct layers and structure. Understanding the formation of these soils is crucial as it provides insights into the unique ecosystems of the Chippewa National Forest. Today, the finer-textured till soils have become home to hardwood forests, and the coarser outwash soils are home to pine and red oak. The low points on the landscape have developed into bogs, fens, and swamps, and are home to trees like tamarack, black ash, and black spruce.