Partch Woods SNA

124 Acres Located from St. Joseph 4.5 miles N on Co Hwy 3. Park on W side near interpretive sign. Stearns County Twp 125N Rng 29W Sec 19 Type: Deciduous Woods ECS Subsection: Hardwood Hills

Description:

Located near the western border of hardwood forest, Partch Woods contains a fine example, for this latitude, of climax maple-basswood forest. It is named after Max Partch, a former professor at St. Cloud University and former student of Aldo Leopold. Partch purchased the property, used it for his study plots, and deeded it to The Nature Conservancy, who transferred it to the SNA program. Dr. Partch conducted extensive research over 27 years at this site. The numerous pipes and posts in the woods mark his original plots; please honor their placement. The site harbors a great variety of spring ephemerals and a spring-fed stream that flows into a wet meadow. The best time to visit is from late spring to early summer when trillium, bellwort, hepatica, and bloodroot are blooming.

Plant List