Birch Stream Wilderness Preserve

Lagrange, ME 3,399 acres Visitor Guidelines Download Map

Where wetlands and towering pines meet.

Gazing out across the wetlands at the Birch Stream Wilderness Preserve, the hope of wild nature comes into view. This ~3,500-acre Preserve encompasses remote waterways that provide both inspiration and critical wildlife habitat. Situated in a region of Maine underrepresented in wilderness conservation, Birch Stream Wilderness Preserve protects ecologically important wetlands and expansive pine forests as forever-wild, ensuring a permanent home for the many denizens who call this landscape home.

In addition to Open-Water Marshes, Mossy Bog Mats, Black Spruce Bogs, and Alder Thickets, upland forests are also found here, especially in the western portion of the property. The land is no less charismatic for its uniform topography—the high point is around 178 feet above sea level. Forever-wild conservation of Birch Stream Wilderness Preserve allows the sprawling wetlands here provide a haven of forage and shelter for many species such as wood turtles, spotted salamanders, and river otters, as well carnivorous plants such as pitcher plants and sundew. Likewise, the upland forests will grow old without timber extraction or active management, further protecting the wetlands and many waterways that wind through this special landscape.

Forever Forests

Birch Stream’s vast wetlands have historically made human access challenging, which has fortuitously lent to the wild character of the Preserve. Large Eastern white pines peak above the canopy in many places. Trees that don’t mind getting their feet wet, such as black spruce and tamarack, are also common throughout the Preserve. Alongside the prodigious wetlands, white-tailed deer can find nearly 1,770 acres of mapped winter habitat in the forests. Recently timbered areas host young forests that are now rewilding and securing a legacy of natural abundance.

Wild Waters

Birch Stream Wilderness Preserve is sculpted by streams and wetland features. Along the diverse wetland communities of the Preserve, dwarf heath shrubs, orchids, and grasses take the reins from the towering white pines of the upland forests. Exemplary natural communities such as Dwarf Shrub Bogs and Grassy Shrub Marshes have been identified along these waterways. Four different streams and brooks on the property eventually flow into the Stillwater and Penobscot Rivers before emptying into the Penobscot Bay. The Penobscot is the second largest river in Maine, stretching from northern and central Maine southward. Its watershed covers much of the state and has long been a priority for conservation and water-quality improvements.

Wild Inhabitants

This land supports a wide diversity of wildlife, including waterfowl, coyotes, moose, black bear, beavers, white-tailed deer, inland wading birds, and much more. American Black Ducks and other species are known to seek refuge in sheltered wetlands like these; approximately 750 acres have been identified as inland waterfowl and wading bird habitat. The Preserve is also mapped as critical habitat for Atlantic salmon and documented habitat for alewife. Birch Stream Wilderness Preserve ensures these creatures always have a wild home.

Critical Context

Birch Stream Wilderness Preserve is located in a 44,646-acre intact forest block and represents the first permanently secured forever-wild land in this conservation priority area. Today, just 3.7% of Maine is protected as forever-wild. Adjacent to the Birch Stream Wilderness Preserve, to the south, is a 9,849-acre tract owned and managed primarily for wildlife by the Penobscot Nation. Together, these complementary properties create a diverse protected area, fostering biodiversity and providing vital habitat for countless species of flora, fauna, and fungi.

Birch Stream Wilderness Preserve at a glance

Size: Approx. 3,500 acres

Context: Represents the first GAP 1 land within an important forest block for conservation. 8 miles southwest of Northeast Wilderness Trust’s 7,000-acre Alder Stream Wilderness Preserve.

Location: Lagrange, Penobscot County, Maine

Objective: Forever-wild ecological preserve with high biodiversity

Photography by Ryan Smith

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Visitor Guidelines
Birch Stream Wilderness Preserve is open to the public for quiet exploration and enjoyment. Please respect the plants and animals who live here, show consideration to wildlife, other visitors, and neighboring landowners, know and obey the law, and leave the natural environment as you found it. Enjoy your visit and respect the following guidelines while on the land:

Welcomed Activities

Walking, hiking, snowshoeing & cross-country skiing
Photography, wildlife observation & nature study
Swimming, fishing, paddling & non-motorized boating
Hunting on the Preserve requires a permit, available at newildernesstrust.org/hunting

Prohibited Activities

Motorized vehicles (ATVs, dirt bikes, 4x4s, snowmobiles, or other motorized or mechanized vehicles) except snowmobiles are allowed on posted, club-sponsored trails
Bicycles
Dogs, horses or pack animals
Camping, fires & fireworks
Loud music or radios
Trapping, hounding, or predator hunting
Cutting or damaging plants or trees
New trails or unauthorized trail maintenance
Launching & landing drones

Click here to read NEWT Preserve & Sanctuary Visitation Guidelines