In the forests of the Great Lake States and portions of Canada, a mixture of pine and other tree species is found. Red, white and jack pine grow among paper birch, aspen and hazel. The forests of the Great Lake States, like those of the Northwest, have suffered many disturbances throughout recent history, making it difficult to determine the "natural" state of the ecosystem.
Grass, forbs and shrubs such as bigbluestem, little bluestem, raspberry, blueberry and huckleberry also inhabit the community.
Serotiny
Jack pine has a unique relationship with fire. Unlike many other tree species, jack pine does not drop all of its seeds as they ripen.The majority of the seeds remain in closed cones that stay on the branches for many years. When a fire occurs, the thick cone protects the jack pine seed from the intense heat. That heat, though, opens the scales of the cone and releases the seed onto the ground where the fire has removed much of the existing vegetation,preparing the site for the new seedlings. Fire, then, serves to prepare a seedbed, reduce competition from other plants and release the jack pine seed.