Forest at the Lower Reaches of Nugget Creek

Nugget Creek. Closed white spruce-birch forest grows at the lower reaches of Nugget Creek. Also note the balsam-poplar type vegetation in the floodplain. Vegetation in the landscape can generally be described as boreal forest or taiga, varying by elevation. The Nugget Creek landscape has been historically logged and burned, and is currently in mid-successional stage of development. Miners logged most of the quality spruce for timber for the mines, cabins, and firewood, and it was common to burn an area before building camp to reduce brush and bugs, as well as to encourage grass growth to feed their horses.