Major drought years occurred two to three times per century. The timing of the fire, spring or fall, determined how severely soils burned and what tree species regenerated. Pollen records indicate that the fire history has not changed substantially for several thousand years. Similarly, insect infestations, especially by spruce budworm, resulted in cyclic heavy balsam fir, white spruce, and black spruce mortality, which added to the fuel load. Logging occurred within the subsection, but large areas remain unlogged.
Inventory is insufficient on many plant communities here.
None identified to date. Most of the rare plants known from the subsection are northern species at the extreme southern edge of their range. Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area were both identified as critical landscapes for biodiversity protection by the Minnesota Heritage Program. There is inadequate protection of significant natural areas outside the BWCA wilderness. This part of the Erskine moraine is treated as Subsection X.11, the Little Fork-Vermilion Uplands.