The canopy is dense with hemlock dominating and lesser amounts of yellow birch, balsam fir and white pine. Little light penetrates to the lower vegetation layers. The shrub layer, which is confined to areas where a tree has fallen or tipped over, include Canada honeysuckle, blueberries and young balsam fir and hemlock trees. Except for a layer of needles, the ground is often bare but may include species such as goldthread, Canada mayflower, clubmosses and shield fern. As one approaches the shoreline at a hemlock site more light becomes available because of the opening in the canopy towards the lake.
Soils become moister hosting an additional suite of plants.
Red maple and white birch may be found along the shoreline, in addition to several tall shrubs such as speckled alder, winterberry and mountain holly. A few of the short shrubs typically found at hemlock sites include meadowsweet, leatherleaf, blueberry and sweet gale. The ground flora near shore often consists of blue flag iris, star flower, bunchberry, wintergreen and cinnamon fern. Once abundant in portions of northeast Wisconsin, hemlock is a species which now seems to be in serious decline. Many scientists are researching the cause of this decline and lack of regeneration.