Near the head of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, the Chamberlain Lake ecological reserve lies on the Bear Mountain peninsula in Chamberlain Lake. Nearly all of the reserve was classified as regulated timberland, and less than 5% is wetland (mostly coniferous wetland). Many locations sampled during the Ecological Reserves Inventory and later monitoring efforts indicate past selective harvesting, but harvesting has apparently not occurred within the last 50 years, based on ages of stumps and old logging roads. Several areas of matrix-forming natural communities are in outstanding condition.
The most noteworthy stands are mixed hardwood-conifer stands supporting trees over 200 years old. Interestingly, charcoal pellets were found in all stands sampled, although the dominance of mid to late-successional stand types suggests that fires in most locations occurred long ago. Other intact forest types include a large black spruce bog and swamp just north of Lock Dam and a small, stunted spruce slope forest on top of Bear Mountain. The northern part of the Reserve includes the Tramway, remnants of an old logging railway that transferred logs from Chamberlain to Eagle Lake over a century ago.
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