State natural areas dedicate sites offering prime examples of native plant and animal communities that have largely escaped the influence of human settlement.  These places are often the last refuges for rare and endangered plants and animals.  Official dedication as a state natural area permanently protects the parcels for scientific research, teaching of conservation biology, and preservation of their natural values for future generations.

About 5,000 acres of nearly pristine forests, pine barrens, wetlands, and bogs in Douglas County have been permanently preserved as State Natural Areas.  The areas were designated through work done by the County's Forestry Department and the State Department of Natural Resources.  The designated areas include:

• Belden Swamp
• Black Lake Bog
• Blueberry Swamp
• Five Mile Barrens (formerly Buckley Creek Barrens)       
• Pokegama-Carnegie Wetlands 
• Empire Swamp
• Erickson Creek Forest and Wetlands
• Flat Lake
• Goose Lake
• Nemadji River Floodplain Forest
• Solon Springs Sharptail Barrens 
• Upper Nemadji Floodplain Forest