Located on pitted glacial outwash, Fish Lake Pines contains a small remnant northern dry-mesic forest, once a more common community type in northwest Wisconsin. On a low, sandy peninsula is a mature forest of white pine and red pine with Hill's oak surrounded by wetlands. Associated trees include white oak, red maple, big-tooth aspen, red oak, and Jack pine. Reproduction is mostly by white pine with red maple saplings common throughout. Although the surrounding wetlands may have protected the forest from most wildfires, scattered stumps and fire scars through the forest suggest that this stand originated by fire about 100 years ago. The moderate shrub layer consists of American hazelnut, beaked hazelnut, Rubus, and common winterberry. The herbaceous layer includes bracken fern, interrupted fern, wild sarsaparilla, blueberries, rough-leaved rice grass, three-leaved gold-thread, leather-leaved grape fern, and Canada mayflower. Resident birds are pileated woodpecker, scarlet tanager, ovenbird, veery, and golden-winged, pine, Canada, and Nashville warblers. Fish Lake Pines is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 2003.