Little Black Conservation Area is four miles south of the historic Grandin Mill site and was one of the first areas harvested for that mill in the 19th century. Remnant pine stumps from that harvest and pine woodland indicator species are commonly found. Historically, this region supported shortleaf pine and pine-oak woodlands with associated diverse ground flora. Post oak flatwoods were present on the broad ridges.
The tree species present are typical for oak-hickory and oak-pine forest types and include white oak, scarlet oak, southern red oak, post oak, black oak, hickory, and shortleaf pine. The 700 acre Little Black Woodland Bird Habitat Restoration Project was initiated in 2006 to restore woodland habitat by reducing heavily stocked tree stands.
On this area, the Fern Nook Natural Area has unique and high quality forest resources dominated by old growth stands with little or no disturbance. It was purchased in 2009 from the family of Thiemo Wolf. Mr. Wolf bought the property in 1918 to preserve the flora and fauna. It may be the earliest example of old growth management in the Ozarks. Eighty acres within this tract has been described as the highest quality bottomland forest in the Ozarks and has not been disturbed for 150 years. There are a wide range of species including sweetgum, white oak, ash, elm, sugar maple, shumard oak, bur oak, overcup oak, sycamore, swamp white oak, pecan and bitternut hickory. Uplands have old growth pine, white oak, black oak, post oak, and hickory. One north slope has the oldest known white oaks in the state dating to the early 1600s.