Climate & Ecosystems

The North Country is globally unique because it has both working and protected forests making up the landscape. Both types of forest lands have carbon sequestration as well as economic value, whether as part of the forest products industry, incentive programs like the Family Forest Carbon Program of the American Forest Foundation and The Nature Conservancy, or as part of the constitutionally protected Forest Preserve. The public forests making up the Forest Preserve offer long-term carbon storage potential; there is still room for substantial carbon sequestration as much of the Forest Preserve is relatively young at around 125 years old. The diversity of forest types allows for mixed economic use, enjoyment, and cultural importance, as well as supporting state climate initiatives.

In addition to public forest lands and working private forests, there are millions of acres of privately owned, non-commercial forestland across the state that are currently underutilized for conservation. Forests in Northern New York are experiencing change, with overall forest cover increasing even as property becomes more fragmented due to smaller parcel sizes and rising demand for second homes. This parcelization trend contributes to an expanded human footprint and reduced opportunity for agricultural land preservation. Some ACORN participants suggested that if new forest tax laws were designed to incentivize long-term carbon storage, in addition to current programs like 480 and 480A that require timber harvesting to trigger a tax incentive, it could unlock major climate benefits while supporting landowners and rural economies.

Invasive species were less of a topic in communities at a greater distance outside the Adirondack Park. Perhaps this is because invasives have been endemic for so many decades that it’s hard to recall prior intact ecosystems. In the higher elevations of the Adirondacks, groups did bring up invasives, but not to a great extent, perhaps because they still have relatively intact ecosystems. But in Warren and Washington County, invasive plants, fish, insects, and pathogens were a topic on nearly everyone’s mind, no matter their sector. This may be because Warren County is at the forefront of the recent range expansion for so many invasive species that have moved north in the last 15 years and residents and visitors can see the change happening before their eyes.

The Adirondack High Peaks are home to fragile alpine zone ecosystems, where rare plants adapted to cold, harsh conditions and strong winds have no other habitat to migrate to as temperatures rise and conditions change with a changing climate. In addition, warmer weather, changing snowpack, and more intense storms are causing soil erosion and allowing lower-elevation species to encroach on these sensitive habitats. Because alpine zones cover such a small area and are slow to recover from disturbance, even minor climate impacts can have outsized effects, putting these ecosystems at serious risk.

Climate change is already impacting water quality in the North Country in visible and measurable ways. Warmer temperatures are stressing cold-water fish like brook and lake trout, altering ice cover patterns, and triggering longer aquatic growing seasons, which increase the risk of harmful algal blooms and low-oxygen conditions. Water holds cultural, emotional, and economic value in the region, driving tourism, property values, the arts, and overall quality of life. However, early warning signs like changing water color, shifting thermoclines, and rising phosphorus levels point to growing stress on freshwater systems. Additionally, increased freeze-thaw cycles and storm-driven runoff are leading to higher road salt contamination, with some of the worst chloride levels in the state appearing in iconic lakes like Lake George.

Wetlands, particularly peatlands, sequester carbon through the accumulation of organic matter. Wetland functions are powered by water: where it comes from and the way it moves in and out of the wetland system. When wetland hydrology is disrupted, the wetland’s ability to provide essential services is also disrupted.