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Climate change is already affecting northern Minnesota forests as evident by mass die backs of paper birch. Each of the projects described below are aimed at finding the best source material to plant in our region given the 1.9 degrees warming that has already occurred in the arrowhead region. In addition, I am collaborating with the The Nature Conservancy and the NE Regional Sustainable Development Partnership to develop small scale farmer businesses growing climate-smart seedlings for restoration.
Climate change is already affecting northern Minnesota forests as evident by mass die backs of paper birch. Each of the projects described below are aimed at finding the best source material to plant in our region given the 1.9 degrees warming that has already occurred in the arrowhead region. In addition, I am collaborating with the The Nature Conservancy and the NE Regional Sustainable Development Partnership to develop small scale farmer businesses growing climate-smart seedlings for restoration.
Adaptation forestry in the great northwoods
Adaptation forestry in the great northwoods
Collaborators: Mary Hammes ,The Nature Conservancy; David Abasz, NE Regional Sustainable Development Partnership; Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, the Minnesota Forest Resources Council and the Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative, Collaboratory for Adaptation to Climate Change, Northwoods Adaptation group.
Collaborators: Mary Hammes ,The Nature Conservancy; David Abasz, NE Regional Sustainable Development Partnership; Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, the Minnesota Forest Resources Council and the Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative, Collaboratory for Adaptation to Climate Change, Northwoods Adaptation group.
We tested adaptation forestry practices by planting 110,000 native tree seedlings of three species that are predicted to succeed in the climates of the future and two ecotypes of these species into 2000 acres within four forested native plant communities along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Two graduate students, Laura Kavajecz and Jordan Mead, monitored survival and growth of the tree seedlings and associated these fitness metrics with temperature, precipitation, light availability, earthworm invasion, soil characteristics, and vegetation cover. Already, southern Minnesota tree ecotypes grow better today’s climate than their more northern counterparts (Etterson et al. 2020). This project is a first step in discovering management practices that will transition northern forests into an uncertain future.
We tested adaptation forestry practices by planting 110,000 native tree seedlings of three species that are predicted to succeed in the climates of the future and two ecotypes of these species into 2000 acres within four forested native plant communities along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Two graduate students, Laura Kavajecz and Jordan Mead, monitored survival and growth of the tree seedlings and associated these fitness metrics with temperature, precipitation, light availability, earthworm invasion, soil characteristics, and vegetation cover. Already, southern Minnesota tree ecotypes grow better today’s climate than their more northern counterparts (Etterson et al. 2020). This project is a first step in discovering management practices that will transition northern forests into an uncertain future.
Funding
Funding
Wildlife Conservation Society Climate Adaptation Fund, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Nature Conservancy’s Cox Family Fund for Science and Research, Minnesota Lake Superior Coastal Program, Institute on the Environment Impact Grant. LCCMR Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities.
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