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Unit 2: Wisconsin Geography (3 Parts)
Unit 2: Wisconsin Geography (3 Parts)
Day 1: Wisconsin Geography Introduction
Day 1: Wisconsin Geography Introduction
Wisconsin Geography (4).pdfDay 2: What are Glaciers? How have Glaciers Affected Wisconsin?
Day 2: What are Glaciers? How have Glaciers Affected Wisconsin?
Glaciers in Wisconsin
Glaciers in Wisconsin
Day 3/4: Wisconsin Climate/ Plants and Animals
Day 3/4: Wisconsin Climate/ Plants and Animals
Wisconsin Climate and Animals (5).pdfDay 5: Sugaring In Wisconsin
Day 5: Sugaring In Wisconsin
Maple syrup, a common breakfast condiment, is produced by concentrating the sap of the sugar maple, Acer saccharum. In early spring, forests of sugar maple, Wisconsin’s state tree, are tapped by the hundreds at many commercial and family-run "sugarbushes,” or wooded areas managed for maple syrup production, across the state. Many family farms in Wisconsin and elsewhere across northeastern states and eastern Canada, produce maple syrup for extra income, gifts, or family use. Considering that many producers are family-run businesses that have been producing syrup for up to four generations, maple syrup production undoubtedly has an important cultural significance in Wisconsin. Even small-scale non-commercial sugarbushes involve many people, often extended family or close friends, in the collection and boiling of sap. In many school districts in northern Wisconsin, students are taken to local sugarbushes to learn how to collect and process sap. In addition, the Ojibwe of Wisconsin have harvested sap for centuries.
Wisconsin is currently the number four maple syrup producing state. Additionally, the crop value for just over 500 producers was roughly $5,865,000, in 2008 alone. In 2009, those 500 plus producers managed over 670,000 taps and produced over 200,000 gallons of maple syrup (keep in mind it takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup).
Any family who runs a sugarbush can tell you that weather plays a critical role in the production of maple syrup. Although little scientific research has been done, producers will argue that temperature variation, fall soil moisture, wind, spring soil moisture, or humidity can impact a sugarbush’s success. The best conditions for sugaring are cool nights, just below freezing, and fairly warm days, in the upper 40s °F. This temperature change causes shifts in pressure outside the tree that send sap flowing throughout the tree and out any open wounds, like a hole for a tap. Years of poor production are most often tied directly to environmental conditions. Considering the fact that maple syrup production happens over the period of about one month and is weather dependent, changes in climate could have significant impacts on the statewide production of maple syrup.
Sugar maples are usually found in moist and nutrient rich environments and are more common in northeastern states. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have used climate models to predict the future distributions of the sugar maple and have found that it is expected to reduce in abundance in Wisconsin. Gradually, we can expect that sugar maples will become more stressed and prone to insect damage as state average temperatures, especially as winter temperatures continue to increase.
Day 6: Forestry on Menominee Tribal Lands
Day 6: Forestry on Menominee Tribal Lands
People often associate Wisconsin with its forested landscapes. Almost half of Wisconsin’s total acreage is covered with trees, providing 16 million acres of forests for timber, recreation, wildlife habitat, and ecosystem services such as cleaning the air and water. Forests are like living history books, reflecting changes in both their physical and human environments. Records of such changes may help us plan for changes in the forest over the next century and beyond.
The forests of the Menominee Nation in northwestern Wisconsin are truly exceptional, harboring some of the only trees to survive the "Great Cutover" of Wisconsin’s forests in the mid- to late 19th century. These forests are also unique because they are located at the transition between the region’s northern forest and southern prairie-savanna provinces. Dry-loving species like oaks and hickories tend to occur in southern Wisconsin, while species requiring more moisture and coolness, like the hemlock, yellow birch, and sugar maple, tend to dominate the northern part of the state.
Wisconsin’s position at the junction of different climatic zones and at the border of the Great Lakes means that many species come together at the edge of their ranges, providing the state with significant species diversity. As climate warms, southerly trees may expand their ranges northward, just as they did following the retreat of glaciers from Wisconsin thousands of years ago. Developed landscapes may limit this migration, however. Species at the southern limit of their ranges may go locally extinct if they are pushed beyond their tolerance for hot and dry conditions. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison predict that under the climate conditions forecasted, species currently residing in Wisconsin’s Northwoods, like red pine, balsam fir, and paper birch, may fail to reproduce and go locally extinct.
On the other hand, a notable group of species may fare quite well as our climate changes: the invasive species, including plants, insects, and pathogens that threaten forest health. As climate change brings longer growing seasons, higher temperatures, and more extreme weather events, invasive species and diseases will have greater opportunities to spread. Invasive species are good at taking over recently disturbed areas, and grow and reproduce quickly, giving them the upper hand over native species. Other pests of growing concern to Wisconsin foresters are the emerald ash borer, hemlock woolly adelgid, and beech bark disease. These pests and pathogens, in addition to the increased risk of fire posed by hotter and drier conditions, make managing forests an increasingly complex task. For the Menominee Nation, the uncertainties of climate change complicate their goal of thinking seven generations ahead to sustain forest health.
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