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Michigan
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| Staff from the Forest Stewards Guild, Green Timber Consulting Foresters, and NIACS enjoyed a day in the woods. |
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Forest Stewards Guild puts adaptation into practice in the Keweenaw
The Forest Stewards Guild is a professional organization of foresters that promotes forestry that is ecologically, economically, and socially responsible. The Guild recently acquired 410 acres of forest land in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan, scattered across several parcels. These lands are giving the Guild another good opportunity to "walk the walk" of responsible forestry, and they are already busy preparing a new Forest Stewardship Plan to guide management on these parcels, as well as preparing initial management activities on a couple of the parcels. The Guild is working with Green Timber Consulting Foresters to prepare the management plan and prepare the stands for harvest, and NIACS has also been helping both parties think about climate change risks and possible adaptation opportunities. We're excited about this project and the opportunity to create another "Adaptation Demonstration Project" right in our own backyard! Stay tuned for future updates on this work. |
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Minnesota
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| Participants discuss climate change adaptation needs at the Partners in Action conference.. |
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Foresters from tribes and the Bureau of Indian Affairs discuss climate adaptation
The Midwest Region of the Bureau of Indian Affairs recently hosted the 6th annual Partners in Action conference in Prior Lake, MN. The PIA conference is a chance for BIA staff to connect with tribes across the region on a whole host of issues, including health services, childhood education, realty, and more. NIACS was pleased to lead a focus group session in the Forestry track of the meeting, to get foresters and land managers from the BIA and tribes talking about climate change impacts and adaptation needs. In addition to discussion of the most pressing climate change impacts in the region, NIACS also got great input on a new "Tribal Adaptation Menu" that is in development. This new menu will be designed to complement existing adaptation menus that are used with the Adaptation Workbook, but the Tribal Adaptation Menu will include different concepts and language that are appropriate for tribal communities. The new tool will help tribal natural resource professionals communicate climate adaptation concepts, and will also help federal government partners like the BIA and National Forests collaborate more effectively. The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission is leading this project, and you can contact Stephen to learn more! |
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Wisconsin
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| The WICCI Forestry group met in Hodag country (Rhinelander, WI). |
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WICCI Forestry Working Group looks ahead
NIACS has been leading the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts Forestry Working Group for the past two years, joined by partners from the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, The Nature Conservancy, Wisconsin DNR, UW-Extension, Bayfield County, and GLIFWC. These partners met in July to review our progress and discuss the future of the group going forward. Over the past two years, The WICCI Foresty Group has convened roundtable meetings across the state, developed useful outreach materials, and participated in dozens of meetings and public events. We're developing a new Work Plan to guide the Forestry Group for the next couple of years, and we'd like your input! If you have ideas about how to engage the forestry community in Wisconsin, email Stephen and share your ideas!
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Upcoming Training Opportunities
Minnesota DNR Climate Adaptation Workshop
Cloquet Forestry Center - September 13-14 - Registration Open Soon
This is a hands-on workshop for MN DNR staff. Participants will bring their own real-world projects and use the Adaptation Workbook to develop their own custom-built adaptation actions. Contact
Stephen Handler or
Eli Sagor to learn more!
For the Fall 2017 semester, Michigan State University has updated the course structure for their Forest Carbon gradate certificate program to streamline the program. Coursework will provide participants with the skills to compete for opportunities related to REDD+ policy, carbon project development, and advising on carbon mitigation investments. Scholarship funding is currently available to cover the costs of the program!
Contact Lauren Lucas to learn more.
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Useful Resources
NIACS created a series of 2-page handouts that summarize how individual tree species are expected to respond to climate change across the Northwoods states. Each handout includes model projections from two future climate scenarios and models like the Climate Change Tree Atlas. We think they're a handy way to show a lot of information and get people thinking about managing climate change risk and opportunity. Contact
Stephen Handler with any questions or comments!
Vulnerability Assessments for Wisconsin's Natural Communities
The WICCI Plants and Natural Communities Working Group has released a series of short climate change vulnerability assessments for Wisconsin's natural communities. Briefs are available for 10 broad community groups (Northern Forested Wetlands, Southern Upland Forests, etc.) and 52 more specific Natural Communities (Boreal Rich Fen, Oak Woodland, etc.) These are great resources - enjoy!
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Online Education
NIACS created the
Adaptation Workbook as an online, interactive decision-making process. This year, we've expanded the site to support urban forestry and agriculture projects, in addition to regular forestry projects. Stephen Handler gave a quick "tour" of the website in a recent webinar to the Climate Learning Network - click on the link above to watch!
The Climate Change Resource Center (CCRC) has released a new interactive online education module, "Responses to Climate Change: What You Need to Know." It provides an overview of adaptation options for resistance, resilience, and transition, and how to incorporate these ideas into natural resource management. This is the third module in a series; the first two cover the fundamentals of climate change science and an overview of climate change effects around the country.
NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information, North Carolina State University's Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites-North Carolina, along with many cooperating partners in every state has released a state-by-state assessment of climate change. They're full of great graphics and printable PDFs!
Lake States Fire Science Consortium
The Lake States Fire Science Consortium is designed to share knowledge among researchers and managers across our region. They have a searchable Science Library of great resources, and a regular webinar series. Check it out!
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Feel free to contact
Stephen Handler with any comments questions or suggestions for projects within the Northwoods Response Framework!
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