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New Release
NIACS and the USFS Northern Research Station have released an updated edition of Forest Adaptation Resources: Climate Change Tools and Approaches for Land Managers. Since its initial release in 2012, the Adaptation Workbook contained in the FAR has been used by hundreds of public, private, and tribal land managers to incorporate climate change considerations into natural resource management. The new edition serves the entire Midwest and Northeast. It contains additional resources to support the development of vulnerability assessments, as well as adaptation in urban forests. Download your copy at the NRS website!
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Michigan
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| NIACS climate specialist Kristen Schmitt works with participants at a recent adaptation workshop. |
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Professionals from land trusts, tribes, forestry organizations all consider climate change
It might have seemed like NIACS was everywhere in Michigan this fall. That's because we were! In September, NIACS partnered with Heart of the Lakes and the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan to host a Forest Conservation and Stewardship Summit and Adaptation Workshop for land trusts and Michigan tribes. In early October, Maria Janowiak presented on climate change and bird habitat at the Michigan Society of American Foresters meeting. Maria also led a climate change session in a meeting among Michigan DNR foresters from the western UP. Thanks to all the partners who made these events a success! |
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Wisconsin
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| Wisconsin Coverts Project. |
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NIACS featured in meetings with private landowners, DNR Foresters, and more!
It was a busy season for NIACS in Wisconsin, too! In August, Stephen Handler presented at the Wisconsin Coverts Project meeting, a reunion of private landowners who have completed the Coverts curriculum for wildlife habitat management. In September, Todd Ontl led a climate change training session for new Wisconsin DNR foresters as part of their Ecological Considerations course. Finally, Stephen and Todd both attended the WICCI Natural Communities Working Group meeting to share real-world examples of adaptation and guidance on using the Adaptation Workbook. Contact Stephen for more information about any of these events.
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Minnesota
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| SPRUCE logo. |
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SPRUCE project fully up and running
One of the world's largest and most cutting-edge climate change experiments is now up and running in northern Minnesota. Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Climatic and Environmental Change (SPRUCE) is coordinated by the US Forest Service and Oak Ridge National Lab, and it's located on the Marcell Experimental Forest in northern Minnesota. The project will examine what will happen in peat forests under elevated CO2 as well as above and belowground warming. Research groups from all over the country are teaming up to investigate how these changes will affect soils, vegetation, carbon stocks, and more. Early findings have already revealed a few surprises - for instance, it appears that the carbon that feeds respiration and methane production even at 2 meters underground is relatively recent carbon. That means that the old carbon in this bog (up to 12,000 years old) is relatively stable to warming. Georgia Tech University recently published a nice summary of the project, including dozens of great photos and a short YouTube video. Check it out! |
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Upcoming Events
This free webinar will describe a real-world climate adaptation project from Florence County, WI. Project partners, including NIACS, will describe the overall intent of the project and discuss the details of implementation and monitoring. Come listen and bring your questions!
These weekly seminars will occur through mid-December, and will cover a range of topics including climate change, oak wilt, and urban forestry. Check out the whole schedule at the
Michigan SAF website!
The Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative and the University of Minnesota have teamed up to create a monthly series of forestry webinars. The next webinar will be "Forest Management Effects on Water" on March 15 at 1pm Eastern. Check out the whole series!
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Learning Opportunities
Michigan State University is continuing to offer an innovative, online graduate course for working professionals who want to learn more about forest carbon.The curriculum is applied and interdisciplinary, and scholarships are available for 25% off the cost of tuition. Learn more at the
MSU Forest Carbon website and contact
Lauren Cooper.
If you haven't seen it yet, please take a moment and visit the online version of the Workbook. It's designed for professionals, and we think the self-paced, interactive environment will be a nice fit for people who want to consider climate adaptation for their own forestry projects.
Watch a recorded webinar that explains the features of the Online Workbook (wait for the player to load, then skip to about 15 minutes into the recording).
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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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