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Wisconsin
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| Adaptation in the Northwoods will involve managing infrastructure like culverts. |
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NIACS launches new effort on climate adaptation in forested watersheds
Forests are vital for ensuring clean and reliable supplies of water across the Northwoods. As climate change continues, managers are eager to learn more about how to maintain water resources
in forested landscapes
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NIACS organized a workshop in Minocqua, WI, in March that brought
together land managers and researchers to explore climate change information and work through real-world management projects. Over 60 people attended Adapting Forested Watersheds to Climate Change, including participants from National Forests, state agencies, tribes, counties, conservation organizations, and private consulting firms. Input from this workshop will help NIACS design a "Menu" of Adaptation Strategies and Approaches for Forested Watersheds to accompany our existing Forestry Menu.
Support from the USDA Climate Hubs and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative made this work possible. Contact Danielle Shannon to learn more!
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Minnesota
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| Wildlife Conservation Society logo. |
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The Nature Conservancy wins climate adaptation funding to sustain northern conifers
The Wildlife Conservation Society manages the Climate Adaptation Fund, a competitive, national fund to support on-the-ground work on climate adaptation. The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota was recently awarded their second CAF grant as part of the 2016 competition. This project, one of only 12 across the country, is called Conifer Strongholds in a Changing Northwoods Landscape. The effort will help identify best practices to sustain northern conifer species in northeastern Minnesota, including selecting the most promising "stronghold" sites, implementing forest management practices, and increasing species and genetic diversity. The project will be implemented with partner agencies over the next two years, so stay tuned for future updates! |
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Michigan
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| Logo for Michigan Radio's Stateside program. |
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Radio segment on climate change and Michigan's forests
NIACS staff member Stephen Handler was interviewed on Michigan Radio to discuss the many ways that climate change is affecting our state's forests. The discussion covered a range of topics, including how changing winters are affecting both the ecology and management of forests. Listen to the full interview here (about 9 minutes), or read a short summary on the Michigan Radio website. The Stateside program deals with local issues that are important across Michigan, and they have produced a handful of stories about climate change in 2017. |
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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 re-launched the site with many new improvements. Most significantly, the Adaptation Workbook now supports urban forestry and agriculture projects, in addition to regular forestry projects. Visit the Adaptation Workbook and give it a try - we think you'll like what you see!
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 a brief 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. 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. The webinar on January 19 is on Fire and Aspen in the Great Lakes. Check it out!
These weekly seminars will occur through the spring, 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!
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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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