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Special Webinar
Private landowners and the Changing Northwoods: Results from Focus Group Interviews
Thursday, September 20th, 2018 12:00 PM Eastern Time
Web link: https://bluejeans.com/605097834
Phone: 1.888.240.2560, Conference ID: 605097834
Please join this webinar to hear how individual private landowners are managing forests in response to changing environmental conditions in the Northwoods. The webinar will present findings from the first stage of a study of how forestland owners in northern Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota have experienced environmental change; the management practices and strategies they have undertaken to respond to these changes; and the social, psychological, and economic factors that have influenced their responses. The goals of the project are to inform policies and programs that aim to help private forestland owners adapt to changing environmental and socio-economic conditions, and to improve understanding of individual behavior in changing environments. Presenter: Paige Fischer, Assistant Professor, University of Michigan. |
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Special Journal Issue
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| Emerald ash borer and D-shaped exit holes |
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The emerald ash borer (EAB) is rapidly spreading throughout the Northwoods and changing ecosystems where ash is a component tree. This rapid and
sustained loss of ash trees has already resulted in ecological impacts on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and is projected to be even more severe as EAB invades more territory. This Special Issue of the journal Forests contains 19 research papers, which addres ecological impacts of EAB in forest ecosystems, forest regeneration, biocontrol and insecticide treatment options, alternative species planting, and more!
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Wisconsin
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| Society of American Foresters logo. |
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Wisconsin SAF meeting features forward-looking perspectives
The Wisconsin Chapter of the Society of American Foresters organized their September meeting around the theme, "Innovation in Silviculture: the art and the science." As you might expect, many of the presentations dealt with the concept of how to keep forests healthy and vigorous in an era of climate change. Presentations covered new ways of assessing risk related to climate change, making informed choices about planting seed from different seed zones, and climate-driven impacts such as the potential for mountain pine beetle to invade the Great Lakes region, among many other interesting topics. Kudos for WI SAF for planning such a great meeting!
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Michigan
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| Workshop participants at the Fort Custer Training Center |
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Army National Guard rises to the challenge of climate change
In late August, NIACS worked with the Michigan Army National Guard to organize an adaptation workshop at the Fort Custer Training Center near Battle Creek, MI. Todd Ontl and Kristen Schmitt led the group through the Adaptation Workbook process and helped them develop their own custom-built adaptation actions. It was a great mix of participants, with Army National Guard natural resource managers from installations across the Great Lakes and New England. Conservation partner organizations like the Kalamazoo Nature Center also participated. This workshop will add to our growing list of real-world adaptation examples across the Midwest and Northeast! |
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Minnesota
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| One of the Transition treatment areas in the Minnesota Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change project. |
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Field tour highlights real-world climate adaptation actions
NIACS partnered with the Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative and the University of Minnesota to host a field tour on climate change adaptation. Over 35 participants spent two days touring project sites on a diversity of ownerships and forest types. Day 1 featured a blowdown response on Aitkin County land and northern hardwoods management on the Rajala Companies Sugar Hills property. Day 2 featured a pair of long-term red pine silvicultural studies on the Cutfoot Experimental Forest and an on-going eastern larch beetle outbreak on state and federal land. The field tour was also designed to feature a new NIACS product, the Climate Change Field Guide for Northern Minnesota Forests. Folks enjoyed the opportunity to ask questions, see the sites in person, and use new resources! |
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Upcoming Events
Ann Arbor, MI - September 24-26 - Cost varies
This regional workshop will showcase best practices and innovations across several disciplines, from forestry and natural resources to human health and urban planning. It's a great way to catch up with other professionals who focus on climate change issues around our region!
Bath, MI - September 27-28 - Free
This active, hands-on workshop will help participants consider climate change and develop custom-built adaptation actions into their own real-world projects. Participants will use a new Wildlife Adaptation Menu being developed by the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, Michigan DNR, UW-Madison, and NIACS.
St. Paul, MN - November 14 - $100
The Climate Adaptation Conference is designed for local officials, planners, engineers, natural resource professionals, and others who want to know more about climate adaptation in the Gopher State. Learn about new actions in various sectors, including human health, local governmental entities, forestry, resources, recreation, and agriculture.
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Online Education
Fall 2018 enrollment is now open for MSU's online Graduate Certificate program that focuses on forest carbon. Financial assistance will be available through a Weyerhaeuser Fellowship, so please visit the website to learn more and apply! Contact
[email protected] with questions.
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!
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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Useful Resources
This project from Michigan Tech University, the US Forest Service, and Great Lakes Restoration Initiative aims to create a detailed map of black ash throughout its range. Learn more at the link above, and consider submitting your own inventory data to help complete the map!
My Minnesota Woods has created two handy pages that spell out the current risk levels for oak wilt and EAB across the state. Check them out, and stay informed!
Check out this new documentary from WKOW in Wisconsin. It's 55-minutes long, and it would make a great discussion piece for a classroom or a community event!
The College of Menominee Nation Sustainable Development Institute is creating a new platform for indigenous peoples to share information on climate impacts and discuss ways to adapt. The new website just launched, and contains lots of great videos and 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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Feel free to contact
Stephen Handler with any comments, questions, or suggestions for projects within the Northwoods Response Framework!
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