Maine Climate Resilient Forest Management Workshop

This facilitated workshop was designed for teams of 2-5 people (including land trust staff, natural resource professionals, and landowners in Maine) to gain new insights on climate change impacts on forests, wildlife, and communities dependent upon them. The workshops aimed to help participants incorporate climate change considerations and identify actions for adaptation into their own real-world forest management/stewardship projects using the Forest Adaptation Resources: Climate change tools and approaches for land managers, 2nd Edition, and the Adaptation Workbook. The workshop engaged key landowners and land managers in Maine and was led by staff from the Forest Stewards Guild (Guild), the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS), and the USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub.

At the workshop we:

• Provided information on the current and anticipated effects of climate change on Maine forests.
• Described resources and tools that can be used to integrate climate change into management.
• Outlined adaptation concepts and strategies that can enhance the ability of forests and other ecosystems to adapt to changing conditions.
• Explored the intersection between Tribal needs and climate change adaptation in Maine’s forests and empower participants to collaborate with Tribes in their climate adaptation planning.
• Engaged participants in a variety of interactive activities to identify climate change issues and potential adaptation actions.
• Built connections between land trusts and conservation organizations stewarding Maine forests.

This project is supported through the Land and Climate Grant Program, a joint initiative of Open Space Institute and Land Trust Alliance made possible with funding from the Doris Duke Foundation, Jane’s Trust Foundation, the J.M. Kaplan Fund, the Merck Family Fund, the Volgenau Foundation, and the William Penn Foundation.

View Workshop Agenda

Resources

New England Climate Change Vulnerability

• New England Forest Ecosystem Vulnerability resources

• New England Forest Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment (Janowiak et al. 2018)

• USFS Climate Change Tree Atlas handout for New England tree species

Adaptation Workbook Resources

• Forest Adaptation Strategies and Approaches and Adaptation Workbook, full publication (Swanston et al. 2016)
• Access the online Adaptation Workbook
• Download Word, Excel, and PDF versions of the Adaptation Workbook
• Adaptation Workbook Quick Guide for Land Trusts

Tribal Lands Conservation and Adaptation

• In Maine, a return of tribal land shows how conservation can succeed (Washington Post)
• “Dibaginjigaadeg Anishinaabe Ezhitwaad: A Tribal Climate Adaptation Menu”. (Tribal Adaptation Menu Team, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, 2019)
• “Species Preservation in the Face of Novel Threats: Cultural, Ecological, and Operational Considerations for Preserving Tree Species in the Context of Non-Indigenous Insects and Pathogens.”(D’Amato et al. 2023)
• First Light Learning Journey
• Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik (UMaine)
• Ganawenindiwag: Working with plant relatives to heal and protect Gichigami shorelines
• Ash seed collection manual (UMaine)
• Public Lands Curriculum (The Wilderness Society)

Forest Carbon and Old Growth

• A Guide to Forest Carbon in the Northeast (Securing Northeast Forest Carbon)
• Healthy Forests for our Future: A Management Guide to Increase Carbon Storage in Northeast Forests (TNC/NIACS)
• Caring for your Woods: Managing for Forest Carbon (MA DCR)
• Forest Carbon: An essential solution for climate change (D'Amato and Catanzaro 2019)
• Carbon Markets: Are they right for you? (Land Trust Alliance)
• Managing Forests for Carbon in Massachusetts (MA DCR)
• Restoring old growth characteristics to New England’s and New York’s Forests (D'Amato and Catanzaro)
• Identifying trade-offs and opportunities for forest carbon and wildlife using a climate change adaptation lens (Littlefield and D’Amato, 2022)

Resources for Funding Implementation

• COLLABORATIVE CAPACITY PROGRAM FOR FORESTS & COMMUNITIES (National Forest Foundation)
• USDA NRCS CSP & EQIP programs
• US EPA Healthy Watersheds Consortium Grant
• USDA FS Forest Landowner Support & Eastern Region Private and Tribal Forestry Grant Opportunities
• OSI/LTA Land and Climate Grant
• OSI Climate Catalyst Program (last grant on page)